La Nueva Ola - Spanish and Latin American Film Festival

The Barberini Cinema hosts the 17th edition of the La Nueva Ola festival - Spanish and Latin American Film Festival, directed by Iris Martin-Peralta and Federico Sartori. Having become over time a point of reference for Iberian-American cinema, this annual event presents a selection of twelve unreleased films, divided into two main sections: the Nueva Ola del cine español and the Nueva Ola Latinoamericana, dedicated to the novelties of the Spanish and overseas cinema, through works ranging from brilliant comedies to more dramatic coming-of-age stories.

The event opens with the musical comedy Voy a pasármelo bien by David Serrano, with Raúl Arévalo and Karla Souza; among this year's previews, awarded at the Berlinale 2023, we find Samsara by Lois Patiño, a sort of sensorial journey between death and rebirth that deals with the theme of reincarnation in the key of Tibetan Buddhism, following spirits who travel between Laos and Tanzania. The Nueva Ola Latinoamericana also features six highly acclaimed titles, including Kattia G. Zúñiga's Las Hijas, the gripping story of two sisters, and Sujo, a coming-of-age story from Mexican filmmakers Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez. We also remember the posthumous work of Óscar Catacora Yana-Wara, completed by his brother Tito Catacora, which continues the path of the previous film Wiñaypacha and which tells of an unknown world: that of the Aymara indigenous people; the film is performed in the ancient Aymara language.

Other important titles include Bajo Terapia by Gerardo Herrero, a brilliant comedy that brings the dynamics of three couples to the stage, and On the Go, a road movie that celebrates freedom and boldness, presented on the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia. Furthermore, the Festival also deals with relevant themes from a social and cultural point of view, including Te estoy amando locamente by Alejandro Marín, a film that tells the story of the birth of the Andalusian homosexual liberation movement, a tragic historical page of the Franco regime, when homosexuality it was considered a crime.

Finally, we would like to remind you that the festival also celebrates the IILA-Cinema Prize, awarded to significant works such as Retrato de un amanecer and Neisi and La fuerza de un sueño, while the Clásicos section represents a tribute to historical masterpieces such as the cult Cuban film on discrimination and homophobia Fresa y chocolate by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío (1994), underlining the profound link between cinema and culture.

The event is conceived, produced and organized by EXIT Media and receives the support of the Cultural Office of the Spanish Embassy in Italy, Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual (Ministry of Culture), Acción Cultural Española, Regione Lazio, IILA - Instituto Italo- Latin American, Spanish Tourist Office, Instituto Cervantes in Rome, the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome and the embassies of Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Mexico.

After the appointment in Rome, the festival continues with its itinerant programming throughout Italy.

Photo credits: official poster of the event