Work Stuff: Ottawa’s Latin American Film Festival is Almost Here

This week at work, the majority of my efforts went towards preparing for the press conference for the Latin American Film Festival. Held at the Embassy of Cuba, the event was a success, as we garnered media coverage from multiple Ottawa media outlets.

Here’s the press release I drafted up, some photos of the event and some of the coverage we got in the local media.

CFI Launches 17th annual Festival of Latin American Cinema

OTTAWA (March 15, 2013) – The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) is proud to present the 17th annual Latin American Film Festival, running on select dates from March 21st to April 7th. The 2013 edition of the Festival features 16 films from 15 Latin American nations. All films are Ottawa premieres and all are presented in their original language with English subtitles.

Award-winning films being screened for the first time in Ottawa include: O Palhaço (The Clown), a comedy-drama starring and directed by Selton Mello, which was Brazil’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, Infancia Clandestina (Clandestine Childhood), an Argentinian film set in that country’s troubled 1970s, and 7 Cajas (7 Boxes), a Paraguayan movie which has been screened at festivals around the world including the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

“The 17th edition of our Latin American Film Festival is one of the strongest ever,” says CFI Executive Director Tom McSorley, who founded the Festival in 1997. “It features several multiple award-winners, and has a range and diversity of tones – comedy, satire, drama, tragedy – that makes a festival experience so rich and unique. We are also thrilled to have two filmmakers attending the Festival to present their work: Andrea Martinez Crowther, from Mexico, and Julio Ponce Palmieri, from Guatemala.”

Each screening will take place at the Auditorium at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $8 for CFI members, seniors, and students. CFI members are also eligible to purchase Five-Film Passports for $35. All tickets can be purchased on-site each night of the Festival starting on March 21st, including advance tickets for all films. Visit www.cfi-icf.ca for complete listings.

For 17 years, the CFI has brought the Latin American Film Festival to Ottawa as part of its dedication to filmmakers worldwide, giving Canadian audiences ongoing opportunities to celebrate the art of film. The Latin American Film Festival is presented in collaboration with the Group of Latin American Ambassadors in Ottawa (GRULA).

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) was incorporated in 1935 as a federally-chartered, non- governmental, non-profit cultural organization. It is the oldest film institution in Canada and the second oldest film institute in the world. More information can be found online at www.cfi-icf.ca.