The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center announced today the full slate of films for the 2023 AFI Latin American Film Festival, which will take place September 21–October 11 at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. Now in its 34th year, the Festival is one of the largest and longest-running showcases of Latin American cinema in the United States, dedicated to presenting Latin America’s prolific and versatile talent during National Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s wide-ranging selection of 44 films from 21 countries spans international festival favorites and award winners, local box-office hits and dynamic debuts from a new generation of Latin American filmmakers.
The festival opens with acclaimed Berlinale competition entry, TÓTEM, directed by Lila Avilés (THE CHAMBERMAID). Winner of the Ecumenical Jury Prize, this warm, sensitively told drama unfolds over the course of one chaotic day, as seven-year-old Sol watches her family prepare for her terminally ill father’s birthday party. The Closing Night film will be PICTURES OF GHOSTS, a charming personal essay from Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho. Reflecting on his filmmaking journey and the dwindling cinemas of his hometown of Recife, Mendonça Filho weaves together archival and contemporary footage with scenes from his own work to create a love letter to film, family and the power of cinemas. View the full lineup at https://afisilver.afi.com/silver/laff/
The AFI Silver and Cultural Center in Maryland is one of the nation’s premier film theatres, building an appreciation of the art and artists through exploring and celebrating new and classic films and filmmakers from around the globe. AFI Silver offers a year-round program of the best in American and international cinema, featuring a dynamic mix of retrospectives, special events, tributes, on-stage guest appearances, specialty first-run movies, festivals, premieres and education and community-based programs in a theatrical setting of the highest standards. Anchored by the stunningly restored 1938 Silver Theatre, the state-of-the-art film and digital media exhibition serves as a national model for preserving and honoring our shared film and film-going heritage. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com/Silver.
