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Latin Shorts
Since short films were removed from accompanying all features at cinemas, they have struggled to find venues to reach an audience. The The 21st London Short Film Festival aims to change that, in style. We review four Latin…
The Rise of Female Mexican Filmmaking
Mexican filmmaker Lorena Valencia’s “DANDELION” (Cuanacaquilitl) recently won the top prize at the recent ‘16 Days 16 Films’ competition. ‘Esperanza’ and ‘A Very Nice Guy’, also directed by Mexican female directors, featured…
Remembering Rodolfo Aicardi
Blessed with an unusual voice, which exuded passion and raw emotion, an era of great songs that connected with audiences every day lives, and a magnetic charisma, Rodolfo Aicardi was one of Colombia’s biggest Cumbia stars of the…
Listening to Nature
“Our father, listen attentively to the voice of our rivers, listen to the fearsome trees of the great forest.” So wrote José María Arguedas in 1966. The poet, writer and anthropologist (1911-1969) is one of the most celebrated…
An unknown path for Argentina as far-right libertarian Javier Milei wins election
Amidst one of the worst economic crises in Argentina’s history, Javier Milei staged one of the biggest upsets in its political history by beating Sergio Massa, the current economy minister and Peronist candidate, in the…
LA SINGLA (2023) by Spanish writer/ director Paloma Zapata
“She understood music because she was born with it within her.” This drama documentary, part-fiction, part reality, reveals the astounding story of a young girl, who despite being profoundly deaf, became one of Flamenco’s most…
Penal Cordillera (2023) by Felipe Carmona Urrutia
“Not only condors fly.” In 'Penal Cordillera' a group of five high-ranking military officers convicted of crimes against humanity during the Pinochet Military Dictatorship, find their privileges threatened at their…
‘When Evil Lurks’ (Cuando Acecha la Maldad) Dir. Demián Rugna
A gateway to hell in your stomach, or evil oozing out from a putrid demon-infested body, are images that have sprung from the fertile mind of Argentine horror filmmaker Demián Rugna. Now, more to feast on in ‘When Evil Lurks’.
CLOSE YOUR EYES (2023) by Victor Erice at the BFI in the Victor Erice Season 2024
‘Memory is very important, but a person is more than just a memory’ and a film can be more than just a film. Spanish writer/director Victor Erice’s slow-burning film of mystery and loss lingers long after the credits have rolled…
Tótem (2023) by Mexican writer/director Lila Avilés
“I wish Daddy did not have to die”. Lila Avilés’ delightful second feature deals with mortality and love at an intensely human level in this gem of a movie.
PUAN 2023 by Benjamin Naishstat and María Alché
“Llueve sobre tu desolación” (It rains on your despair) In the philosophical comedy by Benjamin Naishstat and María Alché, premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, the upended life and personal struggles of…
Remembering Canserbero
We pay tribute to one of Latin America’s most gifted artists, a beautiful lyricist and one of the best rappers to ever to bless the mic, whose life tragically came to an end under very suspicious circumstances on Caracas,…
FAILURE! 2023, directed by Alex Kahuam is screening at the London Frightfest 2023
Failure! is a psychological thriller that features the enigmatic Ted Raimi in the lead role as a man who, facing ruin gets increasingly more desperate as he seeks a way out.
‘BALNEARIOS 2002’ by Mariano Llinás, screened in the ‘Architecture on Film’ series at the Barbican
‘Balnearios’ (Beach Resorts) may be a documentary, including archive footage from the mid-20th Century, but with Mariano Llinás’ ironic and dry sense of humour, it reveals an unconventional and surreal quality all of its own,…
ESTÉVEZ / PAÑOS Y COMPAÑÍA wow audiences at Sadler’s Wells
The Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells is lit up again with ‘La Confluencia,’ an adventurous new work created by dancer/ choreographer team Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños.
Ana Gabriel at Wembley Arena, London
London's Latin American community were out in force at Wembley on Friday, July 7, to welcome popular Mexican singer Ana Gabriel to the capital.
Sara Baras, Flamenco legend.
