Rejoice or in the spirit of the festival, Alegrarse! The Spanish and Latin American Film Festival has returned for their 29th year.
With a lively and carefully curated line up of over 30 films this June -July, this year’s diverse and standout Spanish and Latin American Film Festival program promises a collection of star-studded dramas, comedies, thrillers and more!
Below is a small collection of my favourite watches so far, plus my most anticipated Australian premiers this season.
HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival
- Canberra: 10 June – 5 July, Palace Electric Cinema
- Adelaide: 10 June – 5 July, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas and Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
- Brisbane: 11 June – 5 July, Palace James Street and Palace Barracks
- Perth: 11 June – 1 July, Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX
- Melbourne: 12 June – 5 July, The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Church St, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Palace Balwyn and Pentridge Cinema
- Ballarat: 12 June – 5 July, Palace Regent Cinema
- Sydney: 18 June – 12 July, Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park and Palace Central
- Byron Bay/Ballina: 18 June – 12 July, Palace Byron Bay and Ballina Fair Cinemas
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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Another League (Pioneras: Solo querían jugar)
Want to feel good about soccer after watching your favourite team anxiously between the fingers of clasped hands and bitten fingernails? Well, Another League will provide you that much deserved breather!
Directed by comedy director-writer duo Marta Díaz de Lope Díaz and Zebina Guerra, Another League is a punchy feel-good underdog origin story, inspired by the creation of Spains first international women’s soccer team. An inspiring story, which follows a group of athletes filled with heart, determination and infectious energy against a dictatorship and culture that doesn’t allow women to vote and play the world’s most popular sport.
As described by the film’s producer Jesús Ulled, the film “is a very special film for us and one which is about much more than soccer” as it tells the important tale of “those who paved the way with their passion, courage and freedom.”
Further, this crowd-pleaser will be sure to get you ready for the FIFA Women’s World Cup being held in the U.S. and Mexico next year. Go women’s sports!!!
A Loose End (Un cabo suelto)
Directed by Daniel Hendler, a master of utilising the awkward and strange to make us laugh uncontrollably, A Loose End is his newest black comedy thriller, a compelling frontier story about a policeman in a sticky situation navigating love, adventure and danger on the border of Argentina and Uruguay. A genre blending movie of a police thriller, western and romantic comedy, A Loose End allows its audiences to escape in the fantasy of being a different person and starting life again from scratch in a foreign land.
La Salsa Vive
Have your hips not stopped swaying since Bad Bunny’s incredible Superbowl performance? Mine neither! La Salsa Vive is a vibrant cinematic exploration of salsa, following its roots in the neighbourhoods of New York City and Cali, Columbia, two rich musical melting pots. With stories and insights from salsa legends like singers Rubén Blades and Henry Fiol, percussionists Samuel Formell, Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez and orchestra conductor Willie Rosario, this documentary pulses with rhythm, passion and history. Whether you are a lifelong admirer or like me you are new to the genre, La Salsa Vive is an infectious tribute of music and community.
The Captive (El Cautivo)
The Captive is a suspenseful and beautiful historical drama that doesn’t avoid the controversy and exciting early escapades of Miguel de Cervantes, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language, author of the seminal classic Don Quixote.
Blending history, truth and fiction, the film follows the 28-year-old Cervantes, as he endures years of captivity after being kidnapped by Barbary pirates, where to survive he wields his greatest weapon, his word, slaying and manipulating his enemies with his wit and tongue.
Hailing from award-winning director Alejandro Amenábar, the filmmaker explores the experiences that would later shape one of literature’s most enduring voices, sharing arguably the most important and compelling Cervantes story, his own.
The Hunt (La caza)
To close the festival, The Spanish and Latin American Film Festival is holding a special Closing Night Reception Screening of Carlos Saura’s landmark classic The Hunt, marking its 60th anniversary as a milestone of Spanish cinema with a stunning new restoration.
The films follows three veterans of the Spanish Civil War who go rabbit hunting. While doing so, old wounds open up… “them cute bunnies had it coming!”.
Upon your arrival to the Festivals unforgettable finale, enjoy your choice of sangria or a mocktail and sit back as you witness the magnitude and vibrance of classic Spanish and Latin cinema unfold.
The Spanish and Latin American Film Festival is running until the 5th of July around the country, if you are staying in Victoria, you can watch in cinemas in Melbourne and Ballarat.
For more information, head here.
