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COVID STORIES: The Grief of the Marmolejo Family
Los Marmolejos, a family at the very heart of London’s Latin Community, who lost their beloved husband, father and grandfather, Hector, to COVID in March. In the most honest way, Julian, Hector Jr, Kike, Jorge, Sandra and Maria…
COVID STORIES: Fabian, a London Survivor
Fabian Cataño is a London surviver. In 2005 Fabian was badly injured in the 7/7 bombings, but came back from 2 years of rehabilitation to build his cafe in Seven Sisters indoor market. In March 2020 Fabian spent 30 days in ICU…
COVID STORIES: On the Frontline
As part of our documentary series for Fuerza London - a film commemorating Latin London's experience of COVID, we interviewed Latinos all over the city. This is the story of Yoshi Bunce a nurse at Kingston Hospital for 30…
Orchesta Guayacán Tunes That Rock The Dance Floor
Orquesta Guayacan is without a doubt one of Colombia's greatest musical institutions. For over 35 years they have been one of the most prolific, consistent and best bands to come out of Cali, not an easy task considering…
Brazilian Sweet Chilli Sauce
I have never been a fan of regular store-bought sweet chilli sauce. Store versions have a funny taste, and the colouring and preservatives put me off. It's true that you can find some better quality 'natural'…
Mexico's New Movie Magician: Fernanda Valadez
In the world of booming Mexican cinema, it's hard not to notice that most of the big names are male: Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñarritú. Nor for much longer if Fernanda Valadez is anything to go…
‘ASFIXIA’ Dir. Kenya Márquez
Mexican writer/director Kenya Márquez excels with her second feature ‘Asfixia’ (Suffocation 2018), to be screened (free) online at the Raindance Film Festival 2020, in the Female Gaze strand. It is a tale of redemption and love,…
Alejo Durán (1919-1989) - Colombia’s first king of Vallenato
Alejo Durán was the first accordion player to win the Leyendas de Vallenato Festival, an event that creates superstars in Colombia. Labourer by day and one of the country's most prolific Vallenato composers and performers by…
Nuevo Orden (2020) Dir. Michel Franco
In ‘New Order’ (2020) the third feature written and directed by Mexican Michel Franco, no one is innocent. There is no ‘get out of jail free card’ here! Michel Franco’s powerful film, screened at the 2020 BFI London Film Festival…
ELLA ES CRISTINA Dir. Gonzalo Maza
Life is in colour but sometimes we need to see it in black and white. In ‘Ella es Cristina’ (This is Cristina, 2020), award-winning Chilean writer/ director Gonzalo Maza explores the power of female friendship set against the…
'Sin Señas Particulares' Dir. Fernanda Valadez
The Devil is Alive and well on the Mexican Border in ‘Sin Señas Particulares’ (Identifying Features - 2020), one of the Latino highlights at the 2020 BFI London Film Festival - a moving, multi-award-winning Opera Prima from…
Quino, creator of "Mafalda" (1932 - 2020)
This week Argentina mourns a great loss. At the age of 88, Argentine cartoonist, Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón (more commonly known as ‘Quino’) passed away on the 30th September in Mendoza, Argentina. Creator and father of…
Roberto Roena Tunes That Rock the Dance Floor
What can we say about Roberto Roena and his Apollo Sound? Well, he went from dancer to Bongocero to bandleader and mastered all three tasks, becoming one of the most recognised salsa musicians ever. Apart from being the leading…
Uruguay’s paradox: will the pandemic accelerate neo-liberal policies?
