The Havana Film Festival in New York is back! Opening Friday, April 12 and running through April 19 the festival will screen more than 45 films from and about Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinos in the U.S. We already told you about the Opening Night film, Amor Crónico, a fiction/documentary hybrid that uses footage from Cuban Grammy-nominated singer CuCu Diamantes’ musical tour in Cuba. Don’t miss out! Both the director Jorge Perugorría and CuCu Diamantes will be at the screening.
And you absolutamente have to check out the amazing Paraguayan film 7 Cajas. It’s rare to hear about a film from Paraguay but this unconventional crime thriller has thrust the small country into the spotlight. It takes the typical Hollywood shoot-‘em-up action dramas and adds a gritty, indie flavor to the genre. It received huge buzz when it screened at the Toronto Film Festival and broke box office records when it played in Paraguayan theaters last summer. It’s kinda like a Latino Slumdog Millionaire.
Other highlights include: a showcase of Cuban films from before the Revolution, a free panel with Latino filmmakers at the Cervantes Institute, and a retrospective of works by the, “Father of New Latin American Cinema,” Fernando Birri. We know it’s overwhelming with so many awesome-sounding films so here’s our top picks of what not to miss at this year’s HFFNY. Pretty soon you’ll be yelling, ¡Películas o Muerte!
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FEBRE DO RATO (RAT FEVER)
Director: Claudio Assis
Country: Brazil
New York Premiere
Director present for Q&A
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In this tale of love and freedom that takes place on the outskirts of tropical Recife, the anarchist poet Zizo falls for the sober Eneida while his friends succumb to sex, drugs and other hedonistic activities.
ENTER TO WIN TWO TICKETS!
7:00pm at the Museum of the Moving Image on April 121:00pm at the Quad Cinema on April 15
UN MUNDO SECRETO (A SECRET WORLD)
Director: Gabriel Mariño
Country: Mexico
New York Premiere
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On the last day of high school, Maria, struggling to make sense of her life, flees from Mexico City leaving her world behind to embark on an epic road trip of self-discovery.
ENTER TO WIN TWO TICKETS!
3:15pm at the Quad Cinema on April 129:15pm at the Quad Cinema on April 18
LAS COSAS COMO SON (THINGS THE WAY THEY ARE)
Director: Fernando Lavanderos
Country: Chile
New York Premiere
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Jerónimo, 30, is an antisocial guy who rents rooms to foreigners. A beautiful Nordic girl, Sanna, 23, arrives at his house bringing meaning into his life. While he’s attempting to win her, suspicions arise when he finds out she’s hiding something in his house, awakening his biggest fears.
ENTER TO WIN TWO TICKETS!
2:00pm at the Museum of the Moving Image on April 138:45pm at the Quad Cinema on April 15
LA SIRGA
Director: William Vega
Country: Colombia, France
New York Premiere
Director present for Q&A
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Uprooted by war, Alicia attempts to restart her life in La Sirga, at a rundown inn in the Andean highlands. There, by a muddy lakeside, she will try to start over until her fears of violence resurface.
ENTER TO WIN TWO TICKETS!
4:00pm at the Directors Guild Theater on April 199:00pm at the Quad Cinema on April 17
Closing Night Film, Awards Ceremony, and After-Party!
7 CAJAS (7 BOXES)
Directors: Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori
Country: Paraguay
New York Premiere
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Teenaged Victor (Celso Franco) works as a delivery boy at an outdoor market in Asunción, Paraguay’s capital. It is a labyrinth of endless stalls and vendors selling everything you could ever imagine: produce, meat, cell phones, TVs, pirated DVDs, clothes—seriously, everything. Victor spends his days dreaming of owning a fancy cell phone and fantasizing about being a movie star. He is offered $100 to deliver seven boxes, no one is really sure what they contain. Suddenly, he is dodging police, thieves, and rival gangs. It’s exciting and at times heart-pounding, you never know what will happen next. Make sure and check it out. We named it as one of the Top 10 Latino Films You Probably Didn’t See in 2012 But Should.
ENTER TO WIN TWO TICKETS!
7:00pm at the Directors Guild Theater on Friday, April 19
Free Panel Discussion
HFFNY and Cinema Tropical present: Latin-o-American
A conversation with New York-based Latino and Latin American filmmakers. Moderated by Carlos Gutierrez.
Featuring:
Julia Solomonoff (Hermanas, El último verano de la Boyita)Bernardo Ruiz (Reportero)
Paola Mendoza (Entre Nos)
Roberto Busó-García (Los condenados)
8:00PM at the Instituto Cervantes on Monday, April 15.
The Havana Film Festival New York will run April 12-19 with screenings at the Quad Cinema in Manhattan and the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens.
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