San Francisco International Film Festival to Present Ambitious Slate of Latin American Films

The 47^TH San Francisco International Film Festival (April 15–29) will present a Latin American selection that includes a variety of narrative and documentary features from nine countries. A strong Brazilian lineup includes: THE MAN WHO COPIED (Jorge Furtado), a story about an entrepreneurial photocopier smitten with a girl and money; THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD (Vincente Amorim), a bicycle road movie based on the true account of a family that travels 2,000 miles to earn some badly needed money; GOD IS BRAZILIAN (Carlos Diegues), in which God decides to take a vacation; CARANDIRU (Hector Babenco), a narrative set in the inhumane conditions of Latin America’s largest prison; and MASTER, A BUILDING IN COPACABANA (Eduardo Coutinho), a documentary that follows the daily life of 37 residents in an apartment building.

Other films include: ANA AND THE OTHERS (Celina Murga, Argentina), a story of a young woman who returns to her hometown in search of her identity; B-HAPPY (Gonzalo Justiniano, Chile/Spain/Venezuela), in which a teenage girl’s dream of a stable, happy family is disrupted; MAGIC GLOVES (Martín Rejtman, Argentina), a comedy about the adventures of a car-service driver; THE NEWCOMERS (Andrés Waissbluth, Chile) a sexually explicit story of two brothers in love with the daughter of a Chilean mobster; WHAT THE EYE DOESN’T SEE (Francisco Lombardi, Peru), a story of how six ordinary Peruvians are affected by the collapse of the Fujimori government; CLEOPATRA (Eduardo Mignogna, Argentina/Spain), a romantic comedy about two women who abandon their responsibilities for a short but life-changing trip; and SUITE HABANA (Fernando Pérez, Spain/Cuba), a lyrical film that uses only images and sounds to show how the city of Havana is uniquely experienced by ten Cubans.

This year’s Festival will also showcase several documentaries concerning Latin American experiences in the United States. Included in this program are DAME LA MANO (Heddy Honigmann, Netherlands), an account of the New York area’s Cuban community through a juxtaposition of their work and their passion for the rumba; and THE SIXTH SECTION (Alex Rivera, USA), a story of the transnational organizing of a community of Mexican immigrants that raises money in the United States to rebuild their hometown. The Youth Works program, featuring filmmakers under the age of 18, includes: HELENA: HELEN’S JOURNEY THROUGH MEXICO (Helen Cho, USA), a short film that documents the director’s trip to remote parts of Mexico, showing the lives of some indigenous peoples; ABSENT FATHERS (Rafael Hernández and Isaac Ortiz, USA), a short film about Latino teens growing up in New Mexico without fathers; BUS 24: THE DIVERSITY BUS (Julie Trell and Aron Ranon, USA), a mini-road movie that travels through numerous San Francisco neighborhoods; and STRICTLY FAMILY (Jasmine Chauca, Terrence Fisher and Michelle Watson, USA), a glimpse into what constitutes a normal family for a trio of teenage filmmakers, some of whom are of Latino background.

The 47th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 15-29, 2004 at the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres "The Home of the Festival," the Castro Theatre, the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley and the Century Cinema 16 Mountain View. Tickets for San Francisco Film Society members will be available on March 23 and for the general public on March 30. To purchase tickets and for ticket information log on to www.sffs.org, call 925.275.9490, or visit the Main Box Office, located in the atrium of the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres at 1881 Post Street or the Satellite Box Office at Crocker Galleria, 50 Post Street, second floor, opening on March 30. For up-to-date Festival information log on to www.sffs.org or call 415.931.FILM.

The 47th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 15-29, 2004) is presented by the San Francisco Film Society, a nonprofit arts and educational organization dedicated to celebrating international film and the moving image.