Latin American Films Receive Oscar Nominees

A pair of cinematic tales of discovery created by Latin American auteurs received nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards set to take place on February 28th.


“Embrace of the Serpent” (“El Abrazo de la Serpiente”) became the first-ever Colombian movie selected as a finalist for Best Foreign Film. The lone Latin American entry in that category is loosely based on the diaries of scientists Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes during their search in the early 20th-century for a sacred plant in the Amazon rainforest. The film follows the perspectives of these botanists along with indigenous and a shaman as they interact with each other and explore the jungle world surrounding them. “Embrace” also examines the clash of cultures and affects to the environment that develop between natives and visitors.

Two unique features of this movie directed by Ciro Guerra is that it jumps back and forth in time, and was filmed entirely in black and white. He justified these actions by claiming that he “wanted the film to feel like it’s a place that exists but is in another world, another time.” 

“Embrace” was a modest success in Colombia where the local film industry has grown over the past decade but has become critically acclaimed worldwide since its domestic release last May. The film won the Art Cinema Award as part of the Directors' Fortnight section at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and has garnered a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Embrace producer Cristina Gallo may have had her strong doubts over the film’s nomination but the odds are pretty good that it could become the third Latin American and first non-Argentine movie to win Best Foreign Film.

“Inside Out” is the clear favorite to capture Best Animated Feature yet history was made when a Brazilian production became the first Latin American film to be chosen in that category.

The Weekender: Batty Bloodsuckers

“The Weekender” is our occasional feature where every weekend we hope to highlight a short film, movie or documentary pertaining to the Americas.  

To commemorate Halloween, we're running the following post originally published on October 31, 2014. The text mostly remains the same but the video below the page break is changed.

What happens when the Cuban musician nephew of Dracula finds a secret potion that allows vampires to be able to live under the sun's rays?  The answer to this can be seen in the 1985 animated movie ¡Vampiros en La Habana! (Vampires in Havana).  The film provides a satirical look at both capitalism and Communism when competing factions of vampires - a Chicago mob and a European cartel - seek to get their claws on the "Vampisol" concoction from Joseph Amadeus von Dracula.  Featuring trumpet playing by the legendary Arturo Sandoval, ¡Vampiros is not your usual scary Halloween flick but is instead a funny spoof of horror and gangster films.

An excerpt from ¡Vampiros can be seen below. (Note that the movie has some adult themes; hence, we're classifying it as Not Safe For Work).

Online Source - imdb.com

YouTube Source - delamilonga 

Nuestro Cine: Battle of the Vampires

What happens when the Cuban musician nephew of Dracula finds a secret potion that allows vampires to be able to live under the sun's rays?  The answer to this can be seen in the 1985 animated movie ¡Vampiros en La Habana! (Vampires in Havana).  The film provides a satirical look at both capitalism and Communism when competing factions of vampires - a Chicago mob and a European cartel - seek to get their claws on the "Vampisol" concoction from Joseph Amadeus von Dracula.  Featuring trumpet playing by the legendary Arturo Sandoval, ¡Vampiros is not your usual scary Halloween flick but is instead a funny spoof of horror and gangster films.

¡Vampiros can be seen in the following video in Spanish and with English subtitles.  (Note that the movie has some adult themes; hence, it's NSFW and probably not recommended for young children).
Video Source - YouTube user R Delgado

Online Source - imdb.com

 

Daily Headlines: March 19, 2014

* Venezuela: Federal legislators called for an investigation against opposition congresswoman Maria Corina Machado while anti-government demonstrators rallied on the one-month anniversary of the arrest of protest leader Leopoldo Lopez.

* Central America: A new study concluded that state recognition of indigenous land rights could serve as a vital deterrent for drug trafficking in Central America. 

* Mexico: Jorge Arvizu, the veteran Mexican voice actor who was the Spanish-speaking world’s Mel Blanc, died yesterday at the age of 81.

* Colombia: President Juan Manuel Santos will likely finalize the dismissal and fifteen-year suspension of Bogotá mayor Gustavo Petro sometime this week.

Video Source – AFP via YouTube

Online Sources- The Guardian; Tico Times; LAHT; Al Jazeera English

Nuestro Cine: Timeless Love

Last month we looked at several films vying for this year’s best foreign film Academy Award from Latin American countries including animated children’s film “Anina” from Uruguay.  Though “Anina” apparently filled the requirements to be nominated for Best Animated Feature Film it was not among the nineteen submissions to that category. 

