Latin & Spanish Film Festival to open at Albany

Friday, September 5, 2014
Latin & Spanish Film Festival to open at Albany

Four free films will be screened at Albany as part of the Latin America & Spain Film Festival (LASFF), which is being held across New Zealand in September and October.

It is the 13th edition of the festival, and was organised this year by the Embassy of Chile. It is the only Film Festival in New Zealand dedicated to contemporary cinematographic productions from Latin America and Spain, and is run by all the Latin American and Spanish embassies resident in Wellington and Canberra.

The festival showcases 12 movies from each of the participating countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Uruguay and Venuezuela.

Massey University leads off the Auckland screenings on September 9, with a range of different films shown at the University of Auckland from September 15-19 and at AUT from September 23-26.

Lecturer in Spanish Dr José Diaz-Rodriguez says the films are just part of a number of activities happening on campus.

“The first film to be shown on September 9 is a Cuban film, and we hope to have a few more activities on campus to coincide with the film festival,” he says.

“It’s such a great opportunity for New Zealanders to get a taste of Latin American and Spanish culture, and also gives a taste of ‘home’ to the growing Latin American and Spanish community in New Zealand. We hope plenty of people will take up the chance to see these films.”

To coincide with the film festival, an exhibition entitled “I will die the way I lived” by Cuban painter Antonio Guerrero is being hosted in the Albany campus library. The exhibition features 15 watercolours capturing the early days when the Cuban Five – five political prisoners imprisoned in the United States – were locked up in “the hole”. It will run until September 25, and entry is also free.

The Cuban Ambassador, Maria del Carmen Herrera Caseiro, will speak at the welcome reception on Tuesday, which will start at 6.30 pm in the Study Centre Lounge.

All the films wil run from 7pm in the Study Centre Auditorium at the Albany Campus. Entry is free.

The film schedule is:

Tuesday September 9: Scent of an Oak (Cuba)

Wednesday September 10: Undertow (Peru)

Thursday September 11: The Tiger and the Deer (El Salvador)

Friday September 12: In the Middle of Heaven (Mexico)

For more information, go to the website: http://www.lasffnz.co.nz

ENDS

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