This year, Cine las Americas introduces a new program celebrating the films of a particular Latin nation. The following films from Chile will screen throughout the fest; see www.cinelasamericas.org for time and venue information.
Amnesia (D: Gonzalo Justiniano, 1994): This pointedly post-Pinochet film takes on the task of reclaiming history from the victorious and in the end reveals that embracing the truth, no matter how painful, is the real key to freeing the human spirit.
El Chacotero Sentimental (The Sentimental Teaser) (D: Cristián Galaz, 1999): Inspired by a popular radio show of the same name, this award-winning dramedy follows the lives and loves of anonymous callers.
Historias de Fútbol (Soccer Stories) (D: Andrés Wood, 1997): Three young men learn life lessons against the backdrop of fútbol.
Coronación (Coronation) (D: Silvio Caiozzi, 2000): The last member of a once grand family faces the choices he’s made when a young girl comes to care for his senile grandmother.
Taxi Para Tres (A Cab For Three) (D: Orlando Lübbert, 2001): A taxi driver joins an inept gang of thieves to solve his money problems and is taken on a wild ride that eventually threatens the one thing he holds most dear.
La Fiebre del Loco (Loco Fever) (D: Andrés Wood, 2001): A temporarily lifted ban on abalone harvesting attracts an assortment of characters to a small fishing town, each with a deeply personal desire to get rich quick.
Sangre Eterna (Eternal Blood) (D: Jorge Olguín, 2002): A handsome young man entices a college coed into a role-playing game where fact and fiction begin to blur.
Sexo con Amor (Sex With Love) (D: Boris Quercia, 2003): Parents discuss the merits of sex education for their children, unaware that they are foolishly ignorant about the subject themselves.
Promedio Rojo (D: Nicolás López, 2004): Cleverly blending comic-book graphics with live action, this coming-of-age story tells the story of Roberto, a hopelessly nerdy high school boy who falls in love with the hot new girl in school.
This article appears in April 17 • 2009.