7th January, 2009
The moving image reached Latin America not long after Lumiere’s first projection took place in the Grand Café, Paris on 28 December 1895. In Mexico (1896), Argentina (1897) and Brazil (1898). These early projections marked the birth of some of the most interesting film industries, as seen mainly but not exclusively in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and much later after the revolution, in Cuba.
The Film & Culture section exists to promote greater understanding and appreciation of film history and contemporary cinematic culture from Latin America.
Films screened within this section of the festival present a rare chance in London to view an eclectic range of work from Latin American film history. Each year we will research the archives of film organisations such as IMCINE, ICAIC, INCAA, ANCINE and national film institutes from each Latin American country to present a varied programme to suit the interest of all audiences.
We aim to raise awareness of the richness of our film culture through special events such as retrospectives, lectures, master classes and Q & A sessions. These bring together Latin American film critics, renowned film directors, historians and members of the industry to educate and raise debate on key topics of the Latin American film history and contemporary trends.
This 4th edition of the festival will introduce the first of a series of annual events entitled Latin America through the Lens of European Directors, making a tribute to directors that have found inspiration in Latin America to shoot films that have become international cinema classics. We have dedicated this year to Mikhail Kalatozov with his film I am Cuba (1964)
Latin American women filmmakers have now long challenged cultural and gender stereotypes contributing further to the wealth of our film history. We are very proud to dedicate this year to some of these great women. The programme will include films from Sara Gomez (Cuba), Maria Luisa Bemberg (Argentina), Susana Amaral (Brazil) and Maria Novaro (Mexico). We are delighted to have Maria Novaro representing this group of women directors and present an inspirational retrospective of her four feature films: Lola (1989), The Garden of Eden (1994) Danzon (1991) and Without a Trace (2000).
Yos Rivas
Film & Culture Director
DLA Film Festival