The 43rd Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF43) is proud to present The Passion of Latin American Cinema, a specially-curated programme of 14 outstanding films by renowned auteurs and young upcoming filmmakers from the continent. Eight of these will have their Asian premieres at the festival.
The free-spirited and passionate style of Latin American cinema is epitomized in the latest works of three internationally acclaimed filmmakers. Mexican master Carlos REYGADAS – winner of Best Director in Cannes with Post Tenebras Lux (2012) – directs and stars in Our Time, a philosophical look at the complexity of human relations and infidelities. Delightful surprises also come from Argentinean directors – Gastón DUPRAT follows his triumphant The Distinguished Citizen (2016) with the dark comedy My Masterpiece, and Pablo TRAPERO’s The Quietude, which features excellent performances from award-winning actresses Martina GUSMÁN and Bérénice BEJO as two sisters grappling with their family’s dark secrets.
A new generation of groundbreaking filmmakers is also gaining respect and admiration among aficionados. Brazilian director Gabriel MASCARO brings the captivating and seductively shot Divine Love, while Chinese-American director CHENG Li – winner of the Queer Lion in Venice – offers a touching scrutiny on the plight of young queer men in Guatemala in Jose. Helmer Luis ORTEGA brings an unapologetic dramatization of the real-life story of infamous Argentinian serial killer, Carlos Robledo PUCH, in the ultraviolent El Angel.
Women directors are also making their mark on Latin American cinema. Too Late to Die Young, with which Dominga SOTOMAYOR became the first female filmmaker to win the Best Director award at Locarno, is the coming-of-age story of a Chilean teenager as she explores new passions and struggles. Lila AVILÉS’ The Chambermaid elicits the emotions of Alfonso CUARÓN’s Roma as it follows the life of a hotel chambermaid. Cristina GALLEGO and Ciro GUERRA delve into the scourge of narcotics in Colombia with the stylised Birds of Passage.
Journalist and actor Wagner MOURA makes his feature film directorial debut with Marighella, a biopic about the pivotal figure who first ignited the fire of resistance in Brazil. In the dark comedy The Good Girls, Mexican director Alejandra Márquez ABELLA offers an insightful observation of her country through the downfall of a privileged wife, while Federico VEIROJ delivers an intimate look at the artist’s life in the face of domestic stress and creative anxiety in Belmonte.
Also screening at HKIFF43 are two documentaries, Los Reyes, and Midnight Family, both vying for the Firebird Awards.
HKIFF43 will be held from 18 March to 1 April 2019. Tickets can be booked online (at www.hkiff.org.hk) and all URBTIX outlets.
Film list for screenings:
1. Carlos REYGADAS: Our Time
2. Gastón DUPRAT: My Masterpiece
3. Pablo TRAPERO: The Quietude
4. Gabriel MASCARO: Divine Love
5. CHENG Li: Jose
6. Luis ORTEGA: El Angel
7. Dominga SOTOMAYOR: Too Late to Die Young
8. Lila AVILÉS: The Chambermaid
9. Cristina GALLEGO, Ciro GUERRA: Birds of Passage
10. Wagner MOURA: Marighella
11. Alejandra Márquez ABELLA: The Good Girls
12. Federico VEIROJ: Belmonte
43rd Hong Kong International Film Festival
43rd Hong Kong International Film Festival
