More than 20 countries are being showcased at this year’s Chicago Latino Film Festival. Taking place from April 6 through the 19 at the AMC River East 21 Theatres (322 E. Illinois St.), there is a lot to see so we’ve decided to give you a small heads up on what caught our attention. This group of recommendations includes films from Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Puerto Rico and Spain.
There is so much more and the CLFF website has an easy to follow drop-down menu feature that allows you to quickly search for any of this year’s selections by country, genre, language and so on.
The full festival schedule is available here.
BOLIVIA
Las malcogidas
Feature. Directed by Dennise Arancibia Flores
SHOWING: April 15 + 18 (details)
There’s too much to explain so we’ll leave you with this description, “a colorful and delightfully incorrect musical comedy about body shaming, gender and family curses.”
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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
El hombre que cuida
Feature. Directed by Alejandro Andújar
SHOWING: April 13 + 15 (details)
This is a thriller that sounds intense all the way around. A man who’s lost his wife to another man, starts a new job that puts his already weary spirit to the test. It’s a unique look at social class and racism.
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HONDURAS
Retornados
Short. Directed by Sarah M Kuck, Meredith Hoffman
SHOWING: April 6 + 8 (details)
This documentary short looks into the agonizing current reality of many immigrants, especially those who have been deported to the place left in terror. This is the story of three Honduran families.
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PUERTO RICO
Angélica
Feature. Directed by Gómez-Mouakad
SHOWING: April 7 + 9 (details)
This story delves into a topic rarely explored in Puerto Rican cinema when a woman returns to her home in Puerto Rico and is confronted by her family’s biracial beliefs.
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SPAIN
Cuanto más grande mejor
Feature. Directed by Ventura Pons
SHOWING: April 12 + 18 (details)
The way this film is described reminds one of Wes Anderson and we’re down with that. The trailer confirms our love of quirky comedy, and it’s all in español.