Among the nominees are big-budget entries like "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2" and "Monsters University" along with the final film from acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.  The only Latin American film among the eligible Best Animated features is an entry from Brazil: “Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury” (“Uma História de Amor e Fúria”).

Set during four different periods of Brazilian history, the drama depicts the adventures of the 600-year-old Immortal Warrior as he courts the love of Janina.  The couple encounters great obstacles throughout the centuries such as slavery in the nineteenth century and a war over water in the future.

Directed by Luiz Bolognesi, “Rio 2096” won the prize for best feature film at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival last June.  But will the film be selected as a finalist by the Academy? See for yourselves by viewing the film’s trailer below the page break:

Nuestro Cine: What’s in a Name?

In the past few days we have featured the Mexican, Peruvian and Venezuelan choices for the next Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.  All of these films are intense dramas but today we will examine a more light-hearted movie from the Americas.

The animated children’s film “Anina” will represent Uruguay in the race for the top foreign film Oscar. Based on the short story “Anina Yatay Salas,” the movie’s titular character is a ten-year-old girl who is upset that her name is made up of three palindromes.  After a fight with one of her classmates, Anina is punished by her principal and given a sealed black envelope that cannot be opened for seven days.  As she tries to discover the contents of the mysterious envelope, Anina experiences numerous adventures that help her learn more about the world around her.

Though “Anina” is a co-production with Colombia, the film’s creators consider the film as “culturally Uruguayan” including depicting tradition meals, jargon and customs from the Southern Cone country.

“We recently screened ‘Anina’ in the Montevideo neighborhood of Casavalle and to see the kids applaud at the end of the film filled us with more than just pride,” said Germán Tejeira, producer of “Anina.”

Could “Anina” be the first animated movie to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film? Judge for yourselves by viewing the film’ trailer below the page break:

Nuestro Cine: And the Oscar Goes To...

As we mentioned earlier this month, Demián Bichir of Mexico and Argentine-French actress Bérénice Bejo received Academy Award nominations and they could win the coveted gold statuette this Sunday.

2011 was a banner year for films from Latin America and included action flicks (Mexico's Miss Bala), "gaucho westerns" (Argentina's Aballay) and innovative thrillers (Uruguay's The Silent House). Nonetheless, movies from the region where unfortunately overlooked when the Academy selected its finalists for Best Foreign Film.

Could Chico and Rita capture top honors tonight in the Best Animated Film category? The love story between two Cuban musicians has an outside chance of winning over the likes of bigger box office draws such as Rango and Puss in Boots. But as we pointed out in 2010, Chico and Rita has a wonderful plot, rich animation and a soundtrack scored by celebrated Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés.

Check out the following clip for Chico and Rita and decide for yourself if it deserves Oscar honors tonight:

Update: Bichir, Bejo, and Chico and Rita did not win in their respective categories at Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony.

Online Sources - Wikipedia, IMDB.com, The Latin Americanist

Video Source - YouTube via VesCine1

Why the Easter Bunny?

Bugs Bunny - Easter Yeggs

Vezi mai multe video din animatie

Note: The following post originally appeared in April 2009.

On Sunday, Catholics around the world will commemorate the holiday of Easter- the day Jesus resurrected from the dead. Yet there’s also the view of Easter as one filled with eggs and a certain ubiquitous bunny. (And yes, it’s possible to celebrate both as I recall my childhood Easters going to church then decorating eggs after returning home!)

There has always been one detail that has nagged me: how did the Easter Bunny come about? Thankfully, the always informative mental_floss blog explains the origins. Much like the Virgen de Guadalupe, the Easter Bunny was born due to a combination of spiritual beliefs:

Many pagan cultures held spring festivals to celebrate this renewal of life and promote fertility. One of these festivals was in honor of Eostre or Eastre, the goddess of dawn, spring and fertility near and dear to the hearts of the pagans in Northern Europe. Eostre was closely linked to the hare and the egg, both symbols of fertility.

As Christianity spread, it was common for missionaries to practice some good salesmanship by placing pagan ideas and rituals within the context of the Christian faith and turning pagan festivals into Christian holidays (e.g. Christmas). The Eostre festival occurred around the same time as the Christians’ celebration of Christ’s resurrection, so the two celebrations became one, and with the kind of blending that was going on among the cultures, it would seem only natural that the pagans would bring the hare and egg images with them into their new faith (the hare later became the more common rabbit).

