Brazil’s The Best Mother in the World set to open Vancouver Latin American Film Festival
Running September 4 to 14, celebration also includes Canada Looks South and Mexico Today series, New Directors Competition, and much more
(Clockwise from left) The Best Mother in the World, Louis Riel or Heaven Touches the Earth, and Xibalba Monster.
THE VANCOUVER LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL (VLAFF) has just unveiled an expansive program of over 90 films from 17 countries for its celebration September 4 to 14—securing its place as one of the largest and longest-running Latin American film festivals in North America.
The fest kicks off with the North American premiere of Brazilian director Anna Muylaert’s The Best Mother in the World, about a woman who flees an abusive partner into the streets of São Paulo, hiding her children in a recycling cart.
Among other highlights is a visit by Cuban filmmaker Miguel Coyula, who is attending VLAFF to present his Chronicles of the Absurd, a feature that reveals the absurd restrictions on artists amid the state-sponsored culture of Cuba.
Venues include SFU Woodward’s, The Cinematheque, and the intimate Cineworks, with a full day of screenings copresented with the Vancouver Queer Film Festival on September 15 at the Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas. Passes and tickets are available now at vlaff.org.
As usual, the fest throws a spotlight on Latin-Canadian cinema with its Canada Looks South series. This year it includes two renowned Mexican-Canadian directors: Nicolás Pereda presents his Lázaro at Night, while Matías Meyer will screen Louis Riel or Heaven Touches the Earth, his first feature film shot in Canada. Quebec-based Latin director Pedro Ruiz presents The Eighth Floor about Jacques Lanctôt, former member of the Front de libération du Québec, forced into exile in Cuba in the 1970s.
The fest boasts three new sections: Vanguardias, which looks at recent Latin American films that challenge traditional formats; Migraciones, about Latin American migration stories; and Mexico Today, capturing the diversity of new voices in Mexican cinema by travelling from a mountain community in the north of Oaxaca to the cumbias and lowrider bicycle culture in Durango.
Seven films, selected from more than 100 submissions, compete in the New Directors Competition, with titles including Canada-Brazil production Circo, by Lamia Chraibi; Argentina’s Souls, by Laura Basombrío; Venezuela’s Lost Chapters, by Lorena Alvarado; Mexico’s My Chest Is Full of Sparks, by Gal Castellanos; Colombia’s I Dreamed His Name, by Ángela Carabalí; Mexico’s Xibalba Monster, by Manuela Irene; and Colombia’s Seeds, by Eliana Niño.
Other prizes include a Youth Choice Award for Best New Director, to be picked by the 2025 VLAFF Youth Jury, made up of 21 young filmmakers, students, and artistic creators. And there’s also a Short Film Competition, featuring 15 shorts selected from more than 200 submissions.
And don’t miss live music by local artists at VLAFF’s ¡Así Sueña! Music Nights in The Cinematheque’s courtyard on evenings from Friday to Sunday at 7:45 pm, with drinks and snacks by donation. Offerings span salsa, samba, Latin classical-guitar compositions, son jarocho, DJ sets, and more.
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