From Basquiat to Lucrecia Martel: Must-See Latino Movies at New York Film Festival
'Zama' still courtesy of TIFF
In a sea of movie events in the Big Apple, the New York Film Festival has always stood out. One need only see the type of big names it can attract on any given year. For its 55th edition, moviegoers will be able to see new films by Todd Haynes, Richard Linklater, Hong Sang-soo, and Claire Denis, among others. They’ll get to see actors like Isabelle Huppert, Juliette Binoche, Steve Carrell, Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, and Laurence Fishburne grace the gorgeous screens at Lincoln Center, which boasts some of the best movie theaters a cinephile can dream of.
For those thinking these lists look particularly lacking in Latino and Latin American talent, know that you don’t have to look far. Argentine critical darling Lucrecia Martel is bringing her much-anticipated period drama, Zama, to the fest. And for those wanting to hear the award-winning filmmaker talk about her career, you might want to attend the Director Dialogues she’s featured in during the fest.
Elsewhere, you’re likely to find Latino talent in the most unexpected places. They’re the breakout stars of French films about 90s AIDS activism; they’re playing crucial roles in both lavish period pieces set mostly in the American Museum of Natural History and plucky, grounded flicks about childhood set in Florida. And with NYFF55’s revivals bringing back a Cuban classic and an all-too timely Portuguese gem about Cape Verde’s colonial history, there’s no shortage of projects to check out at this lauded fest. And lest you don’t know where to start when figuring out what to catch, check out a list of films and events you should keep an eye out for.
The New York Film Festival runs September 28 – October 15, 2017.
TALKS
HBO Directors Dialogues: Lucrecia Martel
October 1 at 3 p.m.
Join Lucrecia Martel for a discussion of her films and her remarkable latest Zama, an adaptation of a classic Argentinean novel, set in the late 18th century.
VR and the Future of Virtual Production by Lucasfilm
With Jose Perez, Rachel Rose, Nick Rasmussen
From the depths of earth’s oceans to galaxies far, far away, VR allows us to be anyone, go anywhere, and see anything. Lucasfilm and its visual effects division, Industrial Light & Magic, have harnessed the power of this medium to create a new Virtual Production toolset, allowing filmmakers to build and scout a virtual set, manipulate props, puppeteer characters and vehicles, even compose shots to create virtual storyboards.
SHORT FILMS
The Last Light
Angelita Mendoza, USA/Mexico, 2017, 11m
The innocence and the developing evils of youth collide when two children’s paths cross in an abandoned house.
Hombre
Juan Pablo Arias Muñoz, Chile, 2017, 21m
While on a hunting trip with his father, a teenage boy must contend with multiple monsters.
The Last Light and Hombre are playing in Shorts Program 2: Genre Stories.
All Over the Place
Mariana Sanguinetti, Argentina, 2017, 10m
While moving out of the apartment she shared with her ex-boyfriend, Jimena reflects on closure and the future in a stream-of-consciousness message on his answering machine.
All Over the Place is playing in Shorts Program 1: Narrative.