São Paulo – Residents of Rabat, Morocco will be able to check out Latin movies starting April 2, in a festival featuring productions from 12 different countries, at the local chapter of Instituto Cervantes. Brazilian cinema is represented with João – O Maestro, a biopic of pianist João Carlos Martins and the struggles he faced throughout his career.
Institut0 Cervantes said this is the fifth straight year it’s hosting the festival, via the diplomatic representations of Spanish-speaking countries in Rabat. Brazil is the only Latin country featured in the festival whose official language is Portuguese.
João, o Maestro will be shown at 6:30 pm on April 12 at Instituto Cervantes. Admission is free and moviegoers are expected to arrive 15 minutes early, since seats are limited.
This 2017 production directed by Mauro Lima tells the story of the pianist since his childhood, plagued with health issues. Upon finding his vocation for the piano, his story takes a twist as he grows into a major upcoming talent for classical music worldwide. An accident and other events test his will, but the maestro never gives up.
Also featured are movies made in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Peru, Paraguay, Colombia, Panama, Chile, Guatemala and Venezuela. All films will show from 6:30 to 8:30, each on a different day, through April 14.
The Dominican film, Patricia, el Regreso del Sueño (pictured above) by René Fortunato, will screen on April 2, the festival’s opening day. It tells the tale of a young man who returns to his country after living in New York for several years, to marry his long-time fiancée.
The Mexican-made Generación Spielberg, by Gibrán Bazán, set to show on April 3, interweaves five different stories, including the lives of two lovers, a group of writers who get drunk, and a suicidal psychoanalyst. Mamá, by Colombia’s Philippe Van Hisenhoven, screening on April 8, shows a granddaughter and grandmother as they unexpectedly come together in the countryside.
The festival will also feature eight other films, most of which are award-winning flicks, by directors Juan Vera, of Argentina, Cesc Gay, of Spain, Augusto Tamayo San Román, of Peru, Ermes Medina, of Paraguay, Carlos Aguilar Navarro, of Panama, Miguel Littin, of Chile, Verónica Riedel, of Guatemala, and Olegario Barrera, of Venezuela.
Quick facts
Latin Film Festival
April 2-14, 2019
Instituto Cervantes, Rabat
Rua Zankat Madnine, 5 – 10.000 Rabat – Morocco
Free admission
Find out more here
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
