¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival 2020

Please note that ¡Viva! 2020 was interrupted by the closure of the building on Mon 16 Mar due to the developing coronavirus situation. Details of the returning ¡Viva! screenings, from Fri 11 Sep, can be found here.

For our 26th edition, ¡Viva! returns with a cinematic celebration of Spanish and Latin American culture. We bring you a specially selected programme of the most exciting film from across the Spanish-speaking world. In ¡Viva! 2020 we screen a whopping 31 feature films from Spain and Latin America, including 15 UK cinema premieres, and an additional 10 short films – five of the shorts screening before selected features, and five of them gathered in a special programme to celebrate International Women’s Day on Sun 8 Mar.

Our Opening Night on Fri 6 Mar kicks off with the fantastic La Hija de un ladrón, from Catalan filmmaker Belén Funes, who will be here to present this, her first feature film, to a no-doubt packed Cinema 1 – book your tickets early! Plus she’ll also be here to answer audience questions in the post-screening Q&A on Sat 7 Mar. The opening weekend continues with the return of some familiar names and faces: Mientras dure la guerra, a big budget historical drama set in 1936, from Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar, and a feel-good comedy from the prodigious Argentinian actor Ricardo Darín, La Odisea de los giles.

In addition to our opening night guest director, we also welcome five other filmmakers to Manchester in March. From Spain, Gabriel Velázquez returns to Manchester 13 years after his first visit to the festival, with his folkloric, musical documentary Zaniki; and debut director Oriol Puig presents his Catalan coming-of-age story El Sitio de Otto. From Costa Rica we welcome Antonella Sudasassi and her first feature film El Despertar de las hormigas, which celebrates female empowerment as a put-upon housewife wakes up to her own dreams and desires. And finally, two Mexican directors will be coming to ¡Viva!, indigenous filmmaker Itandehui Jansen with her family drama Tiempo de lluvia, partly filmed in the Mixtec language, and David Romay with his fiction feature debut Detrás de la montaña, a surprisingly tender drama set in Ciudad Juárez, following a bereaved teenager bent on revenge against his father.

Other ¡Viva! 2020 highlights include the latest films from well-known Chilean directors Andrés Wood (Araña) and Patricio Guzmán (La Cordillera de los sueños), the Argentinian filmmaker Carlos Sorín (Joel), and Spain’s Benito Zambrano (Intemperie). Plus we’re proud to present nine debut feature-length films, including Ana García Blaya’s homage to her late father (Las Buenas intenciones) and the dreamlike, tragic drama Canción sin nombre by Melina León.

There will also be a number of talks and workshops, including the return of the Café Cervantes and the Language Lab, both popular with those learning Spanish, and a One-Hour Intro to Latin American Indigenous Filmmakers, delivered by Mexican director Itandehui Jansen and writer Armando Bautista. The focus on indigenous filmmakers runs throughout the calendar of screenings, including the heart-breaking drama Wiñaypacha, filmed in the Aymara language and set high in the Peruvian Andes, starring the filmmakers own grandfather in the one of the two leading roles. We also present the UK premiere of Mexican documentary Tote abuelo, filmed in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, and a now digitally restored 1982 documentary from Colombia, Nuestra voz de tierra, memoria y futuro, which used a Marxist aesthetic to depict centuries of oppression and resistance of farmers and indigenous peoples.

Priority booking is available to our Friends and Members. Find out more about our membership packages here.

All films will begin at the advertised time with no adverts or trailers; all films are in Spanish with English subtitles unless otherwise noted; and all age certifications are local to Manchester City Council and subject to confirmation.

View the full brochure here.

The ¡Viva! film programme is curated by Rachel Hayward, Head of Film, Jessie Gibbs, ¡Viva! Festival Coordinator, and Andy Willis, Professor of Film Studies at the University of Salford and HOME’s Senior Visiting Curator: Film. With the support of the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery.

Festival supporters:

Embassy of Spain logo

See more, save more! Book three or more individual films in the ¡Viva! programme and save!

3-7 ¡Viva! films* – £1 off each ticket

8-19 ¡Viva! films – £1.50 off each ticket

20 or more ¡Viva! films – £2 off each ticket

*All tickets must be purchased at the same time. All offers subject to availability, cannot be used retrospectively and are not valid in conjunction with any other offers.

View the full brochure here.

In this festival

The HOME Film Podcast: VIVA Festival 2020 (Spanish)

Join Jessie Gibbs (VIVA Festival Coordinator), Carmen Herrero (Manchester Met) and Ana Valbuena (Instituto Cervantes) for a round up of our 27th annual Spanish and…

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The HOME Film Podcast: VIVA 2020 Festival (English)

Join Jessie Gibbs (VIVA Project Coordinator), Reba Martin (VIVA 2020 Film Intern), Rachel Heyward (Head of Film) and Andy Willis (Senior Visiting Curator) for our…

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Discover the ¡Viva! 2020 programme, with six special Q&As!

Discover our 26th annual Spanish & Latin American Festival VIVA 2020 through our selection of one of a kind director Q&As!

