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

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
August 26, 2024
August 27, 2024
August 28, 2024
August 29, 2024
August 30, 2024
August 31, 2024
September 1, 2024
September 2, 2024
September 3, 2024
September 4, 2024
September 5, 2024
September 6, 2024
September 7, 2024
September 8, 2024(1 event)

2:00 pm: Offerings of Life


September 8, 2024

Curated by Akira Iahtail & Masa’n Selene Galindo

A celebration of life and cinema, these short films showcase the traditions we cultivate and how we are affected by them. Through recreated memories, storytelling, rituals, resistance, and the confrontation of intergenerational cycles, they champion agency, autocriticism, and the possibility of happiness.

The Cinematheque
1131 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
September 9, 2024(2 events)

4:00 pm: Meet Me There


September 9, 2024

The fate of a pumpkin-coloured parka, a dancing bird-like figure on a beach, a woman waiting for a promise carried in a tiny vial, messages sent to a faraway friend, an amphibian’s view of solitude, we all arrive here from different places with different desires. With precision and heart, these five shorts by Latin-Canadian filmmakers invite us into distinct, poignant, and wondrous versions of affinity.

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

5:15 pm: The Soldier's Lagoon


September 9, 2024

Directed by Pablo Alvarez-Mesa, this riveting experimental work delves deep into the misty Páramo region, into an ecosystem rich in water, but also saturated with oral narratives that populate the territory like foggy patches. Reflecting on the construction of oral history and its relation to the land, the film traverses a living and elusive archive, suspended between Simon Bolivar’s past and Colombia’s present.

The Cinematheque
1131 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
September 10, 2024(2 events)

4:00 pm: Short Films in Competition: Program 1


September 10, 2024

Curated by Ana Tonso & Dani Rodríguez Chevalier

Beginning with disappearance, this shorts program delves into the various types of absence present in our lives. As we dive deeper, the exploration of grief intensifies, addressing processes of denial, internal and personal searches, and the reconstruction of losses. And then, what remains? What lingers as memories and stories we choose to tell? This showcase celebrates human resilience and the ability of cinema to capture and transform pain into something we can share and talk about, providing a meeting point for reflection and emotional connection.

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

8:15 pm: Cassandro


September 10, 2024

Gael García Bernal stars as Saúl “Cassandro” Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, Texas, who rose to international stardom when he created the character Cassandro, the "Liberace of Lucha Libre." In doing so he not only upended the macho wrestling world, but also his own life.

Also stars Bad Bunny!

The Cinematheque
1131 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
September 11, 2024(1 event)

8:15 pm: Fields of Presence


September 11, 2024

Still from Fields of Presence

Director Jorge Lozano in attendance.

"This poetic experimental documentary is a tribute to my daughter, Briana Sarita, and her multifaceted life, a collaborative reflection intertwining fiction film archives, acting, and photographs to evoke memories and breathe life into moments and events. Her singing serves as a connecting thread, offering parallel interpretations. The film explores events since 1978, employing a non-chronological and non-linear approach, providing a unique artistic perspective. Shot in Colombia, Spain, and Costa Rica, it culminates in Victoria, BC, where she was tragically murdered in March 2021. However, the film focuses on celebrating her life and her essence employing diverse formats, including super 8mm, VHS, Super VHS, 3/4″, 4K HD, Drone 5K video, GoPro, and Instant 360."

The Cinematheque
1131 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
September 12, 2024(2 events)

2:00 pm: 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

4:00 pm: Short Films in Competition: Program 2


September 12, 2024

Curated by Ana Tonso and Dani Rodríguez Chevalier

Water, access, being on the map, the first love, pleasure, history, and community are themes addressed in this collection of short films that illuminate various facets of the infinite and multiple realities that make up the experience of Latin American people. Through these narratives, the complexities and nuances of daily life are explored, highlighting the struggles and joys that define and recreate the region’s communities and individuals.

Cineworks
1131 Howe Street (entrance in back lane)
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
September 13, 2024(1 event)

5:45 pm: Emerging Filmmakers: Reconfiguring the Real


September 13, 2024

Sara Galvis, Maria Sarem, Kai Lium-Hall & Adrian Hoz in attendance!

This shorts program presents the work of local filmmakers whose creative narratives shed light on the ups and downs of relationships. Featuring: COSMIC LOVE (Maria Clara Saram), THE PERFORMANCE (Kai Lium-Hall), AZAI (Sara Galvis) & DOG SOUP (Patricio Cartas).

The Cinematheque
1131 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
September 14, 2024(2 events)

2:30 pm: Co-Presented with VQFF: Queer Pix: Queride


September 14, 2024

Directors Daniel E. Carrera and Ana Gutiérrez Salgado in attendance!

Queride—Darling in English— brings together five fierce filmmakers from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico to celebrate queer, trans, and non-binary stories. With fresh insights, these heartwarming films explore complex and intimate relationships, sharing insights into LGBTQIA+ Latine ways of loving, letting go, and finding joy with friends, lovers, and family.

International Village

4:15 pm: 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
September 15, 2024
September 16, 2024
September 17, 2024
September 18, 2024
September 19, 2024
September 20, 2024
September 21, 2024
September 22, 2024
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September 24, 2024
September 25, 2024
September 26, 2024
September 27, 2024
September 28, 2024
September 29, 2024
September 30, 2024
October 1, 2024
October 2, 2024
October 3, 2024
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October 5, 2024
October 6, 2024