Kinolatino, the Latin American film festival, back for another edition

It's now a tradition for Brussels film buffs: the warmer weather means the return of Kinolatino, the Latin American film festival. From April 11 to 19, the Palace will become the capital's nerve center for Latino screenings. And guess what? Hogar is giving away tickets for the screening of your choice!

As usual, the Kinolatino festival is all about diversity: diversity of formats, of countries, of stories. The program includes productions from almost every country in Latin America, and the organizers' desire to offer a wide range of stories and perspectives on what the region is producing today is evident.

The opening session on April 11 will be devoted to “Mexico 86”, in the presence of director Cesar Diaz. The Guatemalan director, who completed part of his training in Belgium, had already won over Brussels audiences with his first feature film, “Nuestras Madres”. For his second project, he tells the story of Maria, a revolutionary activist exiled in Mexico, who has to choose between her role as mother and activist.

Kinolatino gives space to committed films, with voices that are rarely heard on the big screen. Three films highlight the issues facing indigenous peoples in their original language. The Mexican documentary “Formas de atravesar un territorio” explores the relationship between Tzotzil women and nature, while the Peruvian film “Kinra”, partly in Quechua, absolute winner of the Lima Film Festival, tells the story of Atoqcha's return to the Andes after the death of her mother. Finally, the documentary “Memoria implacable” looks back at the expulsions of the Mapuche people in Argentina and Chile. This proposal echoes the Chilean movie “Los colonos” presented at the previous edition of Kinolatino.

The social comedy genre is another classic of Latin American cinema. In this vein, we can't wait to discover “Ladron de perros”, “Reinas” and “Querido tropico”, three proposals from countries little represented on the big screen: Bolivia for the first, Peru for the second and Panama. In the Panamanian film, director Ana Endara tells the story of two women, both at crossroads. One is a pregnant Colombian immigrant working as a home help, the other a wealthy, determined businesswoman battling progressive senile dementia. In a still very male-dominated field, the Kinolatino festival tries to maintain a certain parity, with six films directed by women.

After “Ainda estou aqui” won the 2025 Oscars, Brazilian cinema is on the rise. It will also be well represented suring the festival with “Motel Destino”, the new film by Karim Aïnouz, whose credits include “La vie invisible d'Euridice Gusmao”, released in 2019. His new film, presented in official competition at Cannes last year, takes us to a motel in northeastern Brazil, where dangerous games of desire, power and violence are played out in the shadows.

The festival closes on April 19 with a Cuban classic: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's “Fresa y chocolate”. From 1993, this is one of the last films by the director of “Death of a Bureaucrat”.  A veritable king of balance and anti-conformism, Gutierrez Alea constantly flirts with the limits of the narratives authorized by the Castro regime. In “Fresa y chocolate”, he tells the friendship between Diego, a homosexual from Havana, and David, an academic and communist activist. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the Berlinale.

The Kinolatino adventure is back for another round, much to the delight of Brussels cinephiles. Last year, the festival sold out every single screening, an experience that's sure to be repeated this year, given the quality of the program. Sessions will also be held in Nivelles, Namur, Liège and Antwerp.

Hogar Brussels is partnering the event and offering you the chance to win tickets. The contest is reserved for Instagram subscribers who answer the following question in DM: “Which 1993 Cuban film will close the festival?”

Discover the full program here: www.kinolatino.be