Features: Portugal, Puerto Rico

Nothing Ever Happened / Nunca Nada Aconteceu

Portugal / 2022 / 124 min.

Directed by Gonçalo Galvão Teles

Galvão Teles’ devastating feature debut centers on a suicidal pact among three inseparable but alienated friends: Pedro, María and Paulo. Pedro shares his room with his grandfather who just moved from the country into his family’s small apartment. Pedro’s father is unemployed and his mother, the household’s only income earner, is having an affair with her boss. The pact, once consummated, leaves Pedro’s father searching for answers.

The Fishbowl / La pecera

Puerto Rico/Spain / 2023 / 92 min.

Directed by Glorimar Marrero Sánchez

The first Puerto Rican-produced film to premiere at Sundance, Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist Marrero Sánchez’s feature debut follows ailing artist Noelia who, after learning that her cancer has metastasized, leaves her partner behind in San Juan and moves in with her mother on the island municipality of Vieques. She keeps secret her condition so she can live life on her own terms, including joining in the efforts to document the toxic legacy of the U.S. military exercises in the island.

Genre: Drama

Portuguese w/English subtitles

A devastadora primeira longa-metragem de Galvão Teles gira em torno de um pacto suicida entre três amigos inseparáveis, mas alienados: Pedro, Maria e Paulo. Pedro partilha o quarto com o seu avô que acabou de se mudar do campo para o pequeno apartamento da família. O pai de Pedro está desempregado e sua mãe, a única fonte de rendimento da família, está a ter um caso com o patrão. O pacto, uma vez consumado, deixa o pai de Pedro em busca de respostas.

Screenings:

Saturday, April 22nd, 5:30 PM

Sunday, April 23rd, 6:15 PM

Genre: Drama

Spanish w/English subtitles

La primera película puertorriqueña que se estrena en Sundance, el debut cinematográfico de la artista multidisciplinaria con sede en Chicago Glorimar Marrero Sánchez sigue a Noelia quien, después de enterarse de que su cáncer ha hecho metástasis, deja a su pareja en San Juan y se muda con su madre a la isla municipio de Vieques. Ella mantiene en secreto su condición para poder vivir la vida en sus propios términos, lo que incluye unirse a los esfuerzos por documentar el legado tóxico de los ejercicios militares estadounidenses en la isla

Stewards of the Land / Serán las dueñas de la tierra

Puerto Rico / 2022 / 92 min.

Directed by Juanma

Pagán Teitelbaum

Stephanie, Ian and Alfredo are three young farmers who want to grow healthy produce for an island that imports most of its food, including fruits and vegetables. The farms they rent have been abandoned for decades. Their plans to rebuild these lands from the ground up are made that much more difficult by the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and María. Pagán Tetelbaum shows the protagonist’s grit as they attempt to carve out a living without land ownership or capital.

Genre: Documentary

Spanish w/English subtitles

Stephanie, Ian y Alfredo son tres jóvenes agricultores que quieren cultivar productos saludables para una isla que importa la mayor parte de sus alimentos, incluidas frutas y verduras. Las fincas que alquilan están abandonadas desde hace décadas. Sus planes para reconstruir estas tierras desde cero se ven imposibilitados por el paso de los huracanes Irma y María. El documental retrata la valentía de estos jóvenes que intentan dejar huella en la agricultura sin capital alguno.

Without Prescription / Receta no incluida

Puerto Rico / 2022 / 83 min.

Directed by Juliana Maité

Olivia has managed to keep her OCD at bay for a year. But that little voice in her head that compels her to brush her teeth over and over makes an unexpected visit in the middle of her family’s Christmas party. Unable to secure her prescription because of her insurance, she asks David, the local pharmacist’s son, to sell her some illegally. A nasty rainstorm traps both Olivia and David in his apartment. Winner of the Audience Award in the Global category in the 2022 SXSW Film Festival.

Genre: Drama

Spanish w/English subtitles

Olivia ha logrado mantener a raya su comportamiento compulsivo durante un año. Pero esa vocecita en su cabeza que la obliga a cepillarse los dientes una y otra vez reaparece inesperadamente en medio de la fiesta de Navidad de su familia. Incapaz de obtener su medicamento debido a su seguro médico, le pide a David, el hijo del farmacéutico local, que le venda algunas pastillas ilegalmente. Una fuerte tormenta atrapa a Olivia y David en su apartamento. Ganadora del Premio del Público en la categoría Global en el Festival de Cine SXSW 2022.

Screenings:

Friday, April 14th, 8:30 PM

Sunday, April 16th, 8:30 PM

Screenings:

Saturday, April 22nd, 6:15 PM

Sunday, April 23rd, 4:00 PM

Screenings:

Friday, April 21st, 6:00 PM

Sunday, April 23rd, 3:45 PM

The House Among the Cactuses / La casa entre los cactus

Spain / 2022 / 88 min.

