(Los Angeles) Foreign Investment Regulation, film festivals, increased film production, high-quality movies and Foreign sales, demonstrate how the Central American cinema has experienced an awakening.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says that Central America’s filmmaking is experiencing a boom, earning a place in the world’s top silver screen circles and festivals. Between 2013-2015, the region produced 113 national motion pictures—more than the number of productions of the past century.
According to the IDB, Through these film productions, not only have stories, landscapes, and cosmologies of our countries around the world been shared, but they have also proven to have a significant potential for economic development.
Byron Brizuela, Director of the Central American International Film Festival (CAIFF ), says for this reason they have organized the 5th edition from December 6 through 8, 2019.
The Film Festival takes place at Margo Albert Theatre en la Plaza de La Raza 3540 North Mission Road, Los Angeles from December 6 through 8, 2019.
The event seeks to promote the talent and potential of the region’s motion picture industry with documentaries and fiction productions from Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama. Each year the Festival shows the productions of a guest country. For this year, El Caribe was chosen.
The growth of the film industry has been such that in 2015, it Generated earnings for US $12 million in the region, revealing its potential strength to help the region’s creative and economic growth as well as a driving force for employment generation.
This year, ‘La Llorona‘, the film by Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamante, won The Best Film in the Giornate degli Autori at Venice Festival.
Guatemala has another huge hit with ‘Nuestras Madres’, the film by Cesar Diaz won the Camera d’Or for The Best first feature in Cannes at the 201 9 Cannes Film.
For example, ‘La Palabra de Pablo’, a Salvadorian film, got picked up by HBO for distribution in 2018. It is on its way to becoming the first movie El Salvador submits as a contender for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
It has been couple of years since Salvadorian director Arturo Menéndez, was a finalist for the Berlin Today Award for ‘Cinema Libertad’. He’s made up for the wait in 2014, his debut feature ‘Malacrianza‘ became the first fiction film from El Salvador to show to over 30 festivals including the prestigious AFI Silver Latin American Film Festival.
Other examples are like the Guatemalan film Ixcanul, winner of a Silver Bear from the Berlin Festival, and Morazán, a film nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category, at the 2018 Oscars, are the reflection that the Central American cinema has experienced an increasing, creating a space for itself in the most important circuits and festivals in the world.
Central America established fests like the Festival International de Cine Panamá and the Costa Rica International Film Festival (CRFIC).
Panama offers attractive opportunities for the Cinema industry, the government seeks to attract gigantic foreign investment. The law passed in April 2012 establishes tax incentives for foreign companies that make a cinematographic work in Panama, with the return of 15% of the total invested, provided it has a minimum cost of 3 million dollars. Representatives of the Walt Disney visited Panama, with the determination to evaluate possible investments.
The 5th Annual Central American International Film Festival (CAIFF ) includes dramatic and documentary features and short films.
- Latinos+films+money, USA documentary
- Now that your are gone, El Salvador, short film
- Bibi, USA,Short film
- Bertha Didn’t Die, She Multiplied , Honduras,documentary
- Esta es tu Cuba, Cuba,student film
- Una Noche de Calypso, Panama Documentary
- El Ultimo Tlatoni, Mexico Documentary
- Soledad, Honduras, animación documentary
- IXOQ, Guatemala, Documentary
- Deguello, El Salvador and Colombia, student film
- La única opción, El Salvador, student film
- The Call, El Salvador and Mexico,Student Film
- Eliades Ochoa to the World, Cuba Documentary
- Port Triump, El Salvador, documentary
- The happy accidente, Puerto Rico, documentary
- My Father Belize, Belize,Short Film
- Between voices, Guatemala Short film
- Hidden life, Costa Rica, short film
- We are All Oscar, Costa Rica, full future film
Organizers
Oscar Dominguez
PRESIDENT/FOUNDER
Byron Brizuela
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Event
Plaza de la Raza
3540 North Mission Road
Los Ángeles CA 90031
December 6th 8:00 p.m., Saturday 7th from 12:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m., and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Links
Now that your are gone, El Salvador, short film
Bertha Didn’t Die, She Multiplied , Honduras,documentary
Esta es tu Cuba, Cuba,student film
El Ultimo Tlatoni, Mexico Documentary
We are All Oscar, Costa Rica, full future film
Deguello, El Salvador and Colombia, student film
About El Festival Internacional Centroamericano de Cine (CAIFF )
The Central American Int. Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing Central American history, stories, struggles, culture, and talent through the world of cinema while supporting and motivating current and future aspiring Central American filmmakers.
¿Do you need more information? Visit Us CAIFF
