Latin American cinema – a tribute
While cinema has long been credited as a means of communication between countries and cultures, Greek audiences are not very familiar with Latin American films. One of the reasons local movie-goers know little about this developing industry is that Latin American films rarely find a Greek distributor. In view of this, the Thessaloniki Film Festival is offering a rare cinematic treat: In collaboration with various embassies and Latin American cultural institutes on both sides of the Atlantic, it has organized a tribute to Spanish-language cinema. Currently showing in Thessaloniki, at the Olympion cinema, the tribute is scheduled to begin in Athens on Friday (running to May 2), at the Trianon. Released in the last three years, the films go beyond convention and cliches. They cast a critical eye on the cinematic forms that have defined their countries in the past, while also examining the influence of TV – countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela, for instance, are leaders in the so-called telenovelas, soap operas for the masses. The following films will be screened: From Argentina, Fabien Bielinsky’s «Nueve Reinas» (Nine Queens) and Lucrecia Martel’s «La Cienaga» (The Swamp) both of which were screened at the Thessaloniki Film Festival last year; from Brazil are Fernando Meyrelles’s and Nando Olival’s «Domesticas, o Filme» (The Servants) and Luis Fernando Carvalho’s «Lavoura Arcaica» (The Prodigal Son); representing Colombia are Barbet Schroeder’s «La Virgen de los Sicarios» (Our Lady of the Assassins) and Raul Garcia’s «Kalibre 35» (Caliber 35); from Mexico, Gerardo Tort’s «De la Calle» (On the Streets) and Arturo Ripstein’s «La Perdicion de los Hombres» (Losing the Men); from Peru, Francisco Lombardi’s «Tinta Roja» (Red Ink) and Felipe Degregori’s «Ciudad de M» (City of M); from Chile, Silvio Caiozzi’s «Coronacion» (Coronation) and Orlando Lubbert’s «Taxi para Tres» (Taxi for Three); Coming from Uruguay are Pablo Stoll’s and Juan Pablo Rebella’s «25 Watts;» while Ecuador offers Sebastian Cordero’s «Ratas, Ratones, Rateros» (Fearless Rodents). Portugal and Spain are also represented as part of the tribute. Alberto Santos Seixas’s «Mal» (Evil) and Manoel de Oliveira’s «Porto de minha Infancia» (Porto of my Childhood) come from Portugal, while Spain sent Benito Zambrano’s «Solas» (Lonely Women). Total turnover was 67.55 million euros on volume of 12.8 million shares. Losers beat winners 258 to 58 with 39 unchanged on 355 traded. (Reuters)
