Calgary Latin American Film Festival opens May 29
Three Canadian premieres anchor the inaugural three-day festival: films from Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico. Screenings across multiple venues.
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The inaugural Calgary Latin American Film Festival runs May 29 to 31 at venues across the city, featuring three Canadian premieres that capture distinct stories from the region.
Colombian drama Colibri follows a young couple confronting their past after learning they're having a baby. Venezuelan documentary Children of Las Brisas tracks three children from Valencia over a decade as they try to become professional musicians in the National Orchestra System. Mexican thriller Guardado, Hermano (Brother, Kept) centers on a small-town man with autism who confronts a serial killer after his brother's death.
"These three films, even though they are from different countries and have different themes, what they have in common is that they are telling stories about what is happening in Latin American countries," said Josue Ramirez, the festival's founder and executive coordinator. Ramirez came to Calgary from Venezuela in 2005. In 2023, he hosted a screening of the Venezuelan drama Simon — a one-night event that showed the city was ready for a dedicated festival celebrating Latin American cinema.
The opening ceremony is May 29 at Canyon Meadows Cinemas at 6 p.m. Children of Las Brisas screens at the Globe Cinema on May 30 at 7 p.m., and the closing ceremony runs at 5 p.m. at the Plaza Theatre before Guardado, Hermano.
The festival is partnering with the Venezuelan Canadian Association of Calgary, Colombian Friends, and Casa Mexican. Ramirez already has plans to expand: in 2027, short-film programs will debut — one for Alberta post-secondary students, another for Canadian and international filmmakers.
Latin American cinema has a long and acclaimed history, from Mexico's golden age in the 1930s–1950s to Brazil's Cinema Novo in the 1960s and the celebrated contemporary work of directors like Alfonso Cuarón, Lucrecia Martel, and Pablo Larraín. The region is known for films addressing social justice, the environment, inequality, human rights, and democracy.
For more information and tickets, visit calgarylatinfilmfest.ca.