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¡Viva! Film Notes – Intemperie

Dr Deborah Madden, Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at The University of Manchester, explores Benito Zambrano's Intemperie, screening as part of ¡Viva! Festival 2020.

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¡Viva! Film Notes – Mientras dure la guerra

Dr Abigail Loxham, Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Film at The University of Liverpool, explores Alejandro Amenábar's Mientras dure la guerra, screening as part of ¡Viva!…

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¡Viva! Film Notes – Los Sonámbulos

Dr Ignacio Aguiló Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Latin American Cultural Studies at The University of Manchester, explores Paula Hernández’s Los Sonámbulos, screening as part of ¡Viva!…

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¡Viva! Festival 2020 Intern Reba Martin shares her experience/ “Getting an insight into the decision-making process was invaluable.”

¡Viva! Festival 2020 Intern Reba Martin blogs about her experience supporting our annual Spanish & Latin American Film Festival.

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¡Viva!, HOME’s Spanish & Latin American Festival, Returns For Spring 2020

The much loved festival returns this March for its 26th year, with a specially selected programme of the most exciting work from across the Spanish-speaking…

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¡Viva! Film Notes – El Árbol negro

Dr Ignacio Aguiló, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Cultural Studies at The University of Manchester, explores Máximo Ciambella and Damián Coluccio’s El Árbol negro ,…

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Tiempo de lluvia Q&A

Sadly Itandehui has had to cancel her Q&A. The screening will go ahead as planned.

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Preview/ La Cordillera de los sueños + introduction

Introduced by Dr Carlos van Tongeren, University of Manchester, on Sat 21 Mar.

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UK Premiere/ El Sitio de Otto + Q&A

Update: Sadly Oriol Puig has had to cancel his Q&A.

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UK Premiere/ El Despertar de las hormigas Q&A

Update: Sadly Antonella Sudasassi has had to cancel her Q&A.

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¡Viva! 2020 Café Cervantes

Grab a drink from the bar for this informal gathering of Spanish-speaking film lovers. Come and practise your language skills while sharing your opinions on…

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One Hour Intro: Latin American Indigenous Filmmakers

Visiting Mexican filmmakers Itandehui Jansen and Armando Bautista, both with Mixtec heritage, present an informal introduction to Latin American indigenous filmmakers.

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Ya está

Do we decide to isolate ourselves or is it life that closes its doors on us? An intriguing psychological thriller from Basque director Aizpea Goenaga,…

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Previously in this Festival

The Cordillera of Dreams

Patricio Guzmán's the journey through the mountains serves as a reconstruction of Chile’s political history and an attempt at finding lost memory

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Storytelling & Craft Workshop/ Ferdinand

Following the film screening of Ferdinand, young fans and parents are invited to a lively storytelling and craft event from Manchester Literature Festival.

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UK Premiere/ Zaniki

A sort of mythical documentary from north western Spain, following Eusebio Mayalde, a shaman, folklorist and percussionist, who howls like a wolf at the full…

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UK Premiere/ Zaniki Q&A

Update: Sadly Gabriel Velázquez has had to cancel his Q&A.

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Los Sonámbulos

When three generations of a family gather to celebrate New Year’s Eve one hot Argentinian summer, tensions simmer under the surface, pushing the women in…

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Los Sonámbulos introduction

Introduced by Dr Ignacio Aguiló, University of Manchester, on Mon 16 Mar.

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UK Premiere/ El Despertar de las hormigas

In the Costa Rican countryside where 28-year-old Isa lives, life choices are limited, and the traditional family model demands a wife’s subservience to her husband…

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UK Premiere/ Tote abuelo

In this gently paced, personal documentary a Tsotsil filmmaker from Chiapas returns to her ancestral home to spend time with her elderly grandfather, Tote, to…

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UK Premiere/ Joel

An expertly crafted drama from Carlos Sorín, this is an engaging tale of adoption and discrimination, and an interesting take on the old adage that…

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Tiempo de lluvia

In the state of Oaxaca, a traditional healer and village elder lives with her young grandson, and tends to the emotional and physical well-being of…

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UK Premiere/ Cholitas

In this inspirational documentary five indigenous Bolivian women, known as cholitas, climb the highest peak outside of Asia, the 6962m high Aconcagua in the Argentinian…

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Wiñaypacha + introduction

Introduced by Dr Rebecca Jarman, University of Leeds, on Sun 15 Mar.

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UK Premiere/ El Sitio de Otto

Filmed in the picturesque Ebro Valley, this is a subtle and well-crafted coming-of-age story that celebrates having the confidence to strike an alternative path on…

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UK Premiere/ Mirador

A sensory world that transcends the image; cinema becomes a meditative experience. A film about friendship, connection and loss; an opportunity to perceive the world…

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Preview/ Nuestras madres

Guatemala, 2018. This powerful fiction feature debut sees a trial grip the nation as a string of female survivors denounce the military’s atrocities, looking for…

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Inocencia

15-year-old Raquel’s behaviour at home has become increasingly strange and aggressive, with no apparent cause. She refuses to communicate with her parents, who are desperate…

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CinemaAttic programme of shorts: Mujeres + introduction

Introduced by Alberto Valverde, Programme Coordinator at CinemaAttic, on Sun 8 Mar.

