South American cinema comes in like a lion at the 61st Festival de Cannes, with three films competing for the Palme D’or. That’s not even counting Steven Soderbergh’s Che films (The Argentine and Guerilla) which also heavily represent the region.
Walter Salles, who’s The Motorcycle Diaries competed for the Palme in 2004 (winning two awards), returns to the fest with Linha de Passe, a Brazilian production set in Sao Paolo’s urban projects. The film follows four soccer-obsessed brothers as they fight to escape poverty and realize their dreams.
Argentina has two films in competition, both by Cannes neophytes. La Mujer Sin Cabeza by female director Lucrecia Martel, considered one of the pioneers of New Argentina Cinema, is a politically charged women’s drama. The highly buzzed Leonara by Pablo Trapero tells the story of a young mother trying to raise her son from prison. The film is a South Korean co-production with Walter Salles on as a producer.
In the Un Certain Regard section, Brazilian actor Matheus Nachtergaele makes his directorial debut with A Festa da Menina Morta. Young Mexican director Amat Escalante, winner of the FIPRESCI award in 2005 for Sangre, returns with his latest Los Bastardos.
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