This specially curated programme of documentary films includes some experimental works and addresses the social and political situations in Latin America. The Latin American Experience compilation examines the arbitrary rule by dictatorships, the unremitting poverty of the population, and the constant attempts by the US to expand their influence on the continent. At the end of the programme we take a playful look at the situation today. Overall, the programme takes a short trip in time through the history of Latin American short film. In the process, it also reflects on developments in the Oberhausen festival and its archive. Nearly all works in this selection won major awards in Oberhausen.
The Secret Formula
(La fórmula secreta)
Dir Rúben Gámez/MX 1966/43 mins/Spanish wEng ST
A short film about the problems and dreams of the Mexican people in 1966.
Operation Brazil
(Operação Brasil)
Dir Luiz Alberto Pereira/BR 1985/11mins/Portuguese wEng ST
In April 1985 the country’s first democratically elected President, Tancredo Neves, became seriously ill right after the elections. The population and the media worried for weeks about the first representative of their national identity.
We Want the Airwaves!
(Queremos as Ondas do Ar!)
Dirs Francisco César Filho & Tata Amaral/BR 1986/11mins/Portuguese wEng ST
A film pamphlet from Brazil against one-way information and for the democratisation of telecommunication.
Better Late Than Never
(Mas vale tarde que nunca)
Dir Enrique Colina/CU 1986/8 mins/silent
A satire on punctuality. A pinch of exaggeration gives a grotesque touch to a depiction that seems almost realistic. The film oscillates between lethargy and hectic activity.
His Name (The Clown)
(O Nome Dele (o clóvis))
Dirs Felipe Bragança & Marina Meliande/BR 2004/15 mins/Portuguese wEng ST
They’ve met in the summer, in the rain. A film about carnival and silence. About anger and joy. A passionate homage to Rio de Janeiro’s surface: full of pain, dreams and sadness. A carnival tale of love and violence.