Sydney Latin American Film Festival 2012

Overview

Press play on some Watussi and have a scroll through the Sydney Latin American Film Festival guide online. Choose from features, docos, and short films at four different venues: Dendy Opera Quays, Bankstown Arts Centre, Mu-Meson Archives and the Addison Road Centre - Casa Latina.

Opening night to this festival, now in its seventh year, kicks off with Mia, a drama about a transvestite living in a slum. The director, Argentine filmmaker Javier Van de Couter, will appear in a Q&A following the screening. Cumbiamuffin (think cumbia, ragga and reggae beats) are headlining the fiesta on the opening night, served with a side of Latino nibbles and drinks.

There's also a Bankstown Arts Centre opening night fiesta (if you needed some more fiesta action), with a screening of The Rumble of the Stones, Venezuela's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film in the 84th Academy Awards. This film, directed by Alejandro Bellame looks at slums, crime, and gangs, popular themes in the festival's films.

The Opera Quays closing night will take a distinctly different turn, however, with Juan of the Dead, Cuba's answer to Shaun.

Image from Juan of the Dead.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=EQJEgOUc00Y