
Esnayder's Empanadas Paisas
Empanadas are the most traditional of Latin American dishes, with their origen in the north of Spain, introduced the by moors during the their ocupation. Today you can find empanadas on any Latin American high street, as one…
Colombians’ Persistence in the Search for Peace: Interview with ‘Chocolate of Peace’ Producer
Gwen Burnyeat, the producer and co-director of the documentary Chocolate of Peace talks about the ‘persistence’ in peace-building, considering that Colombia is now both implementing the peace agreement with FARC and starting…
Ana Victoria's Story - Part 1: In Exile
Ana Victoria is an Afro-Colombian biologist who was ordained as the first female Colombian priest of the Anglican church in July 2017 in St Paul Cathedral. After being kidnapped by armed traffickers while she was working with…
Top Ten South American Political Thrillers
Is it any surprise that Latin America has produced some of the world’s best political thrillers? Latin noir has offered an imaginative terrain for questioning the shady practices of government and exposing the machinations and…
SVICHED ON
New York-based playwright Caridad Svich has created a fascinating body of plays, picking up some of the most prestigious awards in the process. In the UK to give a Masterclass on Writing for Stage and Screen at the Royal Central…
THE SHEPHERD (2017) Dir. JONATHAN CENZUAL BURLEY
Many people struggle for years to get their films recognized and some have success thrust upon them when they do not expect it… as in the case of young Spanish director JONATHAN CENZUAL BURLEY. A natural story teller, Cenzual has…
Mexico: Trump Weakens Fragile Economy
A sober assessment of the economic impact on Mexico of the promises and policies of the new US President.
Baroque’n’Roll
Lina Tur Bonet, Baroque violinist and somewhat of a classic superstar, talks to Latinolife about music video, are collaborations and other crazy projects that are stretching the boundaries and opening possibilities for Baroque…
A Dancer’s Leap from Poverty to Stardom
Fernando Montaño, the Royal Ballet's first ever Colombian soloist, has moved mountains and overcome obstacles to achieve his success as dancer, model and TV personality. He talked to Latinolife
La Follía de Corelli - music video with Lina Tur Bonet and Ángel Haro
A superb collaboration between Lina Tur Bonet, the renowned baroque violinist and the Spanish visual artist Ángel Haro has resulted in possibly the first ever Classical music video. Taking the music of one of Arcangel Corelli’s…
JESSE & JOY (East West Records)
This is the album that won Jesse & Joy, the Mexican brother and sister duo, their first US Grammy for best Latin pop album in February this year. It’s also their first to feature songs in English, some of which have already…
Argentina: Forty years of the ‘Mad Mothers’
April 30 marked the 40th anniversary of the foundation in Argentina of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo. Some of them are still searching for their disappeared loved ones.
The Turbulence of Budding Stardom
Once a mere suburban boy from outside Barcelona, now Spain’s representative at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, via a controversial decision that split the country, Latinolife talks to Manel Navarro, as he prepares for his…
A Film Guy named Jean Jean
In the past, the Panama Film Festival has attracted director greats such as Karim Aïnouz (Brazil) and Pablo Trapero (Argentina), and actors Ricardo Darín (Argentina) and Édgar Ramírez (Venezuela). This year it was a tall,…
LATIN LONDONER #21.....Omar Puente - Jazz Musician
Jazz violinist and 2017 LUKAS winner, Omar Puente, has performed to audiences worldwide. First violinist at the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra before leaving Cuba in 1997, he toured with Buena Vista’s Ruben Gonzales all over…
LATIN HOTLIST #5 - SPRING 2017
Think Latin, Feel Latin, Buy Latin...here's our choice of great Latin products on the market this Spring
Philippe Baden Powell: Notes Over Poetry (Far Out Recordings)
New era Brazilian Jazz rooted in its history
Explosive Alegría
It would seem that anything Gente de Zona touches turns to gold. Whether it’s putting Enrique Iglesias back at the top of the charts, or keeping Marc Anthony relevant, everyone who’se anyone in music goes to this Cuban Reggeatón…
Things we love about... Magical Mexico City
Built on the ruins of the ancient Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City has mushroomed into the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world. A melting pot of all that makes Mexico great - food, drinks, art and music - and…
Eliane Elias: Dance of Time (Concord Jazz)
Eliane Elias breathes new life into samba in her latest album - a celebration not only of this uniquely Brazilian sound, but also of her collaboration with musicians who have played an important role in her career.
For the Love of Plantain
Pioneering Pan-Latin chef and restauranteur, Esnayder Cuartas, declares his love for this over-sized banana.
Sembrando Cultura: This is How We do It!
Maria Luna, a Dominican American residing in London, speaks to four Latinas in the United States, Scotland and England to find out what it means to be a Latina and how a Latina maintains or compromises her culture when she starts…
Paradise City by Joe Thomas (Arcadia Books)
American style 'noir' set in South America's biggest megatropolis - a lonely cop's battle with corruption, despair, and his own demons makes for an enthralling Sao Paulo thriller.
Mexico's Ranchera-Pop Anti-Diva
Blending traditional Mexican ranchera sounds with elements of the Pop and Rock she grew up with in Tijuana, Julieta Venega first landed on the Mexican Rock scene in the nineties and has since won a Grammy, been nominated for two…
Venezuela Reconstructed
The winner of two 2017 LUKAS (Musician and Alternative Act of the Year) Ernesto Marichales is making waves on the London music scene with his daring and experimental re-arranging of traditional Venezuelan music. Performing with…
Brazil: the flesh is weak but the meat is rotten
Police investigations reveal another massive web of corruption involving Brazil's strategic meat industry, inspectors and politicians
Between Poetry and Politics - an interview with Gael García Bernal
GAEL GARCÍA BERNAL gets on a roll about poetry, fascism, idealism and power as he talks to Latinolife about the times we live in…oh, and his latest film, NERUDA.
Neruda (2016) Dir. Pablo Larrain
The latest Chilean addition to a great Latin American tradition of highly entertaining political thrillers, or 'Latin Noir' as the genre is now known. Neruda, focuses on the the arrest warrant issued in 1948 for the…
Between Politics, Poetry and Fantasy: Pablo Neruda as Thriller
NERUDA, an original take on a biopic of the renowned Chilean poet Pablo Neruda by Pablo Larraín, is being release in the UK in April, 2017. Much anticipated, fans of Pablo Larrain’s creative films will not be disappointed. Very…
COSMIC CONNECTIONS
Patricia Diaz describes herself as a migrant storyteller, for she has lived longer in London than in her native Colombia. Her debut novel ‘The Golden Bat’ touches on the tragic events of the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz volcano eruption…
Top Ten Nicky Jam Tracks
One of Puerto Rico's most talented Reggaetóneros, Nicky Jam rose to fame along with the likes of Daddy Yankee, but his career took a dive after a bad run with drugs and criminal misdemeanours. While his peers were becoming…
The Films of Armando Bó
In the first of our 'Memorable Film' series on Latin America and Spain’s most memorable films and directors, Latinolife’s film editor, Corina Poore, profiles the ground-breaking Argentine director Armando Bó
“Fenix” Nicky Jam (Sony Music)
Reggaetón pioneer who sprung to global fame with his first album “Diferente a Los Demás” and consolidated his success in 2015 with “El Perdón” ("Forgiveness"), delivers another classic.
Cupuaçu: Brazil's Alternative to Chocolate
Forget cocoa, meet cupuaçu, a brand new contender in the arena of chocolate substitutes.
Aquarius (2017 Dir. Kleber Filho Mendonça)
A richly painted portrait of Brazilian society, of corporate greed and, ultimately, of a woman of a certain age.