Directed by Carlota González-Adrio

Emilio and Rosa (Ariadna Gil) have lived what they consider a perfect life with their five daughters in a remote place in the Canary Islands until one of their daughters dies. Their period of grieving is short lived as they return to their routine: buying and selling goods at the local market and the daughters’ homeschooling by a teacher…But something’s amiss: one of their twin daughters is asked to hide in her room every time they receive a visitor, including the teacher. Emilio and Rosa’s secret will be unveiled when a tourist walks up the road asking for directions.

9

Uruguay/Argentina / 2021 / 105 min.

Directed by Martín Barrenechea and Nicolás Branca

Christian’s dreams of becoming a soccer superstar are about to collapse after a fight with a member of the Colombian national team. Besieged by fans and the press, Christian isolates himself as his father and manager tries to save his career and honor prior commitments. Christian’s budding relationship with next door neighbor Belén provides some comfort in this turbulent moment. “9” is a perceptive inquiry on the impact of fame, success and money on one’s happiness and freedom.

Light Years / Años luz

Uruguay / 2021 / 81 min.

Directed by Joaquín

Mauad

After not speaking to each other in years, siblings Mateo, Belén and María José meet to sign the sale documents of their childhood home in western Uruguay. But when Mateo’s car breaks down in the middle of the night, the trio have no choice but to stay at a cozy country hotel where old disagreements and conflicts come to the surface, forcing them to find a path to reconciliation.

Amigo

USA / 2022 / 81 min.

Directed by Luis Gispert

Set in the Spanish-speaking black enclaves of Miami, Gispert’s feature debut follows Tomás, an immigrant laborer with a murky past who fled his country by shipping himself in a crate. Tomás is living off the grid, performing odd-jobs for an upper-middle class family, saving money in the hopes of eventually buying a home for his estranged family that he left behind. A series of events forces Tomás out of his solitary life to engage with people in his community in search of something lost.

Genre: Thriller Spanish w/English subtitles

Emilio y Rosa (Ariadna Gil) han vivido lo que consideran una vida perfecta con sus cinco hijas en un lugar remoto de las Islas Canarias hasta que una de ellas muere. Su período de duelo dura poco ya que vuelven a su rutina: comprar y vender productos en el mercado local, la educación de las hijas en casa por parte de un maestro... Pero algo anda mal: una de sus hijas gemelas tiene que esconderse en su habitación cada vez que reciben un visitante, incluido el maestro. Esta vida perfecta correrá peligro cuando un turista extraviado llega a su puerta pidiendo indicaciones.

Screenings:

Saturday, April 15th, 6:15 PM

Tuesday, April 18th, 8:15 PM

Genre: Drama

Spanish w/English subtitles

Los sueños de Christian de convertirse en una superestrella del fútbol están a punto de colapsar después de un altercado físico con un miembro de la selección de Colombia. Asediado por los fanáticos y la prensa, Christian se aísla mientras su padre y manager intenta salvar su carrera y cumplir con compromisos anteriores. La incipiente relación de Christian con la vecina de al lado, Belén, brinda algo de consuelo en este momento turbulento. “9” es una investigación perspicaz sobre el impacto de la fama, el éxito y el dinero en la felicidad y la libertad.

Screenings:

Friday, April 21st, 8:30 PM

Sunday, April 23rd, 8:30 PM

Genre: Drama

Spanish w/English subtitles

Después de años sin hablarse, los hermanos Mateo, Belén y María José se reúnen para firmar los documentos de venta de la casa de su infancia en el oeste de Uruguay. Pero cuando el auto de Mateo se avería en medio de la noche, el trío no tiene más remedio que quedarse en un acogedor hotel rural donde viejos desacuerdos y conflictos salen a la superficie, obligándolos a encontrar el camino de la reconciliación.

Screenings:

Friday, April 14th, 6:00 PM

Sunday, April 16th, 3:45 PM

Genre: Drama

English and Spanish w/English subtitles

Ambientada en los barrios afrolatinos de Miami, el primer largometraje de Gispert sigue a Tomás, un trabajador inmigrante con un pasado turbio que huyó de su país dentro de una caja. Tomás vive fuera del sistema, trabajando ocasionalmente para una familia de clase media alta, y ahorrando dinero con la esperanza de comprar una casa para su familia que dejó atrás. Una serie de eventos obligan a Tomás a salir de su vida solitaria para volver a relacionarse con su comunidad en busca de algo perdido.

Screenings:

Saturday, April 15th, 4:00 PM

Sunday, April 16th, 6:00 PM

Hope, Soledad

USA / 2021 / 79 min.

