¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival 2016

For its 22nd edition, ¡Viva! returns with a venue-wide celebration of Spanish and Latin American culture. For the first time we bring you a specially selected programme of the most exciting film and theatre from across the Spanish-speaking world. We have two weeks of great international performances, starting with two brand new works commissioned from Catalan theatre makers ATRESBANDES and Little Soldier, before we head to Cuba for a showcase of work by award-winning playwright Abel González Melo. The packed film programme features the best in new Spanish and Latin American filmmaking, presenting an exciting line-up including UK premieres from new and established directors from Spain,  Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela.

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¡Viva! is presented with Instituto Cervantes (Manchester) and the Office for Cultural and Scientific Affairs, Embassy of Spain in the United Kingdom with the support of the BFI Film Festival Fund, awarding funds from The National Lottery.

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Individual Films

  • Off Peak (before 17:00): £7 Full / £5 Concs / £5.50 Member Full / £4 Member concs
  • Peak (from 17:00): £9 Full / £7 Concs / £7 Member Full / £5.50 Member concs
  • Please note all films will start at the advertised time with no adverts or trailers

See more, save money!

¡Viva! Cuba

See all our Cuban offerings (including film Juntos y revueltos, and plays Chamaco and Weathered) for only £14, saving up to £6. Concessions available, not valid in conjunction with any other offers.

Multi-film deal

If you want to see a few films within ¡Viva! simply book them at the same time to take advantage of these great deals:

  • 4-7 films: £1 discount off each ticket
  • 8-15 films: £1.50 discount off each ticket
  • 16 films or more: £2 discount off each ticket
  • Please note all tickets must be purchased at the same time
  • The discount will be automatically applied to your basket at checkout. Please click continue browsing to add more tickets.

All offers subject to availability and cannot be used retrospectively.

Previously in this Festival

XXY

Puenzo’s multi-award-winning feature debut is a thought-provoking story of identity centred upon incredibly powerful performances by its young leads. Alex and her parents live in…

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Marsella

An engaging drama about a battle for affection from, and custody of, a worldly-wise nine-year-old girl. Five years after Sara lost custody of her daughter,…

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The Mansion of Madness

Leonora Carrington, 1917-2011, born and raised in Lancashire, was an integral part of the international surrealist movement of the 1930's; after London and Paris she settled…

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Ixcanul

María, a 17-year-old Mayan girl, lives and works with her family in a coffee plantation on the Guatemalan plateau. Her days go by uneventfully until…

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Desde allá

This powerful feature debut from Venezuelan writer-director Lorenzo Vigas is set in Caracas’ chaotic lower class communities. Wealthy middle-aged Armando lures young men to his…

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UK Premiere: Amama

After delighting ¡Viva! audiences in 2014 with his highly original Basque music documentary Bertsolari, Altuna returns with another beautiful and moving film, a poetic family…

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Magallanes

Universal themes of guilt, crime and punishment pervade this tense and intelligent drama about a man whose humdrum life is turned upside down the day…

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Carmín tropical

This beautifully shot film takes place in a sultry southern Mexico coastal town, where muxe – Zapotec culture's loosely defined third gender – are fully…

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Preview: El Abrazo de la serpiente

The third film from acclaimed Colombian director Ciro Guerra, who visited ¡Viva! in 2006 with La Sombra del caminante, has just become the first ever Colombian…

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Gabor

This inspiring documentary tells the remarkable story of a friendship between Sebas and Gabor, a young filmmaker and a blind cinematographer. Commissioned to make a…

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Tres instantes de un Grito

A documentary journey following three moments of public outrage - one in Madrid, New York and Santiago.

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Apología /Antología: Video Itineraries through the Spanish Context (18)

This screening will include a subtitled presentation of a 30-minute documentary on Apología/Antología (A/A) - an online platform containing 250 freely accessible works of experimental moving image by…

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The Storming Reunion

Cast your minds back to just one year ago when we made a performance out of leaving Cornerhouse for HOME. From Panama but based in…

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Amama Q&A

We will be joined by director Asier Altuna for a Q&A following the screening on Mon 11 Apr. This is the third feature-length film from…

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Marsella Intro

The screening on Fri 15 Apr will be introduced by Abigail Loxham, University of Manchester.