Andalusia pulses again as the Flamenco Festival returns for an exciting fortnight at the Sadler's Well Theatre , opening with the stunning Sara Baras with her new work ALMA
The Essence of Salsa Aristocracy: why we love Pete 'El Conde' Rodriguez
Of all the legendary crooners of salsa’s golden era, Fania founder Pacheco always claimed that Pete 'El Conde' Rodriguez was his favourite singer. And you only need to listen to his songs to see why: the understated…
'Paella' by Omar Allibhoy
In his self-confessed love letter to Valencia, Chef Omar Allibhoy unveils his passion for Spain's national dish along with insider knowledge and tips you need to produce a perfect panful of glorious tastes and textures,…
Horror is alive and kicking in THE BREACH (2022) by Rodrigo Gudiño
Mexican- Canadian film director Rodrigo Gudiño, best known for founding the horror magazine and company Rue Morgue, has lived up to his reputation with an entertaining and fun horror film with plenty of gore, ‘The Breach’ (2022)
SÚPER CHEFS, a play by Betsy Picart, with music by Ariel Cubría.
At the Theatre Peckham, SÚPER CHEFS, an exciting music & dance play designed for children (aged 4-8), is delighting its young audiences and their parents alike,
BROKEN TOYS by Carolina Román at the Cervantes Theatre.
To celebrate PRIDE Month, the multi-award-winning play ‘BROKEN TOYS’ by Argentine-Spanish playwright Carolina Román, is playing until the end of June to enthusiastic audiences, at the Cervantes Theatre in Southwark.
We Love Johnny Pacheco
And this is the bit where we say thank you to the legend on whose shoulders we stand. Put simply, Johnny Pacheco, flautist, percussionist, bandleader, arranger and co-founder of Fania Records, was one of the most influential…
Remembering Lalo Rodriguez
"Lalo" Rodríguez was one of salsa’s great prodigies. The talk of the town in his native Puerto Rico in the early 70s when, at the age of 15, he was a discovered by Eddie Palmieri, the phenomenal force in Latin music at…
‘El Perro del Hortelano’ (The Dog in the Manger) by Lope de Vega.
Lope Félix de Vega Caprio, (aka the Phoenix of Spain- 1562-1635) was possibly the first, and maybe the finest playwright that helped launch the Golden Age, el Siglo de Oro in a Baroque Spain. A contemporary of William Shakespeare…
La Vida es Sueño (Life is a Dream) by Pedro Calderón de la Barca at the Barbican Theatre.
Just as William Shakespeare was revolutionizing theatre in England, Spanish writers like Lope de Vega and Pedro Calderón de la Barca were shining bright in the Spanish 'Siglo de Oro'. 'Life is a Dream' is one…
LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING (2023) by Lisa Cortes
In this beautifully researched documentary, screened at the 2023 BFI Flare London LGBTQIA+ Festival, Lisa Cortes celebrates the ‘architect of rock n’ roll’ Little Richard, with all the ebullience and joy that vibrates in his…
‘UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS’: Juan Felipe Zuleta’s film of friendship despite all odds
Screened in the 'Hearts' Strand at the 2023 BFI Flare LGBTQI+ Festival, this powerful and charming film has been praised by Queer Forty as “one of the best road movies ever made”. This may be a grand statement but there…
Latinx Films at The 37th BFI Flare Film Festival 2023
With an array of exciting films from 41 countries, as varied as Morocco & South Korea to Latin America, the biggest LGBTIQ+ film festival in Europe 1(5- 26 March) aims to expand our perspectives, not only with films, but also…
Remembering...Pablo Milanés (1943-2022)
Where Poetry and patriotism meet sublime musicality. Any Latin American will know the angelic voice of one of Cuba's most well known singer-song writers, who stands tall amidst a plethora of Cuban musical legends. Love songs…
'Women Resisting Violence: Voices and Experiences from Latin America' by the WRV Collective
'Women Resisting Violence' draws on a range of case studies from Nicaragua, Brazil, the UK, Mexico, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala, to paint a contemporary landscape of feminist struggle. Together,…
Does Economic Reality Jeopodise Latin America's Second Pink Tide?
In an impressive switch, Latin America's right-wing presidents have lost almost all the presidential elections. The region has, once again, been painted in pink and red, even more than during Chavez and Correa´s times.…
SUBLIME (2022) Dir. Mariano Baisin
A beautifully understated Argentinian coming-of-age drama starring Martin Miller and Teo Inama Chiabrando and directed by Mariano Biasin.
We Love...Gal Costa
Endowed with a charismatic and exquisite voice filled with stylistic delights, Maria da Graҫa Costa Penna Burgos (better known as Gal Costa) was a native of Salvador, Bahia. Along with Maria Bethania, she was one of the primary…
Spotlight on…Rubén Blades
There are many great salsa tunes; ones that, when you hear them in a club and you’re dancing, you don’t want them to end. And then there is Rubén Blades; the Panamanian song-writing law student with an abundance of rhythm,…
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