Lead by box office hit “Paraíso Travel,” seven Colombian films will be shown at the 12th annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, tying the country’s fledgling industry with Mexico for most entries.
The strong showing at the festival, which is dominated by movies on
immigration and movies shot in Colombia, is the result of a “filmmaking
boom fueled by government subsidies and an emerging social stability,” opines the Los Angeles Times.
For “Paraíso” director, LA-based Simon Brand, who holds both U.S.
and Colombian citizenship, Colombia’s pervasive reputation for violence
makes him “extremely upset.” Only two of the actors in his first
feature stayed home for premieres in Cartagena and Bogota for fear of
being kidnapped, the newspaper reports.
Other entries, writes the Times, include: “La Milagrosa,” about an
upper-class Colombian who undergoes a transformation after being
kidnapped by guerrillas, and “El Angel del Acordeón,” about a poor
11-year-old boy who uses music to try to win the heart of a girl.”