¡Costó un Perú!

La película Octubre, de los hermanos peruanos Diego y Daniel Vega, ha ganado el Premio del Jurado en el super prestigioso Festival de Cannes, sección "Una Cierta Mirada". Es la primera vez que una película peruana logra semejante premio, y es un orgullo latinoamericano para toda la región, especialmente porque se trata de un film de bajísimo presupuesto ($75,000) y alta sensibilidad. En la misma sección fueron distinguidas las actrices Victoria Raposo, Eva Bianco y Adela Sánchez por su labor en Los Labios (Iván Fund y Santiago Loza.)

De esta sección había participado también el peruano Francisco Lombardi con Sin Compasión (1994). Hace muy pocos años, la película Madeinusa (2006), de Claudia Llosa, había despertado el interés por el cine peruano cuando se alzó con cinco premios internacionales, entre ellos el FIPRESCI que entregó la asociación de críticos de cine en el Festival Internacional de Rotterdam. Este año, La Teta Asustada, de la misma directora, había sido nominada a mejor película extranjera en los Oscars.

Esta es la sinopsis oficial:

"Clemente es un prestamista poco comunicativo. También es la nueva esperanza de Sofía, su vecina soltera, que cada octubre muestra su devoción al culto del Señor de los Milagros. Su relación comienza cuando Clemente descubre una pequeña niña recién nacida, fruto de su relación con una prostituta que ha desaparecido. Mientras Clemente busca a la madre de la pequeña, Sofía se ocupa del bebé y de las tareas del hogar del prestamista. Con la llegada de estos dos nuevos seres a su vida, Clemente tendrá ocasión de cuestionarse acerca de sus relaciones con los demás."

Trailer:

Participaron de la misma sección las siguientes películas, además de las ya mencionadas:

Adrienn Pal (Hungría-Holanda-Francia-Austria, de Agnes Kocsis)

Aurora (Rumania, de Cristi Puiu)

Blue Valentine (U.S., de Derek Cianfrance)

Chatroom (U.K., de Hideo Nakata, conocido por su film The Ring)

Chongqing Blues (China, de Wang Xiaoshuai)

The City Below (Alemania-Francia, de Christoph Hochhausler)

Film Socialisme (Suiza-Francia, del establecido Jean-Luc Godard)

Ha Ha Ha ( Corea del Sur, de Hong Sang-soo, que se llevó otro premio)

Les Amours Imaginaires (Canadá, de Xavier Dolan)

Life Above All (Francia, Oliver Schmitz)

Qu’est-il Arrive a Simon Werner? (Francia, de Fabrice Gobert)

Rebecca H. (Francia, de Lodge Kerrigan)

R U There (Taiwán, de David Verbeek)

The Strange Case of Angelica (Portugal, del centenario Manoel de Oliveira —¡aún filma!)

Tuesday, After Christmas (Rumania, de Radu Muntean)

Udaan (India, de Vikramaditya Motwane)

Imágen: Bruno Odar interpreta a Clemente.

From Havana to New York

Every year since 2000, the Havana Film Festival New York brings the best of Latin American cinema to the city that never sleeps. This year —the 11th in a row— the festival will be held from April 16 through 23. People will have the chance to not only see more than 40 films from most of the Latin American countries, but also to chat and ask questions to many of the guest filmmakers. In this sense, organizers and sponsors make a tremendous effort to bring the best.

For example, the unique Argentine film Historias Extraordinarias (Mariano Llinas, 245 minutes) was released in Buenos Aires in a few selected screenings (one of them in the MALBA museum), and many fans were complaining that they wanted to see it in more places. Well, now we have the chance to watch it in New York. For those interested in great independent Latin American cinema, this is probably one of the best festivals in the country.

The following is a list of special events and panels that will run in parallel with the screenings and after-parties for the whole week:

El Museo del Barrio

1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street, Manhattan

Wednesday, April 7, 7:00 pm

Cine Nuevo (Free and open to the public)

Uprooted (documentary, 2009, Colombia) and El Play (2008, Dominican Republic-U.S.)

Director Pablo Medina present for Q&A.

The Bronx Museum of the Arts

1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, The Bronx

Friday, April 9, 6:00 pm

(Free and open to the public)

20 Años (Animation, 2009, Cuba) and Homo Erectus (Fiction, 2010, U.S.-Cuba)

Homo Erectus’ director, Alejandro Lora and producer, Alberto Gonzalez present for Q&A.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street

FREE with museum admission, membership, or festival pass

Saturday, April 17

Latin American Films for Children

In Spanish with English subtitles

Bonnie J. Sacerdote Lecture Hall.

Spanish-language gallery talks and workshops.

