Head south without braving the Labour Day border backups at the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, where you'll find features and shorts from Mexico, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and more.
Among this year's offerings are the highly acclaimed Venezuelan film Hermano, a dark tale of two soccer-playing brothers with big dreams and tough choices; 5xFavela, a film that put cameras in the hands of youth living in Brazilian shantytowns, and had its world premiere at Cannes last year; Abel, a Mexican film by Y tu mamá también star Diego Luna about a nine-year-old boy who takes his place as the head of the household; and Post Mortem, a Chilean film by Pablo Larraín that premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year.
Other must-see films include Detrás del milagro, a documentary about the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for over two months, and Chicogrande, a closing-night western by veteran Mexican filmmaker Felipe Cazals thatopened the San Sebastián Film Festival in Spain last year.
Want a little Latin flavour cooked up closer to home? Don't miss Fiesta 125!, a cinematic nod to Vancouver's anniversary that features shorts by local filmmakers, as well as Indigenous Film From BC and Beyond, a selection of shorts that explore indigenous cultures.
The Vancouver Latin American Film runs through Sept. 11. For more info and a full schedule, visit vlaff.org.