Argentina: New Cinema 2016

15th Annual Argentine Film Festival in Los Angeles

Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood - December 2-4, 2016

 

Presented by the American Cinémathèque and the Consulate General and Promotion Center of the Argentine Republic in Los Angeles, with the support of APERTURA Latino Media in Hollywood and LATAM Airlines.

FRIDAY, DEC. 2 at 7:30 PM

Argentina’s Official Oscar Submission!

THE DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN

EL CIUDADANO ILUSTRE

2016, 118 min, Argentina/Spain, Dir: Gastón Duprat, Mariano Cohn

 

                

Writer Daniel Mantovani (Oscar Martínez) left Argentina decades ago but still draws upon memories of his hometown for his books. After he wins the Nobel Prize, Daniel is invited to return to the place of his birth to accept a “Distinguished Citizen” award … and gets to see how far the little village has diverged from the fictional version he’s created of it. A laugh-filled look at how art and celebrity transform our lives.

SATURDAY, DEC. 3 at 7:30 PM - Double Feature!

KÓBLIC

2016, 92 min, Argentina, Dir: Sebastián Borensztein

 

 

Director Sebastián Borensztein reunites with his CHINESE TAKE-OUT star Ricardo Darín in this taut thriller. Darin plays the title character, a pilot haunted by memories of “flights of death” that the Argentine dictatorship used to eliminate dissenters. But when he tries to escape his past in a remote Pampas village, Kóblic crosses paths with a corrupt police chief (a thoroughly menacing Oscar Martinez). Co-starring Inma Cuesta.

AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

AL FINAL DEL TÚNEL

2016, 120 min, Argentina/Spain, Dir: Rodrigo Grande

 

                

In this REAR WINDOW-esque thriller, wheelchair-bound Joaquin (Leonardo Sbaraglia) discovers that a tunnel is being dug under his building in preparation for a bank robbery - and he wants a share of the loot for his silence. Terrific performances from Sbaraglia and Pablo Echarri (as the thieves’ sadistic leader) keep the suspense at fever pitch throughout. “The movie finally feels as sweaty, claustrophobic and nervous as the title implies, staying on just the right side of excess.” - Jonathan Holland, The Hollywood Reporter.

 

SUNDAY, DEC. 4 at 7:30 PM - Double Feature!

SAFE PASSAGE

PASAJE DE VIDA

2015, 100 min, Argentina/Spain, Dir: Diego Corsini

 

                

Mario (Javier Godino) arrives at a Spanish hospital to find his father, Miguel (Miguel Ángel Solá), suffering from a degenerative brain disease and trapped in the past, desperate to find someone named “Diana.” Though Mario knows little of Miguel, he soon learns that his father was an Argentine activist who fled the coup in 1976, leaving behind his great love. Through flashbacks featuring Carla Quevedo and Chino Darín (as the young Miguel), this richly layered film becomes an effective mix of family drama and political thriller.

Discussion between films with SAFE PASSAGE director Diego Corsini.

THE FUTURE PERFECT

EL FUTURO PERFECTO

2016, 65 min, Argentina, Dir: Nele Wohlatz

 

                

Xiaobin doesn’t speak a word of Spanish when she arrives in Buenos Aires, but she’s a quick study; through role-playing language classes, the 17-year-old gets a new name (Beatriz) and a new job at a Chinese supermarket. Though eager to fit in, her tradition-bound family lives in the parallel universe of their laundromat, and Xiaobin deals with the contradictions of her new life using the film as a rehearsal room. Winner of the best debut feature prize at the Locarno Film Festival. “It takes skill to successfully handle heavy issues with a light touch, but that's what German-born, Argentina-based writer-director Nele Wohlatz pulls off with her delightfully original documentary/fiction hybrid.” - Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter.