The Dog Thief by Vinko Tomičić Salinas
With strong roots in independent cinema and aiming to champion emerging and established voices, the Tribeca Festival has been synonymous with creative expression and entertainment for decades. Last week, the festival unveiled its lineup for its 23rd edition—taking place June 5-16 in New York City—which features several Latin American and US Latinx titles in different competitions.
Two Latin American films will have their world premiere and one its North American premiere in the International narrative competition: the Bolivian film The Dog Thief / El ladrón de perros by Chilean screenwriter and director Vinko Tomičić Salinas, the Uruguayan drama Don't You Let Me Go / Agárrame fuerte by Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, and the Brazilian co-production Swimming Home directed by Justin Anderson.
Tomičić Salinas´solo debut The Dog Thief, starring Chilean actor Alfredo Castro, follows Martín, a shoeshine boy who works in the streets of La Paz, Bolivia, and decides to steal the dog of his best client, a lonely tailor he has begun to imagine as his father.
In Ana Guevara’s and Leticia Jorge’s Don't You Let Me Go, a young woman named Adela, coping with the loss of her best friend, Elena, boards a magic bus back in time to spend one last beautiful weekend with her in a house by the beach. In Swimming Home, co-produced by Brazilian producers Paula Linhares and Marcos Tellechea, the presence of a mysterious houseguest exposes subtle fractures in the marriage between a poet and a war correspondent in this sexy, languid drama set on the stunning, sun-baked Mediterranean coast.
Don’t Let Me Go by Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge
In the Summers, the debut feature by Colombian-American queer director Alessandra Lacorazza will have its New York Premiere in the Spotlight Narrative category following an award-winning world premiere in the Sundance Film Festival for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Film and the Directing Award. This poignant debut film follows two Latina sisters who navigate their relationship with a loving but volatile father while visiting his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The film stars René Pérez Joglar, aka Resident, in his acting debut, along with Lío Mehiel and Sasha Calle
The international co-production Hidden Era / Era oculta, by Colombian director Carlos Kopperkollektive Vargas, will have its world premiere in the Viewpoints section of the festival. Set in the vibrant city of Maputo, Mozambique, the film follows Rastafari artist Phambi, who works to support his young son’s education while resiliently navigating the complexities of living an artistic life in a dynamic city.
Additionally, the horror movie Beacon by Roxy Shih, starring Mexican Oscar nominated actor Demian Bichir and written by the Chilean screenwriter Julio Rojas, will have its world premiere in the Midnight sidebar of the festival.
In the Documentary Competition, the Chilean film Pirópolis will have its world premiere. Nicolás Molina’s visually astounding documentary drops the viewer in the fiery port city of Valparaíso, Chile and observes a pack of determined volunteer firefighters as they band together to combat turbulent wildfires ravaging the city.
Pirópolis by Nicolás Molina
The Mexican documentary State of Silence / Estado de Silencio will be screened for its world premiere in the Spotlight + section. Directed by Santiago Maza, State of Silence is a compelling look at the dangerous, continuing risks committed journalists face in Mexico, where reporting on their country’s corruption and “narco politics” has led to the silencing and killing of some of their peers. The screening of the film will be followed by a conversation with Mexican journalists Marcos Vizcarra and Maria de Jesus Peters, director Santiago Maza, and executive producers Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal.
Eight Latin American films are featured in the festival’s short film lineup, an array of short narratives, documentaries, animated films, and music videos from 101 filmmakers worldwide. Three Mexican shorts will have their world premiere in this category: ¡Beso de Lengua! by José Luis Zorrero, Passarinho by Natalia García Agraz, and I Want to Violently Crash into the Windshield of Love by Fernanda Tovar.
An experimental, LGBTQIA+ comedy, ¡Beso de Lengua! follows Itzcóatl and Moisés are on their first date. After a couple of hours of getting to know each other, they “play” an unusual and riveting game. In Passarinho, two teenage girls try to meet their favorite soccer player, but the plan is threatened when one of them gets her first period. In I Want to Violently Crash into the Windshield of Love, a heartbroken Mexico City rapper seeks solace in freestyle sessions, finding support in her community. Embracing unconventional healing, she rediscovers her lyrical prowess, achieving liberation through transformation.
Both featuring fierce explorations of teenage sexuality, the Chilean short Five Ways to Get Rid of a Hickey –having its world premiere– and the Puerto Rican short Punta Salinas –having its New York premiere– will screen. Directed by the Colectivo Niñita Perversa, Five Ways to Get Rid of a Hickey follows Manu’s (14) and Toña’s (15) newfangled journey of desire, guilt and goodbyes after being caught at school giving each other a hickey. Similarly, Maria del Mar Rosario’s Punta Salinas tells the story of 16-year-old Alba, who searches for a strength she has never exercised before after having sex for the first time.
Pastrana, the sports short directed by Brazilian filmmakers Melissa Brogni and Gabriel Motta, will have its North American premiere. While downhill skateboarder Melissa relives memories of a friendship, Pastrana’s inherent presence helps her gain a deeper understanding of time.
The Colombian short films NEA and ¡salsa! will screen for their New York and World premieres, respectively. A comic, urban thriller, NEA follows a hot-headed taxi driver in Medellín who has to repair his boss' AC at 5 AM. He is tested by a series of misfortunes, leading him on a self-questioning path. In ¡salsa!, directed by Antonina Kerguelen Román, Margarita seeks freedom in a place that judges those outside the norm when her path crosses with Liana’s, a deaf tourist, between the vibrations of congas and bongos.
