vergrössern

vergrössern

vergrössern

France, Italy and Spain, the most important cinema venues of the old continent, started taking notice of this cinema some years ago, not as something exotic or exuberant brought from far away. The Latin-American Cinema has established its presence thanks to an unquestionable top quality and diversity. The latter characteristic has been the most used term by the critic and specialist in the film production of this region. The diversity of both looks and styles, came to settle down in a cinema that in the eighties, emerged with new airs in countries that before have enjoyed golden periods.

Guillermo Arriaga, scriptwriter of the laureate Mexican film, Amores Perros (Fierce Loves) commented during the 23rd Festival of the New Latin-American Cinema of Havana held last December that "Latin America has many stories to tell than other countries. Strong contrasts, difficult situations, but at the same time, the joy of living and a vital strength joined by an endless creativity."

All the possibilities of the cinema should be defended, from the comedy until the most reflexive tragedy. "The important thing is that they are well-told stories that make us think who we are," he stated.

That was the way in which the Latin-American film panorama was presented in 2001. Long-featured films as the Chilean production Taxi for Three (Orlando Lubbert) and La fiebre del loco (The Fever of the Mad) by Andrés Wood) were awarded with films as San Sebastián (Spain) and Havana or Biarritz (France), respectively.

The success attained by the Mexican films Y tu mamá también (And Your Mother Too) by Alfonso Cuarón and Perfume de Violeta (Nadie te oye) /Violet Perfume (Nobody Is Listening)/ by Marise Systach, the Uruguayan film, En la puta vida (This Damned Life), an opera prima by Beatriz Flores Silva, or the Brazilian films A la izquierda del padre (On the Left of the Father) by Luiz Fernando Carvalho and Domésticas (Maids) by Fernando Meirelles and Nando Olival.

It should be added that the Argentinean films of La Ciénaga (The Swanp), the first feature film by Lucrecia Martel released in the demanding gathering that takes place in Berlin, Germany and the winner of the first Coral prize of Havana, La fuga (The Escape) by Eduardo Mignona and El hijo de la novia (The Fiancée's Son) by Juan José Campanella.

Born as a need to reflect the situation of the region with a language of its own, the Latin-American cinema has maintained the budgets assumed by the novel film makers so far who from their perspectives, offer to the world a rigorous cinema, alien from the pure commercial production.

With a production that has been gradually abandoning the depression of the last decade, Cuba presented in the 23rd Film Festival of Havana, Las noches de Constantinopla (The Nights of Constantinople) by Orlando Rojas, Nada (Nothing) by Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti and Miradas (Looks) by Enrique Álvarez.

Various adjectives are used to define the present and the future of film production of the region. Directors, actors and producers point out that co-production will continue being the salvation for the survival of feature films in Latin America since these countries lack the support of the foreign capital.