|
Having trouble viewing this email? Read it online
FOCUS ON LATIN AMERICA + BEYOND
ARGENTINA
|
(Nosilatiaj—la belleza)
Argentina | Dir: Daniela Seggiaro
Related Links: Trailer | Official Website
Canadian Premiere
Fri. Oct 5, 6:15 pm, Granville 5
Tue. Oct 9, 12:00 pm, Granville 4
While slaving as a maid for an inconsiderate family, a Wichí teenager is cajoled into betraying her indigenous people’s beliefs. Daniela Seggiaro’s debut feature "poses as a small-scale domestic drama but contains a subtle yet harsh critique of Argentineans’ ignorance and dismissal of the marginalized Wichí people."—Variety
|
 |
(El etnógrafo)
Argentina | Dir: Ulises Rosell
Related Links: Trailer | Official Website
North American Premiere
Thu. Oct 4, 9:00 pm, Vancity
Wed. Oct 10, 11:00 am, Vancity
John Hillary Palmer is an upper-class English anthropologist who went to live and work among the Wichí people of Argentina, and ended up an outspoken defender of their vanishing way of life. Ulises Rosell fashions an intimate look at the man and the culture. "Delicate, hushed and sensitive in every respect, this documentary beguiles with its low-key approach to fascinating material…"—Hollywood Reporter
|
Argentina/France/Netherlands | Dir: Jazmín López
North American Premiere
Thu. Oct 4, 9:15 pm, Cinematheque
Mon. Oct 8, 1:30 pm, Cinematheque
In Jazmín López’s mysterious and astonishing debut—a kind of Argentine Gerry—a group of five friends deep in a forest wander around like a lion herd. Lost in their word games, they play and seduce each other, while going back and forth into adult territory in a desperate search to avoid their already written story…
|
|
|
BRAZIL
|
(O soma o redor)
Brazil | Dir: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Related Links: Trailer | Official Website | Article
Canadian Premiere
Thu. Sep 27, 9:00 pm, Granville 7
Mon. Oct 1, 3:15 pm, Granville 2
Wed. Oct 3, 10:30 am, Granville 7
After a series of burglaries on a bourgeois Recife avenue, a private security team is hired by the residents—with ominous results. A gripping and expectations-upending slow-burn thriller from Kleber Mendonça Filho. "A powerful yet subtle X-ray of contemporary Brazilian society… Superbly constructed, skillfully acted and beautifully lensed…"—Variety. Winner, FIPRESCI prize, Rotterdam 2012.
|
|
Brazil | Dir: Cao Hamburger
Related Links: Official Website | Trailer
Tue. Oct 9, 2:00 pm, Granville 7
Fri. Oct 12, 6:45 pm, Granville 7
Recounting the origins of Brazil’s immense Xingu National Park, Cao Hamburger’s breathtaking epic charts two key journeys in the lives of the renowned Villas-Bôas brothers: their bold trek to the remote central Amazon in 1943 and subsequent transformation from callow adventurers to passionate activists for indigenous people’s rights. "Compulsive viewing."—Screen Daily
|
USA/Brazil | Dir: Annie Eastman
Related Links: Official Website | Trailer
International Premiere
Fri. Sep 28, 10:45 am, Cinematheque
Mon. Oct 8, 9:15 pm, Granville 1
Tue. Oct 9, 3:30 pm, Granville 6
Annie Eastman’s compassionate documentary transports us inside Bahia’s palafitas—dilapidated shacks teetering on stilts over a bay teeming with trash—and distinguishes itself with its “fearless and engaging storytelling [and] its flights of humor and lyricism, which nevertheless don’t obscure the seething anger and desperation of Brazil’s most needy.”—Slant. Winner, Audience Award: Documentary, SXSW 2012.
