As many of you know, this newsletter started back in 2012 with the launch of the first Argentine Film Festival, London. However, here at the AFF, we’re not the only film festival to champion Argentine films. ¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American Film Festival in Manchester is the biggest festival of Spanish-language cinema in the UK, which from the mid-2000s has also included Latin American features and under-the-radar gems. This April the festival celebrates its 30th anniversary and once again showcases some amazing Argentine films.
The latest edition starts this Friday and runs from 5-25 April with a jam-packed line-up of 27 features, Q&As with filmmakers, archive treats, a Spanish-language lab, free dance sessions including tango and more.
Female directors comprise more than half the programme this year, many of whom have created stunning Argentine films. Of the six films from Argentina, there is a focus on María Luisa Bemberg, three UK premieres by female directors, as well as Martín Rejtman’s delightful comedy, The Practice, which screened at the BFI London Film Festival last autumn.
Check out the selection below and you can also view the full range of films here.
Focus on María Luisa Bemberg: Camila and Miss Mary
Argentine feminist pioneer María Luisa Bemberg was 59 years old when she wrote, directed and produced her first feature film Momentos (Moments, 1981). She would go on to direct five more films, becoming one of the most successful film directors in Argentina. Camila (1984) which told the tragic true story of Camila O’Gorman and her impassioned affair with a Jesuit priest in 19th century Argentina, was the biggest box-office hit in Argentine history and was nominated for an Oscar. Miss Mary (1986), was originally titled ‘Miss Maggie’, but for a certain British Prime Minister at the time. It starred the charismatic British actress, Julie Christie, as the governess hired to look after the three children of a wealthy Argentine family, bringing Bemberg to international audiences.
“In particular, it was her female characters, historical and contemporary figures resisting relegation and humiliation in an unjust society, that captured Argentina's support and imagination in the decade after the end of military dictatorship in 1983.” Andrew Graham Yooll wrote for her obituary in The Independent on 23 May 1995. She would have been 102 years old this April.
Invisible Women, along with Natalia Christofoletti Barrenha and Julia Kratje, present the newly restored films.
Miss Mary Saturday 20, and Wednesday 24 April + Intro
Camila + Intro Sunday 21 April
Blondi (Dir. Dolores Fonzi, 2023) - UK Premiere
The first feature from Argentine actress Dolores Fonzi (Paulina) and written by Trenque Lauquen’s Laura Paredes, Blondi is a quirky drama about the unique bond between single Mum, Blondi, and her teenage son Minko, and how their relationship is upturned when he decides to go and study in Barcelona.
“Fonzi makes her debut with a film brimming with life, hilarious dialogue, and a dedicated cast that harmonises beautifully. And making the film a party, the soundtrack includes great songs by The Velvet Underground & Nico, some snippets of concerts by bands and the long-awaited moment of shared listening to a hit (we won't reveal which one) by Blondie, the legendary band of Debbie Harry, which at some points in the film you could confuse for Dolores Fonzi herself.” Cineuropa
Sun 7 April and Sat 20 April
El viento que arrasa (The Ravaging Wind, Dir. Paula Hernández, 2023) - UK Premiere
With echoes of Nathalie Álvarez Mesén’s mesmerising Clara Sola (¡Viva! 2022), Paula Hernández follows up her 2020 film Los sonámbulos (The Sleepwalkers) with this road movie set in 1990s Argentina. Veteran Chilean actor Alfredo Castro stars as Reverend Pearson, the domineering Evangelical pastor determined to control his 18-year old daughter Leni and keep her as his constant companion. But things change when she meets Tapioco, another teenager under the care of car mechanic Gringo, opening up the possibility of a life where she is free to make her own choices.
Friday 12 and Tuesday 18 April
Empieza el baile (Let The Dance Begin, Dir. Marina Seresesky, 2023) - UK Premiere
A bittersweet Argentine road movie starring acclaimed Argentine actors Dario Grandinetti (Wild Tales, 2014), Mercedes Morán and Jorge Marrale. Forty years after he took the tango world by storm, Carlos (Grandinetti) is called back to his native Argentina from his new home in Spain. He finds himself thrown together with two other septuagenarians on a mission to uncover long-kept secrets and right some wrongs. Confessions, misadventures and memories set to the rhythm of tango, make this film a wild ride to remember.
Sunday 7 April + Q&A with director Marina Seresesky and producer Álvaro Lavín
Thursday 25 April + free tango performance 19.30-20.30
La práctica (The Practice, Dir. Martín Rejtman, 2023)
His first film in nearly a decade, Argentine auteur Martín Rejtman returns with this gentle, deadpan comedy focusing on a community of yogis in Santiago, Chile. The break-up between yoga teachers Gustavo and Vanessa triggers a series of entertaining encounters, as they each try to establish new lives for themselves. Gustavo, suddenly finding himself homeless after leaving Vanessa the apartment, is most affected by the separation, and the stress leads him to injury. Quadriceps exercises, wellness retreats and fireside sing-a-longs feature amongst his self-prescribed remedies, all populated by a host of eccentric characters who will eventually help Gustavo get his life back on track.
Saturday 6 April
Tuesday 16 April + intro by Dr Ignacio Aguiló, University of Manchester
Streaming recommendations: documentaries on Eva Peron, Frida Kahlo and an Oscar-nominated love story from Chile
For those of you not able to make a trip to Manchester, but still keen to get your fix of Latin American cinema, here are some streaming recommendations for this month.
Back in the early 1990s the South series on Channel 4 was amongst the first spots to show films from Latin America. The series was produced by the Argentine Ana de Skalon, who told the Los Angeles Times about its inspiration: “The idea behind “South,” says series executive producer Ana de Skalon, is to move beyond the stereotypical images and perception of the Third World that have largely been shaped by TV in the Northern industrial countries.” Amongst the South films was Tristán Bauer’s documentary Evita: The Unquiet Grave (Evita: La tumba sin paz) detailing the disappearance of Eva Peron’s body after her death, and which Ana de Skalon produced. While originally made in English for Channel 4, the full film is available to view for free in Spanish on YouTube.
Amongst the filmmakers that participated in the South series, was Augusto Góngora, a Chilean journalist who recently became the subject of Maite Alberd’s Oscar-nominated documentary The Eternal Memory (La memoria infinita, 2023) a tender love story that chronicles his battle with Alzheimer’s disease and the unconditional love and care given to him by his partner Paulina Urrutia.
The Eternal Memory is currently available to view on the BBC iPlayer as part of the Storyville series on BBC Four.
The Barbican recently premiered Carla Gutiérrez’s documentary Frida (2024) an “engaging documentary about the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is a beguiling and rather beautiful tribute to her spirit and originality.” and which premiered at Sundance this year. The film can be seen with a subscription on Amazon Prime.
That’s all for now,
¡Saludos!
The Argentine Film Festival team