From Simon Bolivar to Salseros: 8 Must-See Movies at the Chicago Latino Film Festival
Every spring in Chicago (well, for the last three decades or so), the Second City gets a taste of Latin American cinema courtesy of the Chicago Latino Film Festival. Moviegoers from all over will brave the April showers for one of the city’s premier film festivals, which has also spawned an accompanying poster contest, music festival, and outdoor film screening series.
The Chicago Latino Film Festival runs from April 9 – 23 and features over 100 feature-length and short films from all over Latin America, as well as the United States, Spain, and Portugal. Presented by the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago, CLFF is now in its 31st year but shows no signs of slowing down in its efforts to bring the best of Latin@ and Latino American-helmed films to local audiences. This year’s program promises a balance of “genre films (thrillers, documentary, dramas, science-fiction, romantic and dark comedies), films that were box-office hits in their respective countries and films that were critically acclaimed in the festival circuit,” according to longtime festival director Pepe Vargas. There are also special segments that highlight women filmmakers, movies about LGBTQ people and the issues they confront, and even films about the twilight years.
The opening night gala, “Night of Venezuela,” will feature a screening of The Liberator, the Simón Bolívar biopic that landed on the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar short list earlier this year. (You should check out our interviews with director Alberto Arvelo and Bolivar portrayer Édgar Ramírez to get primed.) The two-week event will conclude on April 23 with Ciudad Delirio, a Colombia/Spain joint venture by Chus Gutiérrez; this comedy is loaded with fantastic salsa performances (dance and musical), and features a legion of dancers that would rival any Bollywood film.
Now, while it pains us to narrow down our viewings let alone recommendations, we’ve taken a stab at it anyway. Check out our list of must-sees below. Or, if you prefer to fly solo, you can make your picks via the complete festival schedule.