As the new government basks in public approval, ollas populares are back to feed the many. To many citizens’ dismay, Uruguay’s exemplary handling of the pandemic could help pave the way for the Lacalle Pou administration to pass…
75 Days (2020) Dir. Marc Romero
Screened at the 2020 London Spanish Film Festival, in his film ‘75 Days’ (2020) Writer/director Marc Romero re-visits a horrifying real-life event that remains a brutal and dark mystery. In 1992, in an area known as Alcàsser,…
Indigenous Heroes and Heroines of Colonial Latin America
In celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day, a day which began as a counter-celebration to el Dia de la Raza or 'Columbus Day' (still shamefully celebrated in Spain and the US to celebrate the colonisation and…
The Continuous Death of Tom Jobim
In Brazilian music, there are so many names that do not require any sort of introduction. Indeed, these are names that are often conflated with the definition of Brazilian music itself. They are names that, when spoken, evoke…
Issac Delgao Tunes That Rock the Dancefloor
El Chevere de la Salsa (The Cool Dude of Salsa) Issac Delgado is one of Cuba’s top salsa singers and has been at the top of his game since the ’80s with NG La Banda. He has become a reference for Cuban Salsa and has managed to…
'Memory House' Dir João Paulo Miranda María
Set in modern-day Brazil, with a fantastical narrative using hallucinations and dreams, in his film Memory House 2020, João Paulo Miranda María explores the lonely and tortured life of Cristovam as he suffers the harsh clash of…
'Window to the Sea' Directed by Miguel Ángel Jiménez
“Those that take risks get the life they want”, not as easy as it sounds, but pretty close to the decisions made by María (Emma Suárez) in this very moving film about love and loss, when María discovers she only has a few months…
Feijão Tropeiro
The wonderful Daniela Paiva challenged her non-Brazilian colleague Oceana Masterman-Smith, not very familiar with brazilian cooking, to make Feijão Tropeiro, a traditional dish from Minas Gerais, made with beans, bacon, sausage…
‘Los Conductos’ (2020) Directed by Camilo Restrepo
Colombian experimental filmmaker, writer and director Camilo Restrepo, known for 5 award-winning short films, including ‘La Bouche 2015’, has won the Berlinale’s GWFF Best First Feature Award with his ópera prima ‘Los Conductos…
10 Black Heroes of Colonial Latin America
Many of these heroic figures in the building of Latin America were confined to the anals of history. It wasn’t easy to find them, but once we started digging we found so many that we have only been able to mention a few. All…
Rafael Cortijo - musician, orchestra leader and composer (1928-1982)
There is a before and after in Puerto Rican music and his name is Rafael Cortijo. A self taught percussionist, what Cortijo lacked on musical education he made up in flavour and vision. With his compadre Ismael Rivera, Cortijo…
Human Rights Defenders in Colombia
Each day, human rights defenders speak out for the rights of others. And each day they risk their livelihoods, their liberty and in many cases their lives. As attacks, abductions, and assassinations increase in Latin America, we…
Chile: The Right, Victor Jara and a Crucial Plebiscite
According to polls, the majority of the Chilean public favours changing the Pinochet constitution, yet as the Piñera government attempts to repair the economy by rapidly moving the country out of lock-down, the campaign to oppose…
Tito Nieves Tunes that Rock The Dance Floor
"El Pavarotti de la Salsa" as he is also known, Tito Nieves is one of the best voices of Salsa, no doubt. With a fantastic career that started in the late ’70s, Tito has managed to stay relevant and active, keeping his…
Spotlight on... Eladio Carrión
Eladio Carrión has been defined as a trap singer, but he has been seen engaging in R&B, Reggaeton and even Dancehall in “Lluvia”. He has gained great popularity in the industry thanks to his character and explicit lyrics…
BELFONSO - A Story of Love and Betrayal
Belfonso is a powerful tableau-video tale of love, jealousy, rage and betrayal played out between three dwarf characters. It is the result of an artistic collaboration between Argentine painter Ricardo Cinalli and the Argentine…
Carlos Gardel (1890 - 1935)
Carlos Gardel was the world’s first and, arguably, only Global Tango Star. Songs such a ‘El Dia que me Quieras’ and his presence on screen not only made him a global icon but, aided the careers of countless other singers over the…
Things You Should Know About...Brazilian Cinema
It is fascinating that although all the Latin American countries discovered the magic of moving pictures at around the same time, thanks to the pioneering work of the Lumière Brothers in 1895- 1896, the trajectory of their…
Brazil: September 7 — A Day of Death
Distinguished Brazilian journalist Eliane Brum writes regularly for the Spanish newspaper El Pais. Her latest article is a cry of grief and rage at what President Bolsonaro and his followers have done to their country. She agues…
Surrogate Latina #4: Despina VIolari - dancer
Cyprus-born dancer Despina had been accumulating admirers on the Salsa scene for several years before getting to show off her grace and talent on the West End stage as part of the dance ensemble of 'On Your Feet'. She…
Spotlight on...Lyanno
Latin urban artist on the rise inspired by contemporary R&B stars such as Trey Songz and the Weeknd, Lyanno became one of Puerto Rico's rising artists in 2018 with featured appearances on hits including Alex Rose's…
Things You Should Know about...Jazz Greats of Latin America
Recently we produced a list of Latin Jazz greats, but many of the finest Jazz musicians from Latin America use neither la clave, nor the ostinato patterns nor the afro-cuban rythmns that we associate with Latin Jazz. The…
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ABDUCTED FILES (2025) by Brazilian writer/director Filippo Capuzzi Lapietra
Celebrating its premiere at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival, this highly entertaining mockumentary…
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The warm & quirky Mexican feature ‘CORINA’ (2024) by Úrzula Barba…
20 -year-old agoraphobic Corina, works for a publishing house. She has lived for years within a…
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COMPARSA (2025) written and directed by Doug Anderson and Vickie Curtis.
A moving feature- length documentary that explores how a group of women in Guatemala are…
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