The pagans hung on to the rabbit and eventually it became a part of Christian celebration. We don’t know exactly when, but it’s first mentioned in German writings from the 1600s. The Germans converted the pagan rabbit image into Oschter Haws, a rabbit that was believed to lay a nest of colored eggs as gifts for good children.

So now you know!

Online Sources - Mental Floss, Wikipedia
Video Source - trilulilu.ro

Arte Para la Gente: Love in the time of jazz

Can animation be considered as art? We briefly pondered that question recently while profiling the life of forgotten Argentine animation pioneer Quirino Cristiani, and we'll reexamine that query with Chico and Rita.

Chico and Rita is primarily a love story between two Cubans, the former a dazzling piano player and the latter a stunning jazz singer. They became enamored with each other while growing up in Havana in the 1940s yet their love comes under a great price after they go their separate ways.

Plot aside, the beauty of Chico and Rita comes from the soundtrack scored by celebrated Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés. His music reflects the up-and-coming jazz sounds of the mid-20th century from the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo. Furthermore, the visuals are rich and stunning with plenty of attention paid to detail. The Telegraph praised the visuals by designer Javier Mariscal as "ravishing, especially his cityscapes of New York, Vegas and pre‑revolutionary Havana."

Could Chico and Rita be classified as "art"? We'll let you decide for yourself by watching the film's trailer:

Chico and Rita was released at the Toronto International Film Festival last month and will be featured at other film fests and screenings in Britain starting in November.

Online Sources - The Latin Americanist, IMDb.com, The Telegraph
Video Source - YouTube

Arte para la gente: Honoring Quirino Cristiani

Is animation art? One could easily argue "yes" whether it's admiring the cartoons of Chuck Jones and Tex Avery to contemporary works like the Pixar films and Japanese anime. Then there's the work of Argentine Quirino Cristiani, a long-lost pioneer in the world of animation.

Born in Italy, Cristiani emigrated with his family to Buenos Aires at the age of four. As a teenager he developed a love for drawing as well as the politics of the day. In 1917 the twenty-one-year-old Cristiani created the world's first feature-length animated film entitled "El Apostol", a satire praising then-President Hiploito Yrigoyen. Yrigoyen would become the subject of Cristiani's next great film, 1931's "Peludopolis", which was the first sound animated feature and predated Walt Disney's "Snow White" by six years. "Peludopolis" was the pinnacle of Cristiani's career and the great animator would eventually die in 1984.

Though Cristiani's career has been largely forgotten a documentary on his life and accomplishments was recently made. Below is the trailer to the film on Cristiani including footage of the master at work:



(Hat tip: the exceptional Cartoon Brew animation blog).

Today's Video: Oligarchs vs. Bolivarians

The latest chapter in the brilliant animated satirical series "La Isla Presidencial" ("The Island of the Presidents") came out recently. See how the lost Latin American leaders plan to get off the island (presumably) once and for all:

Online Source - YouTube

Today’s Video: Love in the times of snow

The ending is a bit of a downer but the following commercial made by an Argentine ad agency is an absolutely beautiful piece of stop-motion animation:

(Hat tip: AdFreak.)

Online Sources - AdFreak, YouTube

Today’s Video: Even the fish become bored

The second episode of "La Isla Presidencial"- an animated series described by BBC Mundo as the "Venezuelan version of 'South Park'"- was recently released. Watch as Hugo Chavez laments for George W. Bush to be back in power and keep a sharp eye out for a surprise intruder to the island:

"La Isla Presidencial" (first episode here) is the brainchild of several people who contribute to a satirical Venezuelan website called El Chigüire Bipolar. Though Chavez serves as the site's primary target, no sectors of Venezuelan politics are safe from El Chigüire's crosshairs:

(Site co-founder Oswaldo) Graziani said going after Mr. Chávez’s critics, in addition to the president himself, and critiquing certain aspects of Venezuelan society were also priorities. For instance, Chigüire Bipolar has lampooned the student movement here by showing students more interested in swilling beer on the beach than in protests...

“We make it a principle that no one is immune, not even ourselves,” said Mr. Graziani, noting that their motto is “Partial, unfounded news from a rodent with psychological issues.”

