ABDUCTED FILES (2025) by Brazilian writer/director Filippo Capuzzi Lapietra
Celebrating its premiere at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival, this highly entertaining mockumentary, set in 2024, explores the legacy of a film shot earlier, in 2016, that had set out to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the “…
ORDINARY TIME (Tempo Común) Dir. Susana Nobre
A contemplative and minimalist film that reveals a moving life cycle as it delves into the lives of a young couple and their daughter during her first year of life. A quiet study of parenthood with a gentle intimacy and subtle…
WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS (2019) Dir Ciro Guerra
In a sharp critique of the worst aspects of colonialism ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’, the feature film by Ciro Guerra (faithfully adapted from J M Coetzee’s 1980s novel of the same name) examines the wilful ignorance and…
These Trees are Made of Blood @ The Arcola Theatre
A brave piece of theatre, using sensitivity, humour and music, to depict the horror of Argentina's dirty war.
The Clan (Dir. Pablo Trapero)
Outsanding performances and direction bring to life this story, one of the most curious of Argentina's many intriguing historical dramas.
Women by Women: Changing Photography For The Better
Showing at the OXO Gallery to mark International Women’s Day, ActionAid’s new exhibition Women by Women “aims to shatter stereotypes and celebrate inspiring women refugees from around the world” (ActionAid). One of five…
'Return to Ithaca' (Dir. Laurent Cantet)
“You can’t talk about Cuba without letting the Cubans speak,” says French filmaker Laurent Cantet, director this this fascinating study in the complexities of human behaviour in difficult times.
No Clowning Around
Vladimir Brichta’s striking good looks and palpable on-screen energy had already made him a household name Brazilian television, from mini- series to hugely popular novellas (long serials). But now non-Brazilians can enjoy these…
DAUGHTERS OF THE FOREST (Hijas del Bosque -2026) Dir. Otilia Portillo Padua
Seeking to protect their forests and in particular its rich diversity of mushroom species, two indigenous mycologists in Mexico, (fungi specialists), Julieta Serafina Amaya and Eliseete Ramírez Carbajal, seek out the lore before…
“FREEDOM IS WITHIN EVERYONE”
The Delinquents is a heist film with a twist: the aim is not for wealth and luxury, but for freedom and the meaning of life. Selected as Argentina’s entry for the Oscars, this latest offering from Rodrigo Moreno is based on the…
Lita Stantic: The ‘Producer’ of New Argentine Cinema
The career of Argentine film director, scriptwriter and producer Lita Stantic spans for longer than four decades, a time during which Argentine cinema has established itself as a reference among national cinemas. Despite having…
My Own Private Hell / Inferninho (2018) Dir. Guto Parente
A beautiful film that illustrates how a little slice of extraordinary life can survive in a dark, fairytale environment.
'Reputations' by Juan Gabriel Vasquez, translated by Anne McLean (Bloomsbury)
Depicting the slippery nature of the past and the unreliability of memory, Juan Gabriel Vasquez' fifth novel draws a convincing portrait of the complex world of Bogotá in recent years, adding to his own reputation as one of…
LATIN LONDONER #54 - Constanza Hola-Chamy, Writer, Director
Chilean playwright and director Constanza Hola-Chamy wears many hats, producing her own work and even understudying in some productions. Her works include 'Mad Women' and 'The Colour Violet', both previewed at…
Soldier's Woman
In an exclusive interview for Latino Life, Clorrie Yeomans talks to filmmaker Patricia Wiesse Risso about her new documentary 'Mujer de Soldado' (Soldier’s Woman) which serves to break the silence surrounding the human…
MAGDALENA, TE AMO (2024) by Andrea Calao
‘Magdalena, Te Amo’ (2024) is a moving short film about student sex workers in New York. Premiered at the New York Latino Film Festival, it has also been longlisted for the 2024 Yugo BAFTA Student Awards.
