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(1 event)

8:30 pm: 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
September 8, 2024(1 event)

6:00 pm: 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
September 9, 2024(2 events)

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

8:15 pm: 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
September 10, 2024(1 event)

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(1 event)

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
September 13, 2024
September 14, 2024(3 events)

2:00 pm: 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

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

6:15 pm: 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
September 15, 2024(2 events)

3:30 pm: 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

6:00 pm: 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
September 16, 2024
September 17, 2024
September 18, 2024
September 19, 2024
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October 1, 2024
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October 5, 2024
October 6, 2024