Queer Latin Cinema

A complicated relationship develops between Alejandra, an established literary editor, and María, a precocious student in her last year of high school. At first, the sexual chemistry creates an illusion of compatibility, however it is not long before Alejandra’s requests for candlelit dinners and conversations about books conflict with María’s desire to party until dawn. Filmed in black and white with a nod to the New Wave films of the 60s and 70s, this film has a retro visual style that cleverly mirrors the stifling pretension and hedonistic naiveté of its main characters.

Daniela is an angst-ridden 17-year-old who finds that her raging sexual drive is difficult to reconcile with the orders of her religion and the expectations of her well-to-do, evangelical family. With no outlet for her desire, Daniela taps into an online network of other restless teenagers through her sexually charged blog. In addition to being a playful, energetic and, at times, uncomfortably explicit coming-of-age story, Joven y Alocada is fresh and innovative in its format.

Ale is a transvestite who lives in a marginalized community of gay and trans people in Buenos Aires who are facing eviction. One evening while collecting cardboard on the street, Ale finds Mia’s diary, hastily discarded by her grieving husband. Reading about her life, Ale is transported to another world and decides she must return the diary to Mia’s ten-year-old daughter. Thus begins this deeply moving drama that reveals a profoundly human desire to care for others in spite of all odds.

In a small town in Córdoba, Argentina, three childhood friends, Malena, Pablo, and Tomás, rock out on a makeshift stage to a roomful of screaming, enthusiastic fans. However, the chemistry that fires their music has a depth and perplexity to it that none of them is quite ready to face. In the next few hours, the friends will part and a new day will begin, but the angst-laden emotion of teenage desire is not so predictable nor so easily contained.

This is the inspiring story of Irina Layevska, the son of militant communists, who grew up defending socialism and the Cuban Revolution. Identifying with the ideologies of Che Guevara and even resembling Che physically, Irina worked tirelessly for the cause. However, as an adult Irina faced even greater challenges. Born into a male body that was suffering increasing physical disability, Irina took on a new revolution: to become a woman.