 Guest In Attendance
|
|
|
CHILE
|
Chile/USA/France | Dir: Pablo Larrain
Thu. Sep 27, 6:00 pm, Granville 7
Mon. Oct 1, 1:00 pm, Granville 7
Thu. Oct 4, 10:30 am, Granville 7
Gael García Bernal is superb as an advertising whiz who masterminds the "No" campaign against General Pinochet’s continued rule of Chile in Pablo Larrain’s period-perfect and very moving drama. "Weirdly funny and rousing, both intellectually and emotionally… the nightmare legacy of the coup d’état [is] vanquished by a brilliant coup de théâtre."—New York Times
|
|
(Sentados frente al fuego)
Chile | Dir: Alejandro Fernández Almendras
Related Links: Trailer | Facebook
Canadian Premiere
Thu. Oct 4, 11:00 am, Vancity
Sun. Oct 7, 6:45 pm, Vancity
Abandoning the infinite promise of the city for the hardscrabble reality of rural Chile, Daniel and Alejandra find their relationship threatened by illness and ill fortune. In turn, this beautifully observed film sees writer-director Alejandro Fernández Almendras displaying a remarkable gift for "unearthing the transcendental hidden within the everyday."—Variety
|
(Violeta se fue a los cielos)
Chile/Argentina/Brazil | Dir: Andrés Wood
Related Links: Trailer | Music | Official Website
Canadian Premiere
Thu. Sep 27, 7:00 pm, Vancity
Wed. Oct 3, 6:00 pm, Vogue
Sat. Oct 6, 12:00 pm, Granville 1
The intense, remarkable life of the Chilean singer-songwriter Violeta Parra is explored with sensitivity and exquisite lightness of touch in Andrés Wood’s [drama]. Featuring a searching central performance from Francisca Gavilán, this beautifully lensed portrait moves elegantly back and forth in time to limn the life of a woman who perpetually struggled to find her place.—Variety. Winner, World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic, Sundance 2012.
|
|
(La nuit d’en face)
Chile/France | Dir: Raúl Ruiz
Fri. Oct 5, 9:15 pm, Vancity
Mon. Oct 8, 1:30 pm, Vancity
Wed. Oct 10, 3:45 pm, Granville 2
Filmed during Raúl Ruiz’s final months, this resplendent tale of a dying man’s descent into a labyrinth of memories is lent a wondrous poignancy. "It’s a whimsical and tender leavetaking note to the world, to cinema and to his native Chile… one of the jolliest hearted valedictories that cinema has ever produced."—Screen
|
(De jueves a domingo)
Chile/Netherlands | Dir: Dominga Sotomayor
Related Links: Official Website | Trailer
Canadian Premiere
Fri. Sep 28, 6:30 pm, Granville 2
Sat. Sep 29, 4:00 pm, Cinematheque
Wed. Oct 3, 1:30 pm, Vancity
A rare road movie told from the vantage point of the backseat. On a family car trip, young Lucía finds the monotony of the passing desert landscape counterpointed by the rapidly changing relationship between her parents. Dominga Sotomayor delivers close-quarters drama at its most affecting. Winner, Tiger Award, Rotterdam 2012.
Guest In Attendance
|
|
|
MEXICO
|
(Jardin en el mar)
Mexico/Germany | Dir: Thomas Riedelsheimer
Related Links: Official Website | Trailer
Wed. Oct 3, 6:30 pm, Granville 7
Mon. Oct 8, 10:30 am, Granville 7
Fri. Oct 12, 4:00 pm, Vancity
VIFF favourite Thomas Riedelsheimer (Rivers and Tides, Touch the Sound) returns with another visually transfixing exploration of art and nature, this time chronicling the efforts of Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias as she installs an environmentally enhancing and aesthetically daring sculpture in the Sea of Cortez at Candelor Bay.
|
|
Mexico/USA | Dir: Antonio Méndez Esparza
Related Links: Official Website
Canadian Premiere
Thu. Oct 4, 8:45 pm, Granville 5
Mon. Oct 8, 3:00 pm, Granville 4
Fri. Oct 12, 9:15 pm, Granville 4
After years of working in the US, Pedro retreats to the Mexican mountains that he yearned to escape. As he reconnects with his family, Antonio Méndez Esparza creates "a richly layered mood that steadily accumulates emotion… The slightest indication of sorrow speaks volumes about (Pedro’s) conundrum, as well as the greater tragedy of its never-ending cycle."—Indiewire. Winner, Critics’ Week Grand Prize, Cannes 2012.
|
Mexico | Dir: Jose Álvarez
Related Links: Trailer | Facebook
Sun. Oct 7, 9:30 pm, Cinematheque
Wed. Oct 10, 4:00 pm, Cinematheque
A gorgeous and captivating overview of the crafts and rituals of the Totonac people in Veracruz’s Zapotal Santa Cruz community. Among the year’s loveliest nonfiction entries… This tapestry of sights and sounds allows audiences to take notice of a proud, long-ignored tribal group whose cultural roots remain firmly intact.—Variety. Winner, FIPRESCI prize, Thessaloniki 2012.
|
|
(La brújula la lleva el muerto)
Mexico | Dir: Arturo Pons
Related Links: Trailer
Canadian Premiere
Wed. Oct 3, 6:00 pm, Granville 4
Fri. Oct 5, 2:30 pm, Granville 4
When his fellow border runners are detained by police, a Mexican teenager strikes out on his own across the treacherous desert. Intent on reaching Chicago, he crosses paths with a cavalcade of eccentrics. Using the desolate, disorienting landscape as his canvas, Arturo Pons paints an allegorical tale rich in delightful imagery and playful absurdity.
