CFI Premieres "Viva Agentina" This Week

"Viva Argentina" kicks off Wednesday with The Last Elvis

A highlight among the annual Latin American Film Festival held by the Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa is often the Argentine selection among the programme. It’s no wonder, then, that the popularity of screenings such as Clandestine Childhood and Chinese Take-Away would prompt that the CFI is set to devote a full series to spotlight the cinema of Argentina. This Wednesday marks the premiere programme of the CFI’s “Viva Argentina: Current Trends in Argentine Cinema,” which aims to take film buffs’ knowledge of world cinema beyond the story time of a film. “Viva Argentina” offers a three-day line-up of the film experience at a higher level, as it presents three contemporary Argentine films along with guest speakers and two days of workshops, all of which aim to engage Ottawa filmgoers with the topics and currents of the film movement known as “New Argentine Cinema.” The event is first-time collaboration between the CFI, the University of Ottawa's Spanish Program, and the Embassy of Argentina in Canada.

“Viva Argentina” begins October 2^nd with the Ottawa premiere of Armanda Bo’s The Last Elvis, which won six awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Argentina and was a nominee for the Grand Jury Prize for world cinema at Sundance. The Last Elvis marks the directorial debut of Bo, who co-wrote the screenplay for 2010’s Biutiful, starring Javier Bardem. The programme also includes Gone Fishing, the latest film from acclaimed Argentine director Carlos Sorín, who will attend the event with producer Patricia Bustamante. Also in attendance at “Viva Argentina” will be Juan Vera, the  producer and screenwriter of the hit comedy Two Plus Two.

The trio of selected films will coincide with the Research Workshop “Trends in Argentine Cinema: Twenty Years After the "New Cinema.” The workshops, organized by the University of Ottawa’s Spanish Program, features the participation of six research professors from the University of Ottawa, McGill University, Université de Montréal, University of South Carolina, and Saint Francis-Xavier University. The workshops allow attendees to put Argentine films—both from this programme and from previous festivals—into greater perspective as they learn about the movements that shaped the nation’s film production as it stands today.

The programme for “Viva Argentina” is as follows:

Films:

The Last Elvis (El último Elvis)

Dir. Armanda Bo

(2012, 91 min.)

Wednesday, October 2, 7:00 pm

Synopsis: A tragic accident causes an Elvis impersonator to reassess his priorities.

Note: All filmmakers visiting the “Viva Argentina” series will attend a reception following Wednesday’s Gala screening of The Last Elvis.

Gone Fishing (Días de pesca)

Dir. Carlos Sorín

(2012, 78 min.)

Thursday, October 3, 7:00 pm.

Synopsis: Marco Tucci (Alejandro Awada) is the standard tourist type, on his way to Puerto Deseado where he intends to fish for sharks. Or at least, this is the way he looks.

Two Plus Two (Dos más dos)

Dir. Diego Kaplan

(2012, 103 min.)

Friday, October 4, 7:00 pm

Synopsis: When the fun of double dating begins to grow old, Richard and Bettina share a dirty little secret with their friends Diego and Emilia: They live a double life as swingers, and would love to share this practice with them.

All screenings will take place at the Auditorium of Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St. All films will be presented in Spanish with English subtitles. Tickets for each film are available at the door: $12.00 for general admission, and $8.00 for CFI Members, seniors, and students.

Workshops

As the CFI notes, “The Research Workshop is two full-day presentations in Spanish, but discussions and questions can be addressed in both English and French. Sessions will take place at University of Ottawa campus: on October 3rd at the Senate Room (Tabaret Hall 083); and on October 4th at Simard Building (Room SMD 125). Free admission. More information can be found online at www.modernlanguages.uottawa.ca/activities.”

Please visit www.cfi-icf.ca for more information on “Viva Argentina”.