Online Sources- El Chigüire Bipolar, BBC Mundo, YouTube, The Latin Americanist, New York Times

Arte Para la Gente: Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

A few days ago we criticized several Latino celebs who were a little too eager to associate with upcoming CGI/live-action films that will likely be critical flops. Mercifully not all is lost in the world of Latinos and animation. In the video below, the creators of El Tigre- Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua- talked about how they developed their careers in animation. The married couple discussed how they had to overcome cultural differences in order to make their dreams come true:

(Hat tip: Cartoon Brew).

Online Sources- Cartoon Brew, YouTube, The Latin Americanist

Sofia Vergara linked to “Smurfs” film

It’s hard to believe that there may be a worse movie in the works than the planned Speedy Gonzales live-action/CG hybrid. But believe it or not principal photography on a “Smurfs” movie began last week. “Audiences everywhere are in for a Smurfy good time,” boasts the film’s press release in what is set to be yet another 3D animated nightmare. The cast that has signed on to this likely debacle includes several names you may be familiar with:

Sofia Vergara, one of the stars of ABC's Modern Family, is joining the cast of the Smurfs movie. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vergara "will portray Odile, a powerful executive at a high-end French cosmetics company who is married to the live-action character played by Neil Patrick Harris"…

In addition to NPH and Vergara, the live-action cast includes...Hank Azaria as Gargamel. The voice cast includes Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf, singer Katy Perry as Smurfette, George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf, and Alan Cumming as Gutsy Smurf.

Vergara has also been linked to “Happy Feet 2 in 3D” along with the voices of Robin Williams and Brad Pitt.

In a stunning coincidence, the voice of George Lopez will be in both the upcoming Smurfs and Speedy Gonzales films.

Perhaps those films won’t turn out as terribly as I believe they will. Then again I have a hunch that some agents’ careers will be on the line after the aforementioned films come out.

Image- boston.com (“Rico Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, and Ed O’Neill in ‘Modern Family’.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, PR Newswire, IGN, Paste Magazine

Today's Video: Presidential "Survivor"

This is too much:

Would this mean that Michelle Bachelet is Ginger and Cristina Kirchner is Mary Ann? (And no, Alvaro Uribe is definitely not the professor!)

Online Sources - YouTube, Wikipedia

Speedy on the silver screen

Dear God/Buddha/Allah/Flying Spaghetti Monster no, no, no:

Speedy Gonzales is taking his folk hero status, incredible speed and signature red kerchief to the big screen, courtesy of New Line. "Garfield" scribes Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen will adapt the classic animated Looney Tunes character into a live-action/CG hybrid feature, with George Lopez attached to voice Speedy…

New Line and the producers plan to update the brand with a modernized sensibility (it takes place in present day) under what Ann Lopez calls George's "Latino seal of approval." (No need to throw fuel on the fire that serves as an immigration debate in this country.)

"We wanted to make sure that it was not the Speedy of the 1950s -- the racist Speedy," Ann Lopez said with a chuckle.

Should this planned abomination become a hit we may soon see “Speedy 2: Mexican Boogaloo” with the voice of Carlos Mencia as Slowpoke Rodriguez.

Besides what would you rather see: a saccharine, bland sack of cinematic slop or Speedy trying to fool the Border Patrol much like he teased Sylvester the Cat in this 1950s cartoon?

Online Sources- Hollywood Reporter, YouTube

Today’s Video: Don't watch this in the dark

Happy Halloween, everyone:

Online Source - YouTube

Today’s Video: “Maliki vs. Trujillo”

We end the week with the following short animation film from Chile. Apparently it was done in honor of an exhibition for local artist Marcela Trujillo. It’s a goofy fast-paced piece of “retro-nonsense” that’s a hoot to watch:

Maliki v/s Trukillo from Diego Cumplido on Vimeo.
Have a great weekend!

(Hat tip: Cartoon Brew).

Sources- Cartoon Brew, Marcela Trujillo

Today’s Video: Thanksgiving

That’s all for today. To those who celebrate Thanksgiving, may you all have a festive holiday. To those that don’t, see you on Friday!

As a tribute to recently deceased animator Bill Melendez here’s the first part of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving":

A million thanks to my fellow contributors whose insight and knowledge are invaluable. Many thanks to all of you who take the time to read our blog; we’re here to serve you.

Sources- The Latin Americanist, YouTube