Guest In Attendance
|
(Los mejores temas)
Mexico/Canada | Dir: Nicolás Pereda
Related Links: Official Website | Trailer
North American Premiere
Sat. Oct 6, 11:40 am, Granville 3
Mon. Oct 8, 6:00 pm, Granville 3
Wed. Oct 10, 3:00 pm, Granville 3
Returning to the home he abandoned 15 years earlier, Emilio is met by scorn and resentment from his wife and son. Having frequently centred his minimalist films on Mexico’s many fatherless families, Nicolás Pereda now ambitiously and inventively explores how a household’s delicate equilibrium is destroyed when one of these men comes crawling back.
|
|
|
SPAIN
|
Spain | Dir: Eloy Enciso Cachafeiro
Related Links: Official Website | Trailer | Trailer 2
North American Premiere
Thu. Oct 11, 1:30 pm, Vancity
Fri. Oct 12, 6:30 pm, Vancity
An unconventional portrait of a small village trapped out of time and located on the Galicia-Portugal border, Eloy Enciso Cachafeiro’s moving mix of documentary and staged fictional moments is one of those rare films where description is inadequate: like the landscape of the village of Arraianos itself, this beautiful visualization of oral history is something to experience.
|
|
(La chispa de la vida)
Spain/France/USA | Dir: Álex de la Iglesia
Related Links: Official Website | Trailer
Sat. Sep 29, 3:45 pm, Granville 7
Mon. Oct 1, 6:45 pm, Granville 7
Sat. Oct 6, 10:30 am, Granville 7
When a freak accident leaves Roberto impaled on a metal rod, he can’t believe his good fortune. Without ever leaving the accident scene, he becomes an instant celebrity. Abetted by a brilliant Salma Hayek as Roberto’s principled wife, Spain’s leading satirist Álex de la Iglesia outrageously lampoons our society’s willingness to sell our dignity to the highest bidder… or anyone with exact change.
|
(Katmandú, un espejo en el cielo)
Spain | Dir: Icíar Bollaín
Canadian Premiere
Thu. Sep 27, 9:00 pm, Granville 3
Thu. Oct 4, 9:30 pm, Vogue
Fri. Oct 5, 3:00 pm, Granville 3
When a Catalan teacher (the beautiful rising star Verónica Echegui) ventures into the Himalayas, she finds her idealism undone by her adopted community’s crippling poverty and dire education system. Iciar Bollain "lets the clear mountain light bring out a full range of startling color, and the endlessly fascinating street scenes are beautifully done…"—Variety. Winner, Best Actress, Gaudi Awards 2012.
|
|
(Arrugas)
Spain | Dir: Ignacio Ferreras
Related Links: Official Website | Trailer
Canadian? Premiere
Fri. Sep 28, 10:30 am, Granville 7
Wed. Oct 10, 6:45 pm, Vancity
By turns moving and funny, Ignacio Ferreras’ animated tale of two elderly men who become friends at a care facility for the aged "has heart and humour… Wrinkles ranks as an extraordinarily involving and poignant film… likely to inspire laughter and deep sympathy for the characters, if not tears, in equal measure."—SBS Film. Winner, Best Animated Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, Goya Awards 2012.
|
GUATAMALA
|
(Herz des Himmels, Herz der Erde)
Germany/USA/Guatemala | Dir: Frauke Sandig, Eric Black
Related Links: Official Website | Trailer
North American Premiere
Mon. Oct 1, 6:00 pm, Granville 4
Wed. Oct 3, 3:30 pm, Granville 1
The location of the world’s largest—and possibly toxic—gold-mine pit, Guatemala is also the homeland of the Maya and their decidedly holistic cosmology. Frauke Sandig and Eric Black’s kaleidoscopically beautiful documentary follows the daily and ceremonial lives of six articulate young Maya as they struggle to maintain their way of life.
