April 25—28, 2024
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Organized by the MFAH in association with the creative partner
Fundación PROA, Buenos Aires. Sponsored by Tenaris.
Programmed in collaboration with Cinema Tropical
The annual Latin Wave series provides the opportunity for Houstonians to see new films from Latin America, and to meet internationally acclaimed filmmakers. The nature of the festival allows audience members to interact with the filmmakers in Q&A sessions and informal conversations. These dialogues enrich the understanding of contemporary filmmaking in Latin America.
All screenings at:
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Brown Auditorium Theater at the Caroline Wiess Law Building, 1001 Bissonnet, Houston, TX
Lynn Wyatt Theater at the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, 5500 Main Street, Houston, TX
Admission:General admission is $10. MFAH Members, students with ID and senior adults receive a $2 discount. Students with ID receive complimentary admission on Sunday, April 28 only.
PICTURES OF GHOSTS / RETRATOS FANTASMAS
A film by Kleber Mendonça Filho
(Brazil, 2023, 93 minutes, in Portuguese with English subtitles)
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The fifth feature by Mendonça Filho is a multidimensional journey through time, sound, architecture and filmmaking. Set in the urban landscape of Recife, Brazilian coastal capital of Pernambuco: a historical and human territory, examined through the great movie theaters that served as spaces of conviviality during the 20th century. Having hosted dreams and progress, these places have also embodied a major transformation on social practices. Combining archive documentary, mystery, film clips and personal memories, Picture of Ghosts is a map of a city through the lens of cinema.
Thursday, April 25, 5:30 pm — Brown Auditorium Theater
THE PRACTICE / LA PRÁCTICA
A film by Martín Rejtman
(Argentina/Chile/Portugal/Germany, 2023, 95 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles)
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Gustavo (Esteban Bigliardi), an Argentine yoga instructor living in Chile, has recently separated from his wife, which leaves him essentially without an apartment and complicates keeping his business afloat. Adding injury to insult, he’s dealing with a torn meniscus, a meddling mother, a new client who might be a thief and another who gets amnesia during a session. A flirtation with a former student, Laura (Camila Hirane), brings promise for the future. Directed and acted with wry precision, the entrancing The Practice is a sardonic yet loving immersion into a world in which wellness retreats and physical and spiritual self-improvement naturally exist side-by-side with romantic and professional neuroses.
Thursday, April 25, 7:30 pm — Brown Auditorium Theater
THE PUNISHMENT / EL CASTIGO
A film by Matías Bize
(Chile/Argentina, 2022, 96 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles)
*Filmmaker Matías Bize in attendance
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After leaving their son alone in the woods for a few minutes as a punishment for misbehaving during a family drive, Ana and Mateo embark on a desperate search to find him. This award-winning psychological drama about parenthood and marriage marks the eighth film by pioneering director of Chilean independent cinema Matías Bize. Shot in an astounding single take, The Punishment features a bravura performance by Antonia Zegers (El Conde).
Friday, April 26, 7:00 pm — Brown Auditorium Theater
TÓTEM
A film by Lila Avilés
(Mexico/Denmark/France, 2023, 95 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles)
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In a bustling Mexican household, seven-year-old Sol is swept up in a whirlwind of preparations for the birthday party for her father, Tona, led by her mother, aunts, and other relatives. As the day goes on, building to an event both anticipated and dreaded, Sol begins to understand the gravity of the celebration this year and watches as her family does the same. This poignant and emotionally expansive film from Lila Aviles (The Chambermaid) cements her skill at directing dynamic, ensemble performances in her stunning sophomore effort. Acclaimed at numerous film festivals including Berlin, Telluride, San Sebastian, and BFI London, Tótem received a Gotham Award nomination nominated for Best International Feature.
