Now in its 22nd year, the AFI Latin American Film Festival showcases the best filmmaking from Latin America and, with the inclusion of films from Spain and Portugal, celebrates Ibero-American cultural connections.

Highlights of the festival include the Opening Night selection, The Mexican Suitcase, Chevolution director Trisha Ziff's latest documentary about a treasure trove of photographs from the Spanish Civil War recently discovered in Mexico City; Medianeras, Gustavo Taretto's quirky crowd-pleaser about two lonely people finding each other in Buenos Aires; Chilean auteur Raul Ruiz's lush, labyrinthine epic Mysteries of Lisbon, presented in a weeklong run within the festival; Bonsai, the latest film from Chilean director Cristian Jimenez (Optical Illusions), which recently premiered at Cannes; Multiple award-winner Hermano, Venezuela's Oscar selection from 2010; Brazil's Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within, this year's biggest hit at the Latin American box office; Blackthorn, Spanish screenwriter-turned-director Mateo Gil's imaginatively updated Western about the final days of Butch Cassidy in Bolivia; Miss Bala, Gerardo Naranjo's gripping thriller about a Baja, California, beauty queen caught in a maddening cycle of drug cartel violence

Spanish Production Films @ Afi Latin American Film Festival:

The Mexican Suitcase (La Maleta Mexicana)

In Person: Filmmaker Trisha Ziff on September 22! Dir./Scr./Prod. Trisha Ziff; Prod. Eamon O'Farrill, Paco Poch. Mexico/Spain, 2011, color and black & white, 86 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.

Opening Night Screening: Thu, September 22 at 7:30. Also showing on Saturday, September 24 at 5:20

108 (Cuchillo de Palo)

Dir. / Scr. Renate Costa; Prod. Susana Benito. Spain/Paraguay, 2010, color, 93 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.

on Monday, September 26 at 7:10 and Wednesday, September 28 at 9:10.

Amador

Dir. / Scr. / Pro. Fernando León de Aranoa; Prod. Jaume Roures. Spain, 2010, color, 112 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.

On Saturday, September 24 at 3:00 and Monday, September 26 at 7:00.

Blackthorn

Dir. Mateo Gil; Scr Miguel Barros; Prod. Ibón Cormenzana, Andrés Santana. Spain/France/Bolivia/US, 2011, color, 98 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.

On Saturday, October 8 at 8:00 and Tuesday, October 11 at 9:45.

Chico and Rita (Chico y Rita)

Dir. / Scr. Fernando Trueba; Dir. Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal; Scr. Ignacio Martínez de Pisón; Prod. Santi Errando, Cristina Huete, Martin Pope, Michael Rose. Spain/UK, 2010, color, 95 min. In English and Spanish with English Subtitles. Not rated.

On Saturday, October 1 at 5:00 and Sunday, October 2 at 5:15.

Karla's Arrival

Dir. / Scr. / Prod. Koen Suidgeest; Prod. Emily Lobsenz. US/Spain/Netherlands/Belgium/Nicaragua, 2010, color, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.

On Friday, September 30 at 5:30; Monday, October 3 at 7:15; Wednesday, October 5 at 9:20.

Venue

Phone

301-495-6700 ‎

More information

Full schedule and tickets