| New Argentine Cinema 2008
This Series is an Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!
Presented by the Consulate General and Promotion Center of the Argentine Republic
in Los Angeles, in association with the American Cinematheque
Argentine cinema’s long-lasting comeback continues in 2008, with its films having
a strong impact in international film festivals. With the success of the Argentina New
Cinema series for six years in a row, we're thrilled to be back with another impressive
lineup of films, including Pablo Trapero’s profound drama LION’S DEN
(LEONERA) considered to be this director’s pinnacle film so far, highlight by
lead actress Martina Gusmán’s extraordinarily fiery performance; this
year’s blockbuster A BOYFRIEND FOR MY WIFE (UN NOVIO PARA MI MUJER), a clever
dark comedy directed by Juan Taratuto and starring Adrián Suar, Valeria
Bertuccelli and Gabriel Goity; Alex Tossenberger’s GIANTS OF
VALDES (GIGANTES DE VALDÉS), a moving story of self-discovery shot in the immensity
of the Argentine Patagonia coast; and RAIN (LLUVIA), Paula Hernandez’s
narrative fiction of a man and a woman whose sudden encounter will change the direction of
their lives. Finally, this year’s most recent release and already a blockbuster, THE
LEGEND (LA LEYENDA), directed by Sebastián Pivotti and starring Pablo Rago,
Leonora Balcarce and Benjamín Rojas, exploring the adrenaline and unlimited
speed of car racing, a race between two contenders that goes beyond the finish line. Plus
don’t miss our Saturday afternoon screening of the historic drama MISSING IDENTITY
(CINE POR LA IDENTIDAD) produced by Telefé Contenidos on the disappearances during
the military regime in Argentina (1976-1983), illustrating the painstaking reality of the
deprivation of identity of those born within illegal detention centers at that time.
Friday, November 21 – 7:30 PM
A BOYFRIEND FOR MY WIFE (UN NOVIO PARA MI MUJER),
2008, Patagonik Film Group/Filmsharks, 96 min. Dir. Juan Taratuto. "The Tense
One" (Adrián Suar) is the typical middle-class Argentine guy who enjoys
hanging out and spending time with his pals, dreaming that his wife, Tana (Valeria
Bertuccelli) will wake up one day smiling and leaving behind her frustration and
permanent pessimism, which has drained their marriage. "The Tense One" wants to
break up, but he doesn’t know how. He shares his drama with his friends, who advise
him to get his wife to split by hiring "The Crow" (Gabriel Goity), a guy
with a reputation for being an irresistible seducer, the only one in town who could make
her fall in love and leave. A crowd-pleaser on the misadventures of an unusual couple and
the constant need for renewing relationships.
Saturday, November 22 – 5:00 PM
MISSING IDENTITY (CINE POR LA IDENTIDAD), 2008,
Telefé Contenidos, 90 min. Dir. Miguel Colom. What if you were not who you think
you are? During the late 1970s, a military dictatorship ruled Argentina with an iron fist.
No political rights were granted to the general public, and the government implemented a
plan to exterminate all opposition. Left-leaning citizens were detained and tortured in
illegal detention centers with no official acknowledgement that these operations were
being held. Between 1976 and 1983, the military regime was responsible for 30,000
disappeared persons. An estimate of 500 children were born in captivity and given
illegally to adoptive parents, in many cases linked to the perpetrators of their
parents’ murder. Although the children were not aware of their identity, their
relatives were, especially their biological grandparents, who never gave up looking for
them. This
docudrama, adapted from a popular Argentine mini-series, explores these stories.
Saturday, November 22 - 7:00 PM
THE LEGEND (LA LEYENDA), 2008, Pampas Films, 90 min. Dir. Sebastián
Pivotto. Lucas Vallejos (Pablo Rago) and Juan Manuel Migliardi (Benjamín
Rojas) explore the adrenaline and unlimited speed of car racing as they compete for a
place on the race team. Beatriz "Bea" Ulloa (Leonora Balcarce) is an
engineer responsible for picking the best among the contenders. A huge box office smash in
Argentina and an action movie that shows how Juan Manuel and Lucas get prepared for a race
that goes beyond the finish line for Bea’s love.
Saturday, November 22 - 9:00 PM
LION’S DEN (LEONERA), 2008, Matanza Cine/Fine
Cut, 113 min. Dir. Pablo Trapero. The odyssey of Julia (masterfully played by Martina
Gusmán), a young pregnant university student who is sent to prison after a crime of
passion. Desperate Julia tries to put her pregnancy to an end without success. She is
transferred to a prison unit that houses single mothers with children, mothers who would
do anything for their children’s welfare, even when confinement conspires against
that elementary right. Julia understands that there is no life for her beyond that of her
child. We follow her during the four years that she’s allowed to keep and raise her
son, Tomás, facing obstacles and difficulties of daily prison life, opening a space for
debate and reflection on motherhood, solitude, love, confinement and hope. A Cannes 2008
official selection and the official Argentine submission for the Academy Awards. Trailer | Review
Sunday, November 23 - 6:00 PM
Double Feature:
GIANTS OF VALDES (GIGANTES DE VALDES), 2008, El
Dorado Contenidos, 100 min. Dir. Alex Tossenberg. Thomas Bullrich (Federico
D’Elía) works for a multinational company headquartered in Buenos Aires hoping
to develop tourism opportunities in Patagonia. He arrives in the region’s remote
Peninsula Valdés under false pretenses, scheming to get the townspeople’s agreement
to the construction of a five-star resort, not caring about the impact such a huge
settlement would have on the ecology and marine life. When the locals catch on, Thomas is
desperate -- until he meets Joseph, an illiterate local fisherman whose wisdom will
transform him forever. Trailer
RAIN (LLUVIA), 2008, Patagonik Films/Shark
Films, 110 min. Dir. Paula Hernandez. As rain falls on Buenos Aires, Alma (Valeria
Bertuccelli) and Roberto (Ernesto Alterio) live solitary lives. A few days
previous, Alma left the man she had lived with for nine years, making her car a temporary
home. Roberto has come back to his country after almost 30 years abroad, to find his
father in a coma and an apartment to close up. In the middle of an endless traffic jam,
Alma’s car door opens unexpectedly, Roberto gets in and Alma, not knowing exactly
why, lets him. They are totally unaware that this sudden encounter will alter the
direction of their lives. A story of a man and a woman on their way to somewhere, halfway
from who they are to who they will become. |
