Latin American cinema for a good cause

Parrot says: Enjoy Latin Cinema!

Movie buffs and lovers of the exotic rejoice: the 8^th edition of the Discovering Latin America Film Festival has begun. The festival runs from 26 November to 6 December featuring film shorts, documentaries, and UK premieres of the biggest movies from the region’s best directors.

London’s biggest Latin film festival opened with the critically acclaimed The Blood and the Rain from Colombian film maker Jorge Navas. The movie shows the struggles of a lonely cab driver and a cocaine addicted party girl through the dark and muddy streets of Bogotá over the course of one eventful night.

The ‘Immigration Tales’ series is one of the main attractions of the festival, focusing on the stories of the Latin American immigrant population in Europe and the United States. Highlights of the series include Paraíso Travel, a film about a Colombian couple adrift in New York searching for the American Dream and Los Bastardos, a Mexican movie about illegal workers in Los Angeles.

Children of Men director Alfonso Cuarón is one of the Latin American stars attending the festival. The Mexican director of Y Tu Mamá También and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will hold a panel discussion on the challenging multiplicity of Latin American cinema on 1 December. It may be a bit heavy if you are a cinema virgin, but for true students of celluloid it will be a rewarding experience.

The festival is organised by Discovering Latin America, an institution that focuses on spreading Latin American culture in London while raising money for charity. This year proceeds of the festival will go to Kiya Survivors, a UK charity that supports Peruvian children with special needs.

Happily, tickets are priced between £6 and £9 for student depending on whether it is a Gala night or a regular feature. Considering that it is a film festival and the proceeds go to a good cause this is a student bargain.

For more information on film and event programmes, visit Discovering Latin America.