Directed by Yolanda Cruz

Two women meet by chance on a pilgrimage to visit La Virgen de Juquila. Both have reached emotional crossroads in their lives and are now overburdened by their own personal pain and fear. Hope, a college student, tries to find a sense of self in her mother’s land after being displaced from her home in the United States. Soledad struggles to free herself from the ghost of her deceased lover and to once and for all bring an end to the relationship with her husband who lives in the U.S.. Together, they walk in communion with pilgrims as they deal with their struggles.

Santos — Skin to Skin

USA / 2022 / 75 min.

Directed by Kathryn Golden

One of the world’s foremost exponents of AfroLatin music, Santos, through his mixed Puerto Rican and Cape Verdean heritage, strives to unite and expand his kaleidoscopic audience. Kathryn Golden follows Santos from rehearsals in his garage studio in Oakland, California, to performances at local community centers, gigs with congueros in Peñuelas, San Germán and Guánica, Puerto Rico, and concert stages around the United States. Rich in unforgettable musical performances, the documentary captures Santos playing alongside a stellar cast of international jazz musicians.

Jezabel

Venezuela/Mexico / 2022 / 108 min.

Directed by Hernán Jabes

Best friends and hedonists Lolo, Cacá, Eli and Alain live a life full of drugs, games and sex until one of them is brutally murdered. Sixteen years later, the memory of that tragic act haunts Alain as he learns that Eli’s murderer is not the one everybody assumed at first. In this erotically charged psychological thriller, Hernán Jabes explores the cyclical nature of violence, abuse of power and impunity.

One Way

Venezuela / 2021 / 90 min.

Directed by Carlos Javier Malavé

Emiliana, a mother and university professor, goes through a difficult time in her life when her son Santiago suffers an accident. She receives great support from a man she met on the street, Daniel, and she begins to feel a deep appreciation for him. However, the situation with her son and the crisis in Venezuela forces her hand, embarking on a new path outside the country to rebuild her life despite having to get away from Daniel.

Genre: Drama

Spanish and Chatino w/English subtitles

Dos mujeres se conocen en una peregrinación para visitar a la Virgen de Juquila. Ambas se encuentran en una encrucijada emocional en sus vidas y ahora están abrumadas por su propio dolor y miedo. Hope, una estudiante universitaria, intenta encontrarse a sí misma en la tierra de su madre después de haber sido desplazada de su hogar en los Estados Unidos. Soledad lucha por liberarse del fantasma de su fallecido amante y poner fin de una vez por todas a la relación con su esposo. Juntas, caminan en comunión con los peregrinos mientras lidian con sus luchas internas.

Screenings:

Wednesday, April 19th, 8:30 PM

Genre: Documentary

English and Spanish w/English subtitles

John Santos, de herencia puertorriqueña y caboverdiana, es uno de los principales exponentes mundiales de la música afrolatina. Kathryn Golden sigue a Santos desde los ensayos en su estudiogaraje en Oakland, California, hasta presentaciones en centros comunitarios locales, con congueros en Peñuelas, San Germán y Guánica, Puerto Rico, y escenarios de conciertos en todo Estados Unidos. Rico en actuaciones musicales inolvidables, el documental capta a Santos tocando junto a un elenco estelar de músicos internacionales como Eddie Palmieri, Omar Sosa y Jerry Medina.

Screenings:

Thursday, April 20th, 8:15 PM

Saturday, April 22nd, 4:00 PM

Genre: Thriller Spanish w/English subtitles

Los buenos amigos, y hedonistas Lolo, Cacá, Eli y Alain viven una vida llena de drogas, juegos y sexo hasta que uno de ellos es brutalmente asesinado. Dieciséis años después, el recuerdo de ese trágico acto persigue a Alain cuando se entera de que el asesino de Eli no es quien todos creían al principio. En este thriller psicológico cargado de erotismo, Hernán Jabes explora la naturaleza cíclica de la violencia, el abuso de poder y la impunidad.

Screenings:

Saturday, April 15th, 9:00 PM Monday, April 17th, 8:00 PM

Genre: Drama

Spanish w/English subtitles

Emiliana, madre y profesora universitaria, atraviesa un momento difícil en su vida cuando su hijo Santiago sufre un accidente. Ella recibe un enorme apoyo de un hombre que conoció en la calle, Daniel, y comienza a sentir un gran aprecio por él. Sin embargo, la situación con su hijo y la crisis en Venezuela la obligan a emprender un nuevo camino fuera del país para rehacer su vida a pesar de tener que alejarse de Daniel.

Screenings:

Saturday, April 22nd, 4:00 PM

Sunday, April 23rd, 8:30 PM