The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago (ILCC) on Tuesday announced the first wave of titles for its 2020 Chicago Latino Film Festival, an online showcase of 43 feature films and 38 shorts.
The 36th annual festival, originally scheduled for April 16-30 at the AMC River East 21 Theatre, will now run online Sept. 18-27 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The festival is partnering with the virtual streaming platform Eventive to present the films.
The first wave includes:
— the world premiere of the Pilsen-based theatrical collective Colectivo El Pozo’s “Cuaco” (The story of a man who returns home traveling through the same route he took to migrate to the United States three decades before).
— Pablo Larraín’s “Ema” (A family drama starring Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael García Bernal about a reggaetón dancer and her choreographer husband whose marriage and lives are put to the test when they are forced to reverse the adoption of their son when he commits a shockingly violent act.)
— Gabriel Mascaro’s “Divine Love,” (“Divino Amor,” a dystopian tale about a woman’s pursuit of motherhood in a Brazil ruled by a fundamentalist party that has a say on its citizens’ sex and family lives. Scanners in public spaces loudly announce a woman’s child-bearing status. And an active sex life is encouraged as long as it leads to procreation.)
— Juan José Campanella’s “The Weasel’s Tale” (“Tale/El cuento de las comadrejas,” a comedy about four retired filmmakers match wits with a couple of ruthless real estate developers who will stop at nothing to buy their dilapidated mansion.)
— the Central American anthology film “Days of Light” (“Dias de Luz,” which brings together six up-and-coming Central American filmmakers who each tell the story of a solar storm that leaves the region without power or telecommunications for days and how each film’s characters have to face life on its most basic terms.)
—Mars Volta founder Omar Rodríguez-López’s “Amalia,” (A trippy horror film about a woman, fueled by drugs and alcohol, who becomes obsessed with her late husband’s mistress).
“We are happy to finally be able to present this robust cinematic assortment of short and feature films. While we cannot gather in person to enjoy and engage our filmmakers and the public in a face-to-face conversation about these films this year, we are still providing this amazing talent and film lovers a platform to do so,” said Pepe Vargas, executive director of ILCC and producer of the Chicago Latino Film Festival, via statement.
The complete lineup for the festival will be made available in the coming weeks at www.chicagolatinofilmfestival.org.
Festival tickets, which go on sale Sept. 2, are $13 for ILCC members, students and seniors; $15 for the general public. Festival passes (good for 10 films) are $80 to $100. After unlocking each film, patrons will have four days to watch it (once you begin a screening, you will have 48 hours to finish viewing).
