27 Oct – The Latin American Film Festival (LAFF) 2017 yesterday held its launch ahead of its official screenings from 1 November onwards. Welcoming guests to the event was H.E. Manuel Balaguer Salas, Ambassador of Argentina to Malaysia, who said in his opening speech, "Cinema in Latin America has been changing and evolving throughout the years to become today a strong and powerful industry." "We have an extraordinary selection of movies for this year that include 12 different films with a wide range of genres," he added. "Giving the general public and cinephiles a perfect opportunity not only to have a wonderful time but also to get to know more about the culture, richness and diversity of the Latin American countries." GSC CEO Ms. Koh Mei Lee echoed the ambassador's sentiment in her speech, calling film "the easiest and most powerful medium to provide a window into the exotic Latin American culture", which is able to give Malaysians a glimpse beyond what we are familiar with without having to leave our shores.
This year, aside from the 10 traditional Latin American countries that have been organising the LAFF for the last 16 years, Costa Rica is also participating in the film festival. Along with guest country South Africa, LAFF 2017 will present the following titles: "Inseparables" (Argentina), "The Man from the Future" (Brazil), "Alma" (Chile), "The Good People" (Colombia), "Cuba Libre" (Cuba), "Modern Nature" (Ecuador), "Illusions S.A." (Mexico), "Margarita" (Peru), "Anina" (Uruguay), "Eyes Closed" (Costa Rica), "The House at the end of Time" (Venezuela), and "U-Carmen" (South Africa).
Organised by the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and supported by Cinema Online as the official media partner, the Latin American Film Festival 2017 will be screened free of charge from 1 to 8 November at GSC Pavilion KL.