
Diego Maradona (Dir. Asif Kapadia)
In the Shakespearean tragedy that is the movie 'Diego Maradona', master documentary story-teller Asif Kapadia offers football's most revered and loathed protagonist a chance for redemption
OUR TIME (Dir. Carlos Reygadas)
‘Our Time’ (Nuestro Tiempo) 2018 challenges our ideas of man’s condition in life. Juan Díaz and his beautiful wife Esther run a ranch in Mexico rearing fighting bulls. They have a perfect relationship in an open marriage, or so…
Ayahuasca, Colonialist Mysticism and Exploitation of Indigenous People
A Review of 'The Cull of Personality - Ayahuasca, Colonialism, and the Death of a Healer' by Kevin Tucker
MARCOS VALLE- SEMPRE- Far Out (FARO 211 LP)
For several decades, Marcos Valle’s winning formula of well-produced bossa/boogie/beach vibes has been a shoo-in for non-Brazilian MPB fans and Sempre, his 28th album, is no different.
Afro-Cuba returns to Africa via London
A triumphant reunion for Boncana Maïga’s transatlantic charanga orchestra Las Maravillas De Mali...not so much a reunion as a reformation. Octogenarian master flautist, composer and arranger Boncana Maïga was the only original…
‘She’s Not There, You see Another Person’
The Cervantes Theatre has just opened its third Season of New Spanish Playwriting with the inventive and award-winning ‘La Realidad’ (The Reality) by Uruguayan playwright, Denise Despeyroux - the story of two identical twin…
Birds of Passage (Dir. Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra)
Through a series of five ‘songs’ or ‘cantos’, ‘Birds of Passage’ tells the painful story of how the drugs trade began in Colombia in the 1960s. From modest beginning, the Wayuu tribe found themselves involved as it began. The…
Peru Pop
Ella Windsor reports on a vibrant new resort wear brand from Peru, specialising in culottes, kimonos and beach dresses. All printed with vibrant symbols of Peru and other places from the travels of brand owner Camille Defago,…
West Side Story @ Manchester Royal Exchange
Mexican actress Gabriela Garcia's performance is worth a trip to Manchester, says Elizabeth Mistry
A Boy Called Sailboat (Dir. Cameron Nugent)
Once upon a time, a sick grandmother asked her grandson to write her a song on his little guitar. When he did, his song set a series of transformations in motion in this heart-warming fable.
Division Ave (2019)
This aptly named short film, ‘Division Ave’, illustrates the divide between immigrant workers and locals, and the struggle that these workers face, usually without work visas, to try to provide for their loved ones back home.
Messenger on a White horse (2019) El Mensajero
‘Messenger on a White Horse’ is a moving documentary that portrays the courage of Robert (Bob) Cox, Editor in Chief of THE BUENOS AIRES HERALD who dared to publish information exposing the human rights abuses carried out by the…
'Tu Casa Mi Casa' by Enrique Olvera
Enrique Olvera, the world-renowned chef behind Mexico City’s Pujol and New York’s Cosme, has collaborated with three Mexican chefs for his first home cooking book “Tu Casa Mi Casa”. Marketed as “Mexican recipes for the home cook…
‘Duologue’ by Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez
What happens when two titans of contemporary Cuban music collide? A rare work of art that sends shivers down the body to its very soul...
YULI (2018) – Born to Dance
YULI is a skilful adaptation by Paul Laverty (I, Daniel Blake) of the dancer Carlos Acosta’s life story as revealed in his autobiography 'No Way Home' Directed by Icíar Bollaín, the film conveys a sensitive intimacy…
EVERYBODY KNOWS - When a Secret is not a Secret
When a young teenager is kidnapped at a family wedding in a small Spanish town, layer-by-layer, dark secrets, unsatisfied revenge and rivalries are revealed. Unable to contact the police, the whole family is trapped in a fraught…
Paladar, SE1
Paladar offers an up-market experience without being pretentious or losing its Latin soul and strikes the right balance between quality, authenticity and atmosphere.
