Tear this heart out. (México, 2008) 107´. 13/06/2013

This film was directed by Roberto Sneider based on the novel of the same name by Ángeles Mastretta.
The films tells the story of Catalina Guzmán de Ascencio (Ana Claudia Talancón). Catalina got married to the General Andrés Ascencio (Daniel Giménez Cacho), an oppressive and sexist man, who is obsessed with climbing the political ladder.
After suffering this situation for a long time, Catalina meets Carlos Vives  (José María de Tavira), an orchestra conductor. Catalina and Carlos fell in love and become lovers.



The film won several Ariel Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay.
See the tráiler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrYpfRrGda8

The film will be hosted by the Edinburgh University Latin America Society.

Days of Glory (Algeria/France 2006) 128´ 06/06/2013

This Algerian film was directed by Rachid Bouchareb. It tells the story of four North African men, who enlist in the French army to liberate that country from Nazi oppression.


The film was exhibited in different festivals. The main four actors, Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila and Bernard Blancan won the Prix d'interprétation masculine at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
"With this movie, Rachid Bouchareb achieved something that hardly any director can claim - specific political change with one particular movie. He made an old-fashioned second world war drama in the Spielbergian style - premiered at last year's Cannes film festival - telling the almost forgotten story of the gallant sacrifice made by indigènes, or native forces, from the French north African colonies." Peter Bradshaw. The Guardian. 30/03/2007.

See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O3Hgrc_dTM

Constantine (USA, 2005) 121´ 30/05/2013

This action horror film directed by Francis Lawrence as his directorial debut, starring Keanu Reeves as John Constantine.Constantine is an exorcist who lives in Los Angeles. Born with the power to see angels and demons on Earth, he committed suicide at age 15 after being unable to cope with his visions. Constantine was revived by paramedics but spent two minutes in Hell. He knows that because of his actions his soul is condemned to damnation when he dies, and has recently learned that he has developed cancer as a result of his smoking habit.


See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3lfSQTDSVM

Reservoir Dogs (USA, 1992) 99´ 23/05/2013

This film by Tarantino is about a heist that goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.



The film was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Critic's Award at the 4th Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in February 1993.
"It's unclear whether this macho thriller does anything to improve the state of the world or our understanding of it, but it certainly sets off enough rockets to hold and shake us for every one of its 99 minutes." Jonathan Rosenbaum. Chicago Reader. 13/03/2007.

See the tráiler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvoKT481EmU

Death of a Bureaucrat (Cuba 1966) 85´. 16/05/2013

This film by Gutiérrez Alea is a satire that takes on the excess of bureaucracy. Francisco J. Pérez (Manuel Estanillo) is an excellent worker and inventor of a machine that grinds out busts of the Cuban hero José Martí. Francisco dies in a bizarre accident and is buried with his work card. The problems starts when his widow (Silvia Planas) needs the card in order to get the compensation. His nephew (Salvador Wood) offers himself to resolve the problem, in that way he gets involve in a cumbersome situation.
The comedy also pays tribute to the great masters of the cinema, like Buñuel or Harold Lloyd.



Nowadays The Deatch of a Bureaucrat is considered a cult film.
"...Gutiérrez Alea is using comedy to make some serious points, leading him to refuse the traditional course of comedic closure and to make the audience think past the last laugh." The Chicago Reader. 28/09/1979.

The film will be hosted by the University of Edimburgh Latin America Society.

The Conversation. (USA, 1974) 113´. 09/05/2013

This film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola tells the story of Harry Caul (Gene Hackman). Harry is a surveillance expert, who runs his own company in San Francisco. Harry has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that a couple he is spying on will be murdered.



The film was nominated For three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It is also well rated by critics.
"The Conversation is an intricate and unsettlingly subtle character study, with a very strong performance from Hackman" Nick Hilditch. BBC. 05/03/2002.
See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwfI5YwvcrI 

 

Billy Elliot (UK, 2000) 110´ . 02/05/2013

 This drama film was directed by Stephen Daldry. It is Set in northern England during the 1984-5 coal miners' strike, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer dealing with the negative stereotype of the male ballet dancer.



The film won three Baftas including the Best British Independent Movie. It got good reviews.
"Engrossing, funny, very sad, very moving and very uplifting" William Gallagher. BBC. 01/01/2000

Doubt. (USA, 2008) 104´ 26/04/2013

This drama film was directed by John Patrick Shanley and is based on a theatre play
It is set in 1964 at a Catholic church in the Bronx, New York, where the progressive-minded Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) tries to introduce new ideas. His aims clash into, Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), the strict and conservative principal of the attached school.



Doubt received five Academy Awards nominations on January 22, 2009, for its four lead actors and for Shanley's script. It is also  well-acclaimed by the critics.
"Doubt works best when the performers are simply allowed to spar." David Fear. Time out New York. 15/09/2011.

See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnrmWLp1Ub8

The Wind Journeys. (Colombia, 2009) 117´ 19/04/2013

The film was written and directed by Ciro Guerra and it tells the story of Ignacio Carrillo (Marciano Martínez) is a vallenato (popular folk music of Colombia). After his wife's sudden death, Ignacio decides to stop playing and return his accordion, which is said to be cursed, to his master. He is joined by Fermín Morales (Yull Núñez), a teenage boy who admires Ignacio and wishes to become a juglar like him.
The film is going to be hosted by the Edinburgh University Latin America Society, so it will be an amazing opportunity of learning about the situation of South America.



The film was chosen to participate in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in Official Selection.
"Filmed stunningly in 80 locations, the mountains, forests, fields and sands often reduce the two travelers to specks." M. Abby Joseph. Yahoo! Voices. 16/04/2010.
See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M5bQ3CmWGI
More information about the Edinburgh University Latin America Society: http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/society/LatAm/

Memento (USA, 2001) 112´. 13/04/2013.

This psychological thriller was directed by Christopher Nolan.  It stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a man who got anterograde amnesia after suffering an accident while he was trying to avoid his wife´s murder. This amnesia impairs his ability to store new explicit memories, so he has developed a system for recollection using hand-written notes, tattoos, and Polaroid photos. Dispite of this problem, he is resolute in finding his partner´s killer and revenge her.



The film received numerous accolades, including the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2001  Sundance Festival. Apart from being met with positive reviews from critics, this thriller was also well-praised by scientific community, a lot of experts consider that the depiction of the amnesia is very accurate and realistic.
"A diabolical and absorbing experience." Roger Ebert. Chicago Sun-Times.13/04/2001

See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vS0E9bBSL0