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L’adopció Q&A

We will be joined by director Daniela Féjerman for a Q&A following the screening on Sun 17 Apr. Born in Argentina, Daniela Féjerman studied Psychology before becoming…

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Matar a un hombre post-screening discussion

Nicola Runciman from the University of Manchester joins us for a post-screening discussion following the screening on Tue 19 Apr.

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Manchester School of Theatre presents

Caresses

Written by Sergei Belbel, one of the most popular Spanish playwrights to have emerged in the 1990’s, Caresses captures carefully interwoven encounters between various complex…

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Carmín tropical Q&A

We will be joined by actor José Pescina for a Q&A following the screening on Mon 18 Apr.

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Matar a un hombre

Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2014, and based on real events, this psychological thriller is a portrait of an…

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UK Premiere: Mi Gran Noche

We’re kicking off the festival with the latest slice of madness and mayhem from Álex de la Iglesia, a fast-paced, high-energy farce that’ll tickle your…

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El Secreto de sus ojos

Winner of the Best Foreign Film award at the 2010 Oscars, plus two Spanish Goyas, this stylish drama is an intense thriller blending romance, crime…

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Carancho

Trapero’s sixth feature is a knife-edge film noir thriller set in the murky legal quagmire of accident insurance scams, which follows Sosa, a disgraced unlicensed…

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Elefante blanco

A powerful and gripping story of social activism from leading Argentinian director Trapero. Julián and Nicolas are two maverick priests and long-standing friends, who along…

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HOME presents

Weathered

Join us for a staged reading of Abel González Melo's latest play. Weathered illuminates the reality of a broken Cuba, a country divided between the…

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Little Soldier and HOME presents

Derailed

Award-winning theatre company Little Soldier Productions invite you to join us in the live recording of a concept album about social change. Using elements of…

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Cuba Now: Abel González Melo

We’re delighted to welcome leading contemporary Cuban playwright Abel González Melo to HOME. Born in Havana in 1980, Melo is one of the most internationally…

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HOME presents

Chamaco (Kiddo)

Christmas Eve in Havana. A knife fight over a few pesos leads to a young man’s death, as a worn-out sister waits for her brother…

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Ricardo Darín ¡Viva! 2016 Strand

As part of this year's ¡Viva! festival we showcase the role of actor Ricardo Darín in the resurgence of Argentinian cinema.

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ATRESBANDES, HOME and Festival TNT presents

ALL IN

ATRESBANDES is a young theatre company from Barcelona that has established a reputation for sharp, perceptive work – and we are delighted to host the…

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Talk: Transnational Latin American Filmmaking: A New World Cinema

This talk presents a selection of films from Latin America produced between 2004 and 2014, showing how they are landmark cultural productions. Art, politics, entertainment…

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One Hour Intro: Ricardo Darín and the resurgence of Argentinian cinema

Once described as the love child that Robert De Niro and Peter Riegert never had, Ricardo Darín has grown to become the face of Argentinian…

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UK Premiere: Juntos y revueltos (El Mejunje de Silverio)

'El Mejunje de Silverio' is a cultural centre located in Santa Clara, central Cuba, known for its rock concerts, exhibitions, theatrical performances and children's shows.…

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UK Premiere: L’adopció

When a Spanish couple travel to a country in Eastern Europe to adopt a young child, they find themselves mired in an murky system that…

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¡Viva! 2016 Café Cervantes

The welcome return of the Café Cervantes, an informal gathering of Spanish speaking film lovers. Come and practise your language skills while sharing your opinions…

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Carmina y amén.

After the sudden death of her husband, a working-class family matriarch convinces her daughter to conceal his passing for two days, until she’s paid the…

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Preview: Truman

Cesc Gay’s latest collaboration with Argentinian star Ricardo Darín and Spanish star Javier Cámara, joint winners of Best Actor at San Sebastian International Film Festival…

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Emma Frankland, Keir Cooper and Ultimo Comboio presents

Don Quijote

A playful exploration of Cervantes’ novel, combining incredible visual imagery, live music and dance, this is an unmissable performance about standing up for what you…

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¡Viva! Closing Party

Featuring DJs and live music, join us for the ¡Viva! closing party in the bar from 21:00 til late. What better way to to end…

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