Friday, April 26, 9:15 pm and Sunday, April 28, 1:30 pm — Lynn Wyatt Theater and Brown Auditorium Theatre
THE ECHO / EL ECO
A film by Tatiana Huezo
(Mexico/Germany, 2023, 102 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles)
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Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Berlin, Chicago, and Morelia film festivals, the latest work by Mexican-Salvadoran Tatiana Huezo (Prayers for the Stolen) is an epic, intimate, and lyrical portrayal of life set in a small rural mountain village. In The Echo, teenagers take care of their elders and tend to the sheep. As frost and drought punish the land, the teens learn to understand death, illness, and love with every single act. Huezo’s epic and intimate film deftly combines her aptitude for both fiction (Prayers for the Stolen) and nonfiction (Tempestad) in one uncategorizable, absorbing cinematic experience.
Saturday, April 27, 2:45pm — Brown Auditorium Theater
PUAN
A film by María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat
(Argentina/Italy/France/Germany/Brazil, 2023, 109 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles)
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In this witty and incisive comedy, Professor Marcelo Pena (Marcelo Subiotto) finds himself on the cusp of being named head of the philosophy department at the Public University of Buenos Aires, following the death of his esteemed mentor. However, the long-awaited moment of triumph is upended when the charming and renowned Professor Rafael Sujarchuk (Leonardo Sbaraglia) makes a dramatic return from Europe, intent on seizing the throne for himself.
Saturday, April 27, 3:30pm — Brown Auditorium Theater
THE LAST ONES / LOS ÚLTIMOS
A film by Sebastián Peña Escobar
(Paraguay/Uruguay, 2023, 87 minutes, in Spanish and Guarani with English subtitles)
*Filmmaker Sebastián Peña Escobar in attendance
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The assured debut feature by Sebastián Peña Escobar is an unexpected buddy comedy and road movie presented in the form of a documentary. The Last Ones follows three skeptical ecologists on their journey to Paraguay’s last virgin forests, engaging in passionate debates about the future of our species. As a massive wildfire threatens the area, the travelers confront the inevitability of their conclusions with irony and a dark sense of humor.
Saturday, April 27, 6pm — Brown Auditorium Theater
THE SETTLERS / LOS COLONOS
A film by Felipe Gálvez Haberle
(Chile/Argentina, 2023, 101 minutes, in Spanish and English with English subtitles)
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Tierra del Fuego, Chile, 1901. Three horsemen embark on an expedition, tasked with securing a wealthy landowner’s vast property. Accompanying a British lieutenant and an American mercenary is a mestizo marksman, who comes to realize the true mission is to violently “remove” the Indigenous population. A visceral reckoning with national myth, The Settlers is a revisionist, anticolonialist western marking the debut of writer-director Felipe Gálvez Haberle, a revelatory new cinematic voice.
Saturday, April 27, 8:15 pm — Lynn Wyatt Theater
THE OTHER SON / EL OTRO HIJO
A film by Juan Sebastián Quebrada
(Colombia/France/Argentina, 2023, 90 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles)
*Filmmaker Juan Sebastián Quebrada in attendance
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Federico and his brother Simon enjoy their teenage years until Simon’s tragic death from a balcony fall at a party. Amidst his family’s turmoil, Federico tries to maintain normalcy while struggling to grieve, and finds solace in bonding with Simon’s girlfriend, Laura. Juan Sebastián Quebrada’s auspicious second feature is an emotionally charged, semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama that delicately delves into themes of grief and hope.
Friday, April 28, 3:30pm — Brown Auditorium Theater
THE RESCUE / EL RAPTO
A film by Daniela Goggi
(Argentina/USA, 2023, 95 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles
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Based on the novel by Martín Sivak and set in the 1980s, the fourth feature by Daniela Goggi is a historic drama that tells the story of Julio, who returns with his family to Argentina after the downfall of the brutal dictatorship that overpowered long-standing democracy. Yet things soon take an ugly turn as his brother is kidnapped and Julio becomes the lead negotiator with the criminals.
Sunday, April 28, 6pm — Brown Auditorium Theater