Guest In Attendance
|
|
(Polvo)
Guatemala/Spain/Chile/Germany | Dir: Julio Hernández Cordón
Sun. Sep 30, 5:30 pm, Granville 6
Mon. Oct 8, 9:15 pm, Cinematheque
Wed. Oct 10, 1:30 pm, Cinematheque
Still tormented by his father’s disappearance 30 years earlier, Juan wrestles with both suicidal impulses and suspicions concerning his neighbours. When a documentary filmmaker seeks to explore Juan’s story, he witnesses the darkest chapter of his tragic life unfold. Julio Hernández Cordón excels at "turning a relatively simple, straightforward story, into a guessing game…"—Screen
|
PORTUGAL
|
(A Última vez que vi Macau)
Portugal | Dir: João Pedro Rodrigues, João Rui Guerra da Mata
Sat. Sep 29, 9:30 pm, Granville 2
Tue. Oct 2, 4:00 pm, Vancity
While searching for a friend who’s gotten herself mixed up in dirty dealings, filmmakers João Pedro Rodrigues (To Die Like a Man) and João Rui Guerra da Mata lose themselves in Macao’s architectural jungle, as well as its history and mysteries. "A provocative cinematic poem in the tradition of the late Chris Marker…"—Indiewire
Guest In Attendance
|
|
Portugal/Germany/Brazil/France | Dir: Miguel Gomes
Related Links: Trailer
Thu. Sep 27, 3:30 pm, Granville 2
Tue. Oct 2, 1:15 pm, Granville 7
Thu. Oct 4, 6:15 pm, Vancity
Gloriously lyrical, sumptuously shot, occasionally funny and unabashedly romantic—Miguel Gomes’ (Our Beloved Month of August) latest "moves from modern-day Lisbon to a rapturous evocation of romance in colonial Africa. But no plot description can do justice to the idiosyncratic poetry of director Miguel Gomes."—Sight & Sound. Winner, FIPRESCI prize, Alfred Bauer Prize for Innovation, Berlin 2012.
|
URUGUAY
|
|
OTHER FILMS OF INTEREST
|
Portugal/Germany/Brazil/France | Dir: Miguel Gomes
Related Links: Trailer | Review
Thu. Sep 27, 3:30 pm, Granville 2
Tue. Oct 2, 1:15 pm, Granville 7
Thu. Oct 4, 6:15 pm, Vancity
Gloriously lyrical, sumptuously shot, occasionally funny and unabashedly romantic—Miguel Gomes’ (Our Beloved Month of August) latest "moves from modern-day Lisbon to a rapturous evocation of romance in colonial Africa. But no plot description can do justice to the idiosyncratic poetry of director Miguel Gomes."—Sight & Sound. Winner, FIPRESCI prize, Alfred Bauer Prize for Innovation, Berlin 2012.
|
|
USA/ Mexico | Dir: Peter Bo Rappmund
Related Links: Trailer | Official Website
Canadian Premiere
Mon. Oct 1, 9:45 pm, Vancity
Thu. Oct 4, 12:00 pm, Granville 5
A refreshing antidote to the burgeoning genre of films that focus on illegal immigration and cross-border violence, Peter Bo Rappmund’s experimental portrait of the US-Mexico boundary surveys this wide swath of land’s physical qualities and metaphysical quandaries with an artist’s gaze. Special Mention, Filmmakers of the Present, Locarno 2012.
Guest In Attendance
|
Canada | Dir: Amy Miller
Related Links: Official Website | Trailer
Sat. Sep 29, 8:45 pm, Granville 5
Sun. Sep 30, 10:45 am, Cinematheque
Director Amy Miller investigates threatened ways of life in Panama, India and Honduras, exposing projects that claim to be sustainable and purport to offer innovative solutions to climate change, but seem to create more problems than they solve.
|
|
Germany/Switzerland | Dir: Bettina Borgfeld, David Bernet
Related Links: Trailer | Official Website
North American Premiere
Thu. Sep 27, 6:45 pm, Cinematheque
Mon. Oct 1, 3:30 pm, Granville 1
Genetically modified soy has been taking over more and more farmland in Paraguay—a situation that has put enormous strain on subsistence-farming campesinos determined to provide for their families the old-fashioned way. Bettina Borgfeld and David Bernet’s cogent documentary explores the big business model vs. traditional methods with an insight that leads to universal truths.
|
<
Vancouver International Film Festival | VIFF 2012
September 27 - October 12, 2012 | Film Info: 604.683.FILM (3456) | VIFF Office: 604.685.0260
|
