22 June,2018 06:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Snigdha Hasan
O Auto da Compadecida (2014), Brazil
During the early '90s, when several Latin American nations were battling an unstable economy, their respective film industries suffered a major blow. "In times of financial crises, the first thing that governments usually do is slash their cultural budget. That's what happened in Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador - even as the specific realities were different - and our film industry almost disappeared," recalls Luanda Fernandes, film journalist, researcher and critic from Argentina who has been living in Mumbai since 2017. A few filmmakers, she continues, put up a fight and demanded a change in their country's laws, which helped cinema rise from the ashes. This was also the time when films from the continent began to reflect more realistic narratives, and movie goers started to see themselves on the screen.
Luanda Fernandes
This fascinating history and the films born out of the cinematic renaissance will be part of a two-day Latin American Film Festival organised by the Consulate General and Promotion Center of Argentina, the Consulate General of Brazil, the Consulate of Ecuador & Pro Ecuador, and the G5A Film Society. "The creative exchange between India and Latin America has grown over the years. Films from Argentina have travelled to MAMI and Pune International Film Festival, while we have watched independent films from India back in Buenos Aires," says Fernandes, who counts Chaitanya Tamhane's Court (2014) among her favourite Indian movies.
Aâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088still from Elefante Blanco (2012), Argentina
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The curator for the festival, Fernandes has chosen critically acclaimed films from Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil. "While each film is rooted in its country, they all address universal concerns like how to live together in the world today, the question of migration, and violence in poor neighbourhoods of big cities," she signs off.
On: June 23 and 24, 3 pm
At: G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture, Mahalaxmi.
RSVP: bookmyshow.com
Stills from Que tan Lejos (2006), Ecuador
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