This will be the Latin American presence in Cannes

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The official selection of one of the most important European film festivals has already been released. Here the Latin American projects chosen by the fifteen juries

The jury of the Festival de Cannes have already announced the official selection of this festival that will take place from May 12 to 25 this year in the French city. The 'official selection' of the Cannes Film Festival is divided into several categories that aim to gather and take a look at various film projects from around the globe. On the selection, says Thierry Frémaux, delegate of the festival, for the Cannes press that:

Leer en español: Esta será la presencia latinoamericana en Cannes

"Under this name [the 'official selection'], we highlight the diversity of filmmaking through different selections, each of which has its own identity". The films that illustrate "author's cinema for the 'Un Certain Regard' selection focuses on original works in its proposal and aesthetics that have a discreet but solid presence on screens around the world, but the Official Selection also rests on the films presented out of competition, the Special Screenings, the midnight screenings, the films of the fund presented at Cannes Classics and the selection of films from schools of the Cinéfondation. The important thing is that the selection is balanced and representative of the cinema of each era, in terms of creativity and geographical location. "

Under this logic of diversity in regions and times, we bring you here the Latin American feature films that the festival has selected to be projected on such an honorable screen in each category.

Bacurau, Brazil

It is the only Latin American film competing for the Palme d'Or. In it, a film director decides to travel to a town in the interior of Brazil to make a documentary and as time goes by, the traveler enters the community he wants capture with his camera and he realizes that not everything is what he expected and that the natives also keep a secret. It is written and directed by Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho.

A vida invisível by Eurídice Gusmão (The invisible life of Eurídice Gusmão), Brazil

In the case of the category "Un Certain Regard," which brings together works for a less massive audience, Brazil also takes the stand with this film directed by Karim Aïnouz. It is based on the novel written by the also Brazilian Martha Batalha and tells the story of two sisters in Rio de Janeiro in the 1940s who have been raised, like all women, to be invisible to the society in which they live.

Que sea ley, Argentina

Out of Competition will be projected Que sea ley, a documentary by the Argentine Juan Solanas who follows the feminist movement for the legalization of abortion in his country and which has been a precedent in Latin America. It is a political documentary and nothing neutral, in the words of its author.

Also read: 5 feminist film directors that you should know

Litigante, Colombia

The second feature film by the Colombian Franco Lolli will open the Critics' Week as part of the Cannes Film Festival. The film stars the writer Carolina Sanín and tells the story of Silva, a lawyer, and single mother who is involved in a new love affair while facing a corruption scandal. In 2014, Lolli would premiere his first feature film, Gente de bien, in this same category at Cannes.

Nuestras madres, Guatemala

In the competition of the Critics' Week, Central America occupies an important space. On the one hand, is Nuestras madres, a feature film by Guatemalan César Díaz. This is the director's first opera, which with this film pays homage to women who, after the military dictatorship, try to find their missing loved ones. Very Latin American.

Also read: FICCI: Interview with Rubén Mendoza

Ceniza Negra, Costa Rica

It is also the first feature film by Costa Rican Sofía Quiroz, who in 2017 had already presented the short film Selva en la Semana de la Crítica de Cannes. She is a teenager who grows up in the countryside with her grandparents and who in that retired life will learn about life and death. Without a doubt another triumph for the increasingly stronger Central American cinema.

LatinAmerican Post | Juliana Rodríguez Pabón

Translated from "Esta será la presencia latinoamericana en Cannes"