Sao Paulo, July 25 (RHC)-- The 14th Latin American Film Festival of Sao Paulo, one of the largest exhibitions of the region's film industry, got underway on Wednesday and for seven days, until July 31, will exhibit a record of 148 films from 17 countries.
"This is another important showcase for national cinema, the festival promotes cultural exchange between Brazil and neighboring countries, highlighting the best of Latin American production at major film festivals, such as Cannes, Berlin and Venice," the Secretary of Culture of Sao Paulo Alexandre Youssef said.
This edition will feature presentations of fiction films and documentaries from all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean with a special tribute to the Chilean actor, Patricio Contreras.
The festival will officially begin with the documentary feature "Fakir," directed by Brazils Helena Ignez, who portrays the success of fakirism, circus-based folk art show, in Brazil, Latin America and France. It will premiere in the Simon Bolivar room of the Latin American Memorial of Sao Paulo, one of the main cultural centers of Brazil.
Among the expected films to be shown at the festival standout "The Music of the Spheres" by Cubas Marcel Beltran, "Being Impossible" by the Venezuelan Patricia Ortega and "Porn for Beginners" by the Uruguayan Carlos Ameglio.
According to one of the organizers, Victoria Romano, the exhibition can also be seen as a form of cooperation between the countries of the region to carry out audiovisual ventures.
"Latin American countries in the last decades needed to seek out a co-production with Europe. Films from Argentina and Chile were co-produced by Spain, Germany and France. Nowadays that is still practiced but there are co-productions among Latin Americans as well," Romano added.
