Five Films at Cine Las Americas
The best movies from the Spanish and Portuguese diaspora and Indigenous peoples at the annual film festival
By Richard Whittaker, Fri., June 2, 2023
Flamin' Hot
Eva Longoria's directorial debut set the screen ablaze at this year's South by Southwest Film and Television Festival, recounting the story of how Frito-Lay factory janitor Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) revolutionized the snack industry with Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Catch this underdog success story on the big screen as CLAIFF's opening night title before it arrives on Hulu on June 9.
Wed., June 7, 7pmAFS Cinema, 6259 Middle Fiskville
Chile '76
Another actress makes her feature directorial debut as Chilean star Manuela Martelli steps behind the camera for her critically acclaimed tale of a middle-class woman (Aline Kuppenheim) who finds herself caught up in the resistance against the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. This raw depiction of a political awakening premiered at the Cannes Directors' Fortnight and has been a star of the festival circuit ever since.
Thu., June 8, 8pmAFS Cinema (Spanish with English subtitles)
Hecho en Tejas Shorts Competition
Presented in partnership with the Texas Film Commission and the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, five short films that represent the best and most diverse stories from the Lone Star State's Hispanic community. Of course, there's an Austin contingent, including Anne Lewis and Laura Varela's tribute to the late, great East Austin poet Raúl Salinas, "raúl r salinas and the poetry of liberation: Un Trip," and Samuel Díaz Fernández's documentary about a migrant's fight to bring good food to her neighborhood, "La Cosecha."
Sat., June 10, 6:30pmAustin PBS – Austin Media Center, 6101 Highland Campus Dr. Bldg. #3000
Bones of Crows
Canada is still facing up to the scars left on its Indigenous peoples by the cultural genocide inflicted by the residential school system. In her shocking, distressing, and essential drama, writer/director Marie Clements exposes the racist policies enacted by church and state. Like all CLAIFF screenings at Galaxy Highland, this film is free and open to the public.
Sun., June 11, 12:30pmGalaxy Highland, 6700 Middle Fiskville (English and Cree/Tla'amin with English subtitles)
Amor y matemáticas
Wrap up the festival with Roberto Quijano's award-winning comedic turn as a bored househusband who has put his life as a boy band star behind him – or so he thinks, until a die-hard fan makes him reconsider his life decisions.
Sun., June 11, 7:30pm
AFS Cinema (Spanish with English subtitles)
Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, June 7-11. Tickets, passes, and info at cinelasamericas.org.
