¡Viva! returns for its 14th edition with more film than ever before and no less than 24 UK premieres!
Programme details can be found below but you may want to go to the ¡Viva! website where you can find the latest updates on guests and news form the festival.
Highlights include a host of Box Office hits (EL ORFANATO, [REC], BAJO LAS ESTRELLAS), several directorial debuts (including Gael Garcia Bernal’s DEFICIT) and many many more…. Our programme spans genres and countries of origin so you’ll be sure to find something you like.
Happy browsing and ¡Disfrutad el festival!
Don’t forget that for all of you hard core ¡Viva! attenders, a festival pass is available and a great value for money.
Plus if you have seen a ¡Viva! film, you can add your own film review on the ¡Viva! website so go to www.vivafilmfestival.com and give us your opinion!
In this festival
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Los puños de la nación
The true story of boxer Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran who rose from poverty to become a champion and unwittingly fulfill Panama's desperate need for…
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Una estrella y dos cafés
A charming tale about a city architect dispatched to a remote Andean village where he develops an unlikely friendship with 13-year-old Estela.
Previously in this Festival
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The Spirit of the Beehive
A new print of one of the seminal film of the new Spanish cinema.
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El bano del Papa
A comedic tale of honesty, friendship and family values based on the true events surrounding the Pope's 1988 visit to a small Uruguayan border town.
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¿Quién mató a la llamita blanca?
This Bolivian box office smash is a politically incorrect and darkly comic, iconoclastic road movie and crime caper that boasts indigenous superheroes.
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El viaje de la Nonna
A charming comedy of familial fidelity, and fibs, as the Todoro clan bows to Nonna's wishes for a familial visit to her late husband's Italian…
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IMCINE 25 shorts
A selection of our favourite films produced by IMCINE, the Mexican Film Institute, programmed to celebrate its 25th birthday.
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Un oso rojo
An engaging mix of crime thriller and family drama. On his release from prison, Oso finds his wife and daughter living with another man. He…
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Un tigre de papel
An investigation into the life and work of legendary Colombian collage artist Pedro Manrique Figuerora from 1934 to his mysterious disappearance in 1981.
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El telón de azúcar
The daughter of Chilean director Patricio Guzmán returns to Cuba where she was raised during the 70s and 80s to see whether her rose-coloured memories…
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Invisibles
A collection of powerful short documentaries that shine a light on heroic, yet largely invisible humanitarian efforts to combat international crises.
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Bajo Juárez: La ciudad devorando a sus hijas
In Mexico's Ciudad Juárez, hundreds of women have been murdered and their bodies dumped in plain sight. After years, the crimes remain unsolved.
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Reflejo Social
A selection of short films from Latin America: as well as the expectations of our society that we both demand and submit to, we must…
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Kimuak Retrospective
A special commemorative programme to celebrate the 10th anniversary of KIMUAK, the short film agency supported by the regional Basque Government and the Basque Film…
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The Official Version
This powerful story of the personal and political effects of Argentina's history under the military dictatorship won many international awards, including the foreign language Oscar.
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Mi vida dentro
This heartbreaking documentary reveals the personal tribulations of one 'illegal' Mexican migrant to Texas, a young mother whose encounter with the US justice system left…
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El extraño viaje
Family squabbling erupts into violence when one grown sibling overhears the other planning to cash in the family wealth, escape their rural life and flee…
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Maneras De Mirar
Sometimes you should stand back and let the story carry you away... This selection of Spanish short films represents a wide variety of stories, told…
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Los que se van
A collection of internationally acclaimed short films, all UK premieres, in memory of the people we have loved, of the sad times that make you…
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AS Study Session: EL BAÑO DEL PAPA (15)
A Spanish Study Session which will discuss family life, young people, religion, jobs and careers and the Spanish speaking world, based around a screening of…
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GCSE Study Session: UNA ESTRELLA Y DOS CAFÉS (12A)
A Spanish study session around UNA ESTRELLA Y DOS CAFÉS that will explore the topics of friends and family life, tourism and travel, the Spanish…
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A2 Study Session: LADRONES (15)
A Spanish Study Session focussing on youth culture, family and relationships, and society and the law, based around a screening of LADRONES.
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Cafe ‘Els Quatre Gats’ 2008
Catalan language session: discuss ¡Viva! film recommendations, guests, parties and festival gossip in Catalan over a glass of wine.
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The Rise and Rise of Spanish Genre Cinema
Film4 FrightFest's Alan Jones chairs a talk about the success of Spanish horror films with guests from the genre including [REC]'s director, Jaume Balagueró and…
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Los Ladrones viejos: las leyendas del Artegio
A documentary that mixes archive film and recent interviews to reveal a generation of thieves that were widely successful and equally notorious in sixties Mexico.
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Café Cervantes 2008
Chat in Spanish and swap ¡Viva! recommendations over a glass of wine in the Cornerhouse café.
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Presumptes implicats
A Catalan comedy about five thirty-something friends and amateur footballers who wreck a rival's life, conspire to make amends, and wind up fixing their own…
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La luna en botella
An AMELIE-inspired whimsical journey through the existential and absurd, set amongst the eccentric clientele of the Café Rossignol.
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Buenos Aires, 1977
A 'perverse thriller' that recounts the true story of four young men 'disappeared' in 1977, under Argentina's military dictatorship
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azuloscurocasinegro
This multiple-Goya-winning dramedy has been compared to Almodóvar for its story of strange relationships forged when a young man is forced to give up his…
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Silent Light
A deeply religious man in a Mennonite community struggles to reconcile his deep religious beliefs with his desires for another woman.
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Bajo las estrellas
Nominated for 7 Goyas, BAJO LAS ESTRELLAS follows the story of a selfish trumpeter (Alberto San Juan) whose return to his rural roots proves to…
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Chaotic Ana
Julio Medem's feature is a visually entrancing story of the journey of a young painter who discovers her ability to regress to past lives.
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Las vidas posibles
Set in snowy Patagonia, LA VIDAS POSIBLES explores how hope and desire can create a parallel reality - or not?
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Pactar amb el gat
A young woman recruits her uncle (on whom she has a crush) and her best mate (who has a crush on her) to help search…
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Hamaca paraguaya
A rare Paraguay-produced feature, this minimalist drama observes an elderly couple as they bicker over the heat, the dog - and the fate of their…
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The Orphanage
THE ORPHANAGE tells the story of Laura, who returns to her former orphanage with her husband and young son Simón with the intention of re-opening…
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Cronocrimenes
A mind-twisting, time-warping sci-fi thriller. Who is the man in the pink bandages?
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Summer Rain
Antonio Banderas' second film as director is an adaptation of Antonio Soler's novel that depicts coming of age one 70s summer in the director's native…
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Cabeza de perro
In this quirky drama, a young man with a strange neurological condition that makes him feel completely detached from the world unexpectedly finds himself in…
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Encarnación
An ageing model-actress whose career apex is long behind her proudly maintains her sense of identity and independence - even when she visits her rural…
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Fuerte Apache
Set in a youth rehabilitation centre on the outskirts of Barcelona, FUERTE APACHE is a story of second chances, and of keeping hope alive when…
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Lo bueno de llorar
A "reverse BEFORE SUNRISE", the film follows a couple splitting up one night in Barcelona.
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Párpados azules
An award-winning, touching fable of two people battling loneliness in a big city that offers a counterpoint to the traditional romantic comedy.
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DiBa Digital Discussion
Néstor Domènech, director of the DiBa Festival in Barcelona leads a discussion on how digital filmmaking technology is changing methods of production and distribution in…