28th August, 2008
Did you hear about the man who locked up his whole family for 15 years to protect them from the corruption of the outside world? Did you know there is a religious town in the Peruvian Andes where it is allowed to sin as Christ cannot see you between His death and resurrection? Have you ever thought what is it like to be abducted, blindfolded and tortured for something you have not done? How about sending a 12 year old to the guerrilla, or a group of 18 year olds to disaster at the Falklands war?
This is just a taster of what Latin American cinema is bringing to London in the fifth edition of our festival. If you think that might just be too spicy for your taste, the festival also brings plenty of universal themes to the big screen, such as rock music, beautiful landscapes and plenty about relationships (father-son, family matters, one night stands, and University life). The common denominator is that this is a unique experience to see something different in a cinema, enjoy, learn and feel! And, from this edition, we bring you an opportunity to vote for your favourite feature film as we introduce the ‘Audience Award’.
The programme is complemented by a fantastic documentary line up, as well as our interesting Film & Culture section, continuing on its annual series: Latin America Through the Lens of European Directors showcasing the “master of surrealism”, retrospectives from renowned Latin American directors and Q&As with academics and film makers. This year we are also making the festival more available by promoting free events for our selection of shorts, and bringing new events to the plate, such as a session of documentary shorts commissioned by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture.
As ever, this is our present for the audience and we invite you to unwrap the gift and help the Festival’s ultimate goal: help the disadvantaged in Latin America, this year through CREA Panama. Enjoy!
Jorge Garayo
Festival Director
DLA Film Festival
Making the Spirit of Latin America available through film