The International Latino Cultural Center presents the 22nd Chicago Latino Film Festival with screenings Friday through Thursday, April 28 through May 4, at Facets Cinematheque; Gene Siskel Film Center; Lake Forest College, 555 N. Sheridan, Lake Forest; Landmark’s Century Centre; Little Village Lawndale High School, 3120 S. Kostner; Olive-Harvey College, 10001 S. Woodlawn; Richard J. Daley College, 7500 S. Pulaski; River East 21; and St. Xavier Univ., 3700 W. 103rd St. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are $9-$10, and a festival pass, good for ten screenings, is $80. Discounts are available for students, seniors, the disabled, and members of Illinois Arts Alliance and ILCC; for more information call 312-409-1757 or visit www.latinoculturalcenter.org. Unless otherwise noted, all screenings are in English or subtitled Spanish.
Kept & Dreamless
At one point during this 2003 Argentinean documentary a musician describes Buenos Aires as the real city that never sleeps (with apologies to Sinatra), a characterization that explains why it spawned the tango and, along with it, some of the most sensual music ever made. Filmmaker Mercedes Garcia Guevara provides a historical overview of the dance, with arresting performance footage of the great singer Carlos Gardel, but she’s more interested in explaining tango’s deep connection with the city. Among the other inspired performers are the ensembles La Chicana and Los Munecos and singers Fernando Otero and Dolores Sola; the latter is accompanied by songwriter-guitarist Acho Estel, whose tunes prove that tango continues to evolve. 98 min. (JK) a Landmark’s Century Centre, 6 PM
Visits Pedro Lange directed this 2005 Colombian feature integrating three stories. 90 min. a Facets Cinematheque, 7 PM
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Julian Larrea Arias’s 2005 documentary focuses on a beautiful region of Ecuador between the rain forest and the Andes, where the Shuar Indians, the majority of the population, believe the mestizos in power haven’t been acting in their best interests. Arias follows an election that pits a Shuar against a mestizo, letting the candidates and other Shuar do most of the talking. Individual concerns are clear, but the paucity of objective facts and broader perspectives makes it hard to comprehend the larger issues or the intricacies of local politics, and the nature interludes offer little more than atmosphere. 71 min. (FC) a Little Village Lawndale High School, 7:30 PM
Viva Cuba
An ensemble story about four Peruvian couples. Frank Perez-Garland directed this 2005 feature. 90 min. a Facets Cinematheque, 9 PM