“Happiness is a Myth"
In his book 'You are not Meant to be Happy, so stop Trying' Basque psychiatrist Dr Rafa Euba argues that happiness is merely an ethereal ghost that inhabits our brain, not something to strive for. Released in these…
‘El Visitante’ (The Visitor- 2022) by director Martín Boulocq.
This film has been awarded 3 wins and 3 nominations for Best Film and Best Screenplay, but surprisingly. none for Enrique Aráoz's excellent debut performance.
CHACO (2020) by Bolivian director Diego Mondaca.
'CHACO' is being screened in the " Echoes & Horizons of Contemporary Bolivian Cinema' at the Garden Cinema., bringing a story set during the 'War of Thirst'.
GRACE: Diaspora, History and Becoming What We Are
Unveiled at the Tate Britain on the 28th of May 2024 and showing until the 26th of January 2025, Alvaro Barrington’s major new commission GRACE aims to take visitors on “an intimate journey through time and place”. Celebrating…
Celluloid Colonialism
Felipe Gálvez’s much-anticipated directorial debut, ‘The Settlers’, deals with a taboo topic in Chile’s official history - the genocide of the Selk’nam people in Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost part of South America, at the…
Above All...
‘Sobretodo’ in Spanish is the word for ‘coat’, but the literal translation means ‘about everything’, a detail not lost on the author, as this delightful selection of poems by Argentine author Sylvia Libedinsky is exactly that:…
Fish Finding Water: The Story of Pescadito Films
Children’s films do not always get the headlines they deserve despite being vital to the film industry these days. With Disney recently finding a lucrative business in Latino related animations such as the hugely successful Coco…
LES SURVIVANTS DU CHE (Che Guevara: The Last Companions)
Christophe Dimitri Réveille has created an absorbing and fascinating documentary on the handful of six Che followers, who, having failed in their attempt to start a Bolivian revolution and protect Che, managed to survive fleeing…
Guillermo del Toro’s ‘FRANKENSTEIN’ (2025)
The Mexican director's version of ‘FRANKENSTEIN’ embodies the gothic fantasy horror world of Mary Shelly’s macabre story with a melodramatic zest that is unique. A master of fusing film genres, Del Toro challenges our…
Llamadas desde Moscú (Calls from Moscow) by Cuban director Luis Alejandro Yero
In the ‘Minds’ strand of the BFI Flare Festival 2024, the documentary ‘CALLS FROM MOSCOW’ is the story of four young Cuban immigrants, who find themselves stuck in Moscow, just one day before the invasion of Ukraine. Lost,…
Federico García Lorca, Sketches of Spain, with illustrations by Julian Bell.
The Spectrum of Young Lorca.
Tango Fire @ the Peacock
This phenomenal show - now in its 7th year - demonstrates new energy and drama every time it returns - a testament to German Cornejo's drive and love of his art, the reason Tango Fire is still as fresh as ever.
Art Therapy
Dairo Vargas started out in a village in Colombia, yet, thanks to the originality of his art, today his paintings and portraits figure in many private collections. Passionate about mental health, he dedicates a great deal of his…
To Fight or Not To Fight
The English-language production of Chilean playwright Pablo Manzi's 'A Fight Against' debuts at London's Royal Court Theatre until 22 January 2022. 'Una lucha contra' portrays violence as a shared…
The São Paulo Dance Company’s UK tour shook the stage at Sadler’s Wells - but is the depth of the artistic intention communicated to the audience?
Embarking on their Dance Consortium tour, the São Paulo dance company’s programme is undeniably ambitious, tackling lofty themes of nationhood and identity and time in an “invitation to dance together” (Inês Bogéa). To the highly…
Something Contagious
CONTAGIO (Contagion) is an exciting new group exhibition of nine Latin American artists covering a wide range of different techniques and styles. Based at the CECILIA BRUNSON GALLERY and curated by gallery artist Jaime Gili,…