Tisch School of the Arts, NYU

721 Broadway at Waverly Place, Room 006, 6th Floor

Monday, April 19

King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center, NYU

53 Washington Square South (Between Thompson & Sullivan Streets)

(All events are free and open to the public)

Monday, April 19, 4:30 pm

Tribute to Enrique Pineda Barnet

Tuesday, April 20, 5:30 pm

Diary of the End, Juan Alejandro Ramirez (Peru) and Fidel Anecdotes, Estela Bravo (Cuba).

7:00 pm The Business of Filmmaking: Latin America - USA. The impact of copyright and intellectual property rights on production and distribution. Participants: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte (President of Antidote Films); Alfredo Calvino (CEO Latino Fusion); Fernando Ramirez (Entertainment Law attorney); Maria Marta Antin (Director, Talent Campus Buenos Aires, Universidad del Cine). Moderated by Sandy Lieberson (Chairman of Film London). Reception to follow. Simultaneous translation provided by LART. Co-Sponsored by Mexicana Airlines, U.S-Mexico Chambers of Commerce.

CANTOR CENTER, NYU

36 8th Street, Room 200

Thursday, April 22

The Extraordinary Journey of Fernando Bujones (60 min.) Israel Rodriguez. Producer Francisco Chagas Present for Q&A

The Beauty of La Alhambra. The iconic film celebrates its 20 anniversary. Director Enrique Pineda Barnet present for Q&A.

QUAD CINEMA

34 West 13th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)

Thursday, April 22, 6:00 pm

Celebrating the Bicentennial of Mexican Independence & Centennial of Mexican Revolution.

More info:

http://www.hffny.com/

V-me wants you to C-it

V-me, the Spanish television network, celebrates its third anniversary in March with a new line-up of entertainment content in Spanish. With more than two dozen new series, all U.S. Hispanic premieres, V-me combines new original productions with acquisitions from world-class producers including PRISA, BBC, National Geographic, Artear, Turner Latin America, and Off-the-Fence.

"V-me brings quality and engagement with content that fills the gaps in the U.S. Hispanic TV landscape," said Carmen DiRienzo, V-me president and CEO. "Our new programs bring drama beyond novellas while feeding our viewers' hunger for broad ranging lifestyle and factual entertainment. This means new dynamic viewers to Spanish TV and more choices for those already watching Spanish TV."

NEW IN PRIME

Hay Alguien Ahí – (There's Someone There) Mondays – Supernatural dangers confront a family in a house filled with dark secrets. A ratings winner with young adults in Spain, this is the first paranormal drama ever offered on U.S. Spanish TV.

Tratame Bien (Be Good To Me) - Tuesdays - A couple in midlife crisis (played by international stars, Julio Chavez and Cecilia Roth) juggles difficult kids, a failing business, affairs, couples therapy and the tragicomedy of everyday life.

Amistades Peligrosas (Dangerous Friendships) - Wednesdays – Romance is laced with suspense when a group of thirty-somethings reunite ten years after the unsolved murder that shattered their friendship – and nobody is above suspicion.

Cuenta Atrás (Against Time) - Thursdays – in the tradition of 24, Chief Corso – a tough, brilliant loner with a short fuse – leads an elite crime unit in a weekly race against the clock to solve the toughest cases in this action-packed police drama.

Botines (The Loot) - Fridays - Real-life heists and scams - and the criminal masterminds who planned them - come to life via dramatic recreations.

In addition to these new drama series, V-me also adds engaging new entertainment to its evening lineup:

En Pantalla (On Screen ) – (Wednesdays 8:30pm) Expanded to a regular weekly half-hour, the only weekly cinema series in Spanish features host Jack Rico with news, reviews, interviews and contests. The program leads into V-me's weekly showcase of contemporary Latin films from Europe and the Americas.

Estudio Billboard – (Tuesdays 10:00 pm) V-me's original hit music interview series hosted by Leila Cobo is back for a new season of in-depth conversation and intimate performances, featuring artists like Alejandro Sanz, Christian Castro and more.

Desafío Extremo (Extreme Challenge) – (Thursdays 10:00pm) In the style of Crocodile Hunter or Man vs. Wild, mountain climber/motorcycle racer Jesus Calleja confronts extreme nature, from the world's snowiest peaks to scorching deserts.

Ciencia Sobrenatural (Supernatural Science) (Tuesdays 9:00pm) - Some phenomena still defy rational explanation - science, experts and dramatic recreations combine in a fascinating series that explores the reality behind the myths.

About V-me: V-me, one of America's largest Spanish networks, entertains and informs Latino families in Spanish with primetime drama, music, sports, current affairs and Latin cinema, along with world class kids, food, lifestyle and nature. The 24-hour network, partnered with public television stations, is currently available in over 70% of all Hispanic homes. V-me is the first venture of the media production and distribution company, V-me Media Inc.

More info:

http://www.VmeTV.com