Louie Vega’s E.O.L. Soulfrito @ Royal Festival Hall
Little Louie Vega's Nuyorican soul turns the South bank concert hall into a club night. Latinolife's review with special video reportage
Two New Brazilian films revel in gore
Aficionados of fantasy and horror had a few treats in the 2018 London Film Festival, notably emerging from Brazil, The Cannibal Club 2018 (Guto Parente) and Morto não Fala (The Nightshifter 2018): one a minimalistic horror film (…
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.
Escocesa
A marriage made in heaven as Spain 'a la Escocesa' finds its niche in Stoke Newington
TIDES (2017) Unwinding down winding canals
Shot in mesmerizing Black & White against a backdrop of Surrey’s serene canals, a group of forty something friends who have not seen each other for a while, decide to spend a weekend on a narrow boat to rekindle their…
DISOBEDIENCE (2018) Forbidden love is never easy, let alone in a closed religious community.
When photographer Ronit Krushka returns from New York to London after many years, for her father’s funeral, a forbidden love that had been the cause of her departure is re-ignited with powerful consequences.
DEAR CHICKENS: A moving short Film takes aim for the Oscars.
DEAR CHICKENS (2018) is a powerful short film that premiered at the LA International Short Film Festival in July 2018. Directed by Swiss/Mexican Mauro Mueller it is now officially eligible to compete for Best Live Action Short…
'ROMA' by Alfonso Cuarón sweeps the boards at the BAFTAs.
ROMA (2018) by Alfonso Cuarón, a masterpiece of cinema, has been crowned the outstanding film of 2018 at the BAFTAs. Semi-autobiographical, it was created with deep affection in homage to a person who was and remains of huge…
Last Nights of Havana
Escape into the elegant and vibrant spirit of 1940s Cuba and its cultural and culinary delights at 'Last Nights of Havana' !
LINA TUR BONET & MUSICA ALCHEMICA bring new shine to ‘Il Grosso Mogul’ of Vivaldi
LINA TUR BONET & MUSICA ALCHEMICA have recently released a superb new recording of ‘Il Grosso Mogul’. The CD “Antonio Vivaldi Il Grosso Mogul, Violin Concertos & Sonatas” includes some of the lesser known music of Vivaldi…
Nae Pasaran(2018) Scottish Solidarity to Powerful Effect from Afar.
NAE PASARAN (2018) is a stunning documentary written, directed and produced by Felipe Bustos Sierra. It is the moving true story of how a group of engineers working in a Scottish factory did their bit to help prevent more…
Mon Laferte Live in London
Mon Laferte warmed the EartH in Hackney at her London debut where the Chilean diva played, whilst launching her sixth Album launch 'Norma'
Bridge or Barrier? 10.000km (2014) New Release
Can a modern relationship survive long distance? Facebook, Skype and social media are designed to bring people closer, are they not? The award-winning opera prima ‘10.000 km (2014)’ of Carlos Marques-Marcet is finally available…
YERMA Poisoned Blood and the Aesthetics of Anguish
YERMA at the Cervantes Theatre, presented in both Spanish and English versions, is the last of the powerful ‘Rural Trilogy’ written by Federico Garcia Lorca and here directed by Jorge de Juan. The first was ‘Blood Wedding’, then…
A Big Budget for a Big Man
HANDIA (Giant) swept the boards at the 2018 GOYA AWARDS, with 13 nominations, and carrying away 10 awards. In particular it won Best original Script, Best New Actor, as well as awards for Cinematography, Editing, Special Effects…
Three Short Films: Madre, Piggy and Fifteen
Corina J Poore reviews three Latino offerings from the 'Shorts' programme at this year's The BFI London Film Festival: ‘MADRE (2017)’ by Spanish writer/director Rodrigo Sorogoyen, ‘PIGGY (Cerdita) 2018’, (14 min…
Enrique Iglesias @ The 02
After a four-year absence from UK stages, Enrique Iglesias made an impressive return to Britain for his 'All the Hits Live' tour. In a packed o2 arena the Spanish pop icon proved this was more than the comeback of an…