22nd Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, Sept 5-15, 2024

  • Opening Night Party

    Opening Night Party


    September 5, 2024

    Wasakaka All Stars singing on stage

    Join us for the Opening Party at a new venue this year... THE PEARL at 881 Granville Street!! Featuring music by Ypsilone, followed by the irresistible salsa beats of the Wasakaka All Stars!!

    881 Granville St
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 1L1
    Canada
  • Sign Here

    Sign Here


    September 7, 2024

    Director Enrique Vázquez and actress Regina Blandón in attendance!

    In the near future, the ideal love relationship only lasts 4 years. The 4EVER company adeptly pairs single people with their perfect next match. When Fran is set up with Roque, she feels something new. Will 4 years be enough, or will they defy the system?

    The Cinematheque
    1131 Howe Street
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
  • Sign Here

    Sign Here


    September 8, 2024

    Director Enrique Vázquez and actress Regina Blandón in attendance!

    In the near future, the ideal love relationship only lasts 4 years. The 4EVER company adeptly pairs single people with their perfect next match. When Fran is set up with Roque, she feels something new. Will 4 years be enough, or will they defy the system?

    The Cinematheque
    1131 Howe Street
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
  • All The Fires (with Passiflora)

    All The Fires (with Passiflora)


    September 9, 2024

    A teenager's journey of self-discovery takes him on a path of fire and destruction. In his search for answers, he must confront his past, his sexuality, and his place in the world.

    Nominated for the Golden Leopard at Locarno International Film Festival, 2023

    Preceded by PASSIFLORA with director Gabriel Nunes Souza in attendance.

    The Cinematheque
    1131 Howe Street
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
  • In memoriam: Narcisa Hirsch

    In memoriam: Narcisa Hirsch


    September 11, 2024

    skin

    Born in Germany yet Argentine by choice, Narcisa Hirsch was the pioneer of Argentine experimental cinema. This selection of six short films approaches Narcisa’s work from its beginnings in the late 1960s up to her last film Materia Oscura (2023).

    Narcisa’s gaze is expansive, it cuts across forms and the reflections it creates leave us in a narcotic state in which time and space slowly transform. She described this process as follows: “Cinema is what flows and leaves, that which doesn’t stay, an image every twenty-fourth of a second; cinema is being a dark room with others sharing a ritual. Yet, above all, it is the luminosity of the images, images that in being projected make visible other images, the internal, the ones that are kept, the dark and forgotten ones, in that beam of light that travels through the terrain to uproot us from where we are sitting and leave us melting with this light in a quasi passionate encounter.”

    Cineworks
    1131 Howe Street (entrance in back lane)
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
  • Open Sky (with The Vampires of Poverty)

    Open Sky (with The Vampires of Poverty)


    September 12, 2024

    A Peruvian father labours patiently, chipping at the white volcanic stone that forms an extraordinary landscape. His son is part of the modern world: he uses cameras and drones in order to create the digital model of a church on a computer. Separated by the mysterious death of the wife/mother figure in the family, these men do not connect, and yet their paths cross in a ghostly manner.

    Preceded by THE VAMPIRES OF POVERTY (1977, 28 min)
    A classic film of Colombian cinema by directors Carlos Mayolo & Luis Opsina that simulates being a documentary about filmmakers who exploit misery with mercantilist purposes. It is a scathing criticism of “porno-misery” and the opportunism of the dishonest documentary making “socio-political documentaries” in the third world to sell them in Europe and win prizes.

    Cineworks
    1131 Howe Street (entrance in back lane)
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
  • When Evil Lurks

    When Evil Lurks


    September 13, 2024

    When the residents of a small rural town discover that a demon is about to be born among them, they desperately try to escape, but it may be too late.

    Winner of Best Feature Film at Sitges Film Festival, 2023.
    Winner of Best Feature Film at Gérardmer Film Festival, 2024.

    The Cinematheque
    1131 Howe Street
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
  • Children of the Coast

    Children of the Coast


    September 14, 2024

    Following Afro-Mexican musicians from Costa Chica, this documentary immerses us in the region’s popular culture. Its music reveals the history of a community that pays tribute to its people, the sea, and its land.

    The Cinematheque
    1131 Howe Street
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
    Open Sky

    Open Sky


    September 14, 2024

    Director Felipe Esparza Pérez in attendance!

    A Peruvian father labours patiently, chipping at the white volcanic stone that forms an extraordinary landscape. His son is part of the modern world: he uses cameras and drones in order to create the digital model of a church on a computer. Separated by the mysterious death of the wife/mother figure in the family, these men do not connect, and yet their paths cross in a ghostly manner.

    The Cinematheque
    1131 Howe Street
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
    Placeada: The Intimate Story of an Ex-Assassin

    Placeada: The Intimate Story of an Ex-Assassin


    September 14, 2024

    Director Alejandra Sanchéz in attendance!

    PLACEADA reveals the riveting and disturbing story of Gabriela López, a woman who entered the ranks of organized crime in Juarez, Mexico at the age of 13, and at 16 dedicated herself to planning and executing murders. After 20 years in prison, she is now trying to find a new meaning to her existence. She doesn't want to go back to prison or return to her previous life...or end up dead by saying too much. This is an intimate testimony that offers a platform for discussion around what are the possible origins and causes of a violence that has kept the entire country on edge.

    The Cinematheque
    1131 Howe Street
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
    🔥FUEGO / FOGO Cuir Party 🔥

    🔥FUEGO / FOGO Cuir Party 🔥


    September 14, 2024

    Voguing. DJs. Gogo Dancers. Brazilian Batucada. Come party Latine Queer/Cuir style with VLAFF and VQFF! This night promises a fiery lineup of Latine excellence. Come hungry, Boteco Brazil will be waiting for you with delicious bites to fuel your tank so that the flame of perreo burns all night long. Somebody call 911, there’ll be fire burning on the dancefloor.

    VQFF Passholders, VLAFF Passholders, and ticket holders from the following screenings get free entry: Queer Pix: QUERIDE, THIS IS BALLROOM, and VERA AND THE PLEASURE OF OTHERS. Show your physical pass/ticket or digital ticket at the door for entry.

    The Birdhouse
    44 West 4th Avenue
    Vancouver, BC V5Y 1G3
    Canada
  • Nudo Mixteco (w/ The Doldrums or How to Cure Sadness)

    Nudo Mixteco (w/ The Doldrums or How to Cure Sadness)


    September 15, 2024

    Mother and daughter sitting and talking

    Director Ángeles Cruz in attendance!

    In a compelling and carefully crafted narrative, three women’s stories intertwine during the celebration of San Mateo, the patron saint, in a Mixtec village in Oaxaca. María returns home to bury her mother and face her father’s rejection. An unpleasant reunion awaits Chabela when her husband, Esteban, returns from the US, after not having heard from him in three years; Toña relives her own childhood pain when she suspects her daughter is facing the same fate as her. Self-reliant and defiant, all three women face a confrontation that leads to a powerful turning point in their lives.

    Preceded by the short film THE DOLDRUMS OR HOW TO CURE SADNESS

    The Cinematheque
    1131 Howe Street
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
    Valentina or the Serenity

    Valentina or the Serenity


    September 15, 2024

    Director Ángeles Cruz in attendance!

    After Valentina's father disappears in an accident, she puts all her efforts into believing that he is still alive. With the help of her friend Pedro, she searches for him everywhere, trying to conjure his existence. An intimate and moving look into the depths of loss and the curative power of love.

    Winner of the Golden Colón for Best Film at Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival, 2023

    The Cinematheque
    1131 Howe Street
    Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7