Catch Argentine films from September 28 to 30 at the Red Carpet.

Images courtesy of Cine Argentino
September 26, 2023

Shangri-La Plaza continues its tradition of bringing esteemed foreign films to the Philippines as it hosts this year’s Cine Argentino from September 28 to 30 at the Red Carpet at the Shang.

The upcoming 7th edition of the Argentine film festival celebrates 75 years of diplomatic relations between Argentina and the Philippines. This year’s lineup highlights the 40th anniversary of Argentina's return to democracy after the 1976-1983 military dictatorship. The selected movies, all released from 1985 to 2022 and spanning a variety of genres, capture the complex emotions of nostalgia, fear, sadness, love, friendship, and hope that Argentinians felt under the dictatorship.

The festival starts off with the 1987 Juan José Jusid production Made in Argentina, a comedy drama following US-based political exiles Osvaldo and Mabel who return to Argentina to reconnect with family. When Mabel offers her brother the opportunity to return with them to the United States, her sister-in-law refuses to move. Faced with pressing political and socioeconomic realities, the film explores what it truly means to be a family.

Directed by Adolfo Aristarain in 1992, Un Lugar En El Mundo (A Place in the World) is a sensitive coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of Argentina’s return to democracy in 1983. It tells the story of Mario and Ana, voluntary exiles from Buenos Aires now living with their young son Ernesto in an idyllic valley. When a jaded geological engineer surveys the valley as a potential site for a dam, Mario and Ana must fight not only to save their newfound peace but also the livelihoods of an entire community.

Sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats is Oscar-nominated Argentina, 1985 helmed by Santiago Mitre. The 2022 historical legal drama depicts the Trial of the Juntas, a landmark case trying former military leaders for crimes committed under the country’s former dictatorship. Told through the perspective of the case’s chief prosecutor Julio César Strassera and his assistant Luis Moreno Ocampo, the film is a gripping tale of pursuing justice in the face of great odds.

Keep up the drama with 1988’s Sur (The South) directed by Fernando “Pino” Solanas, a world cinema giant and one of Latin America’s most celebrated filmmakers. The story centers around world-weary Floreal who is released from prison prior to the end of a military coup d’état in 1983. After discovering that his wife cheated on him, a disillusioned Floreal must confront ghosts from his past and figure out how to move on with his life.

The 1985 Solanas film El Exilio Gardel (The Exile of Gardel) rounds out the festival. It showcases the art of the tango musical to tell the story of Argentine exiles in Paris during the height of the dictatorship. With a group of friends, young Maria decides to explore the story of her uprooting, as well as the desolation of the adults around her—leading themselves to question where ‘home’ really is.

Cine Argentino is supported by the prestigious Directores Argentinos Cinematográfico, an association of over 2,000 Argentine filmmakers dedicated to preserving the country's cinematic heritage for current and future generations, each film is sure to leave a lasting impression on its viewers.

Satisfy the cinephile within with these hallmarks of Argentine cinema from September 28 to 30 at the Red Carpet at the Shang. All Cine Argentino showings are free on a first-come, first-served basis.

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