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Wiñaypacha

In a stone hut, over 5000m high in the snow-capped Peruvian Andes, the elderly Phaxsi and her husband Willka eke out a living far from…

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UK Premiere/ Las Buenas intenciones

Set in early 90s Buenos Aires, this is an intimate autobiographical portrait of childish adults and mature children muddling through, and a heart-warming celebration of…

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Bring the Family/ Ferdinand

Ferdinand is a giant bull with a big heart. After being mistaken for a dangerous beast and torn from his home, he rallies a misfit…

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La Hija de un ladrón

22-year-old Sara valiantly battles to bring up her infant son and look after her troubled little brother, with an extremely precarious home and job situation…

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La Hija de un ladrón + introduction

We are pleased to welcome director Belén Funes and producer Marçal Cebrián to introduce the 26th ¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival Opening Night screening on Fri…

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La Hija de un ladrón + Q&A

We are pleased to welcome director Belén Funes and producer Marçal Cebrián for a Q&A following the screening on Sat 7 Mar.

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Mientras dure la guerra

With 17 Goya Award nominations, Alejandro Amenábar makes a triumphant return to directing in Spanish with an intense emotional drama set in 1936, at the…

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Mientras dure la guerra + introduction

Introduced by Dr Abigail Loxham, University of Liverpool.

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La Odisea de los giles

Set during the 2001 financial crash in Argentina, this funny, well-paced, sort of heist movie presents an appealing fantasy: ordinary folk taking revenge on the…

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CinemaAttic programme of shorts: Mujeres

Curated by the Edinburgh-based Spanish film experts CinemaAttic, five short films made by contemporary Spanish female filmmakers.

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Song Without A Name – Canción sin nombre

An impoverished Quechua woman named Geo is expecting her first child, and responds to an ad for free natal care. When her newborn baby is…

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UK Premiere/ La Botera

Set in an industrialised river neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, this first-time film follows a 14-year-old struggling to navigate the mysterious process of ‘becoming a woman’.

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Nuestra voz de tierra, memoria y futuro

A 2k digital restoration, this combines a Marxist cinematic visual language with an indigenous cosmogony, depicting the long oppression and resistance of farmers and indigenous…

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Nuestra voz de tierra, memoria y futura + introduction

Introduced by Prof. Andy Willis, University of Salford, on Mon 9 Mar.

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UK Premiere/ Araña

Nominated for a Goya Award, Chilean director Andrés Wood has created a tense and insightful drama that peels back the veneer of respectability to reveal…

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Beef

A rebellious student goes head to head with her literature teacher, claiming school offers nothing of use to her. But perhaps they are much closer…

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Intemperie

Spain, 1946. A cruel farm foreman has groomed a boy from an impoverished family, but the boy has dared to escape. On the run across…

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Yo, imposible

A powerful film from Venezuela and Colombia with a truly universal message: the importance of self-determination of our bodies and identities, and especially in the…

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Carne

Rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, and well done. Through intimate and personal stories, five women share their real experiences in relation to the body,…

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UK Premiere/ Los Miembros de la familia

This quirky drama mines surrealist, deadpan comedy from death and the absurdity of life. Two siblings confront the empty space left by their mother’s suicide…

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Cientouno

“You die if you jerk off 100 times.” This often repeated threat rings through the ears of a 14-year-old boy from rural Spain at the…

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UK Premiere/ El Cuento de las comadrejas

In this wickedly fun comedy from Argentina an eccentric group of film industry professionals are growing old disgracefully in a secluded manor house that radiates…

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UK Premiere/ Detrás de la montaña

After a tragic incident at home, Miguel heads north from Mexico City to Ciudad Juárez, hell-bent on revenge against his father, who abandoned him at…

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UK Premiere/ Detrás de la montaña + Q&A

We are pleased to welcome David Romay for a Q&A following the screening on Thu 12 Mar.

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Temblores

When wealthy Guatemala City resident Pablo - a married father and Evangelical Christian - falls passionately in love with Francisco, Pablo’s family and church vehemently…

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UK Premiere/ El Viaje extraordinario de Celeste García

When a group of aliens land in Cuba offering earthlings a chance to visit their planet, Celeste signs up for the journey hoping for a…

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Esto no es Berlín

Mexico City, 1986. 17-year-old Carlos discovers Azteca, the legendary nightclub with an underground scene of androgynous post-punk, sexual liberation and heavy drug use.

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El Árbol negro

A superbly shot and poetic documentary about Martín, an indigenous goat farmer from the Qom (or Toba) community, in a province of Argentina bordering Paraguay.

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El Árbol negro + introduction

Introduced by Dr Ignacio Aguiló, University of Manchester, with BSL interpretation, on Sat 14 Mar. The BSL interpreter will be either Alex McDonald or Siobhan…

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UK Premiere/ El Proyeccionista

El Proyeccionista simultaneously pays homage to the golden era of cinema and celebrates human connection, through twin lenses of nostalgia and obsession.

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Intemperie + introduction

Introduced by Dr Deborah Madden, University of Manchester, on Tue 10 Mar.

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