Interview with Patricio Guzmán
Patricio Guzman’s film-making is full of paradoxes; subtle yet scathing, hard-hitting yet humane, highlighting the worst and the best of the human condition with an aesthetic brilliance that moves the viewer. Latinolife talks to…
LATIN LONDONER #16 Fernando Montaño - Royal Ballet Dancer
Originally from the city of Buena Aventura on the Pacific coast of Colombia, dancer Fernando Montaño is now a soloist with the Royal Ballet. Twice a winner of the LUKAS Personality of the Year (2013 and 2014), Fernando has…
Dark Soul - Interview with Spanish Film Director Alberto Rodriguez
Last year, Alberto Rodríguez took home ten Spanish Academy Goya prizes for his suspenseful detective noir Marshland, and this summer it premiered in the UK. It is sure to appeal based solely on its intense but measured action,…
Mexican Bohemia in London - an interview wth Chloe Aridjis
As she prepares to speak at this weekend's Flipside Festival in Suffolk, Mexican author Chloe Aridjis talks to Elizabeth Mistry about stuffed animals and why she has made London her home.
Brazil's Social Realism?
If Ken Loach were Brazilian, he may well have made a film like this. THE SECOND MOTHER is about a set of social rules which have been in place in Brazilian and Latin American culture since colonial times, and which continues to…
Mexico Dances
Celebrating its 56th year, Mexico´s most important and largest dance company, performs in London for the first time in 2 decades. We caught up with Salvador López, Director of Ballet Folklórico de México, in Mexico D.F. before…
Latin Pop's Unlikely Phantom
For someone who has the knack of appearing everywhere in musical theatre, you could say there is something ghost like about Geronimo Rauch, London’s Phantom of the Opera. If not that, this Argentine has so obviously taken life by…
FEELING AZUL
The Legendary Blue Demon Junior is heading back to London to thrill Lucha Libre fans for one night only in spectacular fashion under the dome of the Royal Albert Hall, 30 years to the day, he tells Elizabeth Mistry, since his…
Chola Power
In their frilly petticoats, layered skirts, dainty pumps and bowler hats, Las Cholitas (chola - the name used to describe indigenous women in Latin America), are relatively new to the Lucha Libre ring. Yet the crowds have come…
Seeing Latin America
Passionate about promoting Latin American Art, independent art advisor and curator Sandra Higgins opened her own gallery to do it. Latinolife went to talk to a woman on a mission.
London Londoner #15...Graciela Sanchez
Born in Mexico City, a slight and pretty 17-year-old joined the Ballet Folklorico. Fifty years on Graciela is one London’s outstanding Latin citizens, and her LUKAS award-winning cultural consultancy Mexicolore, that she runs…
Primal Screaming - an interview with Damián Szifrón
Not only do the Mexicans seem to be holding a curious monopoly over Oscars in recent years, hardly a year passes when an Argentine film is not in the running for Best Film in a Foreign Language. This year it was the turn of…
In the Beginning, the Sea…in the End, a Global Literary Journey
Colombian author Tomás González began writing the story of his brother. Thirty years later it is a tale that has travelled the world captivating readers, and now landed in the English speaking world. Latinolife interviews…
Interview with Spanish Director Daniel Monzon
Four years after having won the Goya prize for Best Director with his thriller Celda 211, Daniel Monzón returns with a new film, El Niño. Specialising in adrenaline-laden thrillers based on real-life events, Monzon is at the…
Lita Stantic: The ‘Producer’ of New Argentine Cinema
The career of Argentine film director, scriptwriter and producer Lita Stantic spans for longer than four decades, a time during which Argentine cinema has established itself as a reference among national cinemas. Despite having…
Franco Lolli: a new name in Latin American cinema?
Selected by both Cannes critic’s week and to the BFI London Film Festival, Franco Lolli’s feature debut Gente de Bien, has received widespread critical acclaim. We talked to the young Colombian director during his screening in…
Away from Tacos and Sombresos: CASA Latin American Theatre Festival
The CASA Festival remains the only theatre event dedicated to bringing Latin theatre to the UK. Now in it 5th year, this week the festival embarks on its usual ambitious feat of 45 events, seducing an eclectic London audience…
Spain's Film Intellectual: interview with Ramon Luque
A lover of Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman, Spanish director Ramon Luque is a great Film intellectual, known just as much for his nine books than for the three films that he's made. His latest film, the critically acclaimed…
Shaped in Mexico, Found in London
Both originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Daniela Fernandez founder of Distrito 14 a multi-diciplinery gallery in Monterrey, and Silvia Palacios, founder of their London sister gallery, Platform C, joined forces to take over the…
Portugal's Evita
Ever since she was six years old Lisbon-born Madalena Alberto dreamed of being an actress. Like Eva Perón, her character in Evita, which returns to the London stage next month, Madalena was strong-willed and persistent young girl…
Lucia Puenzo: making her own name in Argentine cinema
Argentine film director Lucía Puenzo speaks to Santiago Oyarzabal about Wakolda, her other projects and her ideas.
LATIN LONDONER # 13 Eddy Vents - Kizomba teacher
Eddy Vents has been surrounded by Lusophone music from the early childhood. His undoubted passion for kizomba and exceptional teaching skills has made him a winner of the award for Kizomba Teacher of the Year in 2014. This is his…
LATIN LONDONER #12 David Benitez - Tango Dancer
United by romantic love and passion for tango David & Kim Benitez are not only great teachers, but also spectacular performers. The sensuality and magnetism of their dance made them win the LUKAS award for Tango Performers of…
LATIN LONDONER #8 BIanca Jagger - Style Diva and Human Rights Activist
A ‘one off’, a glamorous Latin American who has poured her passion and pride into doing the right thing; an example of Latin American solidarity personified.
LATIN LDONDONER #7 Julieta Hernández Adame - Visual Artist
Mexican born Julieta Hernández Adame is a talented artist and printmaker who skilfully uses the urban, the industrial and above all the power of words to make us reflect on the world we leave in. She was voted the Visual Artist…
LATIN LONDONER #4 Sonia Lollia - Zumba Teacher
Parisian born Sonia Isabelle Lollia is half Spanish and Guadeloupan and grew up in a small village outside Paris before coming to London and becoming Zumba Teacher of the Year 2014
Surrogate Latino #2 Monika Molnar - Samba Dancer and Teacher
Monika Molnar is a Hungarian from Slovakia and two times LUKAS winner of the Brazilian Dance Teacher Award. Here is her story
The Fire Within
One of the most successful comedy actors of recent years, Nick Frost plays a depressed office worker in his latest film, who is forced to discover and unleash his ‘Cuban fury’ in order to overcome a bullying boss and …yes,…
The Legend Becomes The Teacher
Antonio Canales is considered one of the greatest Spanish Flamenco Dancers of all time. Once one of the world's biggest Flamenco celebrities, he now dedicates his time to choreography and teaching. Having given a week of…
Paper Passion
Manolo Alcántara is one of the directors of Folds, the award-winning, paper-inspired play, combining circus-skills with live music, that visits the Southbank Centre from the 17th of December. Miriam Muñoyerro meets Spain's…
Sevilla's Firebrand
Maestra Carmen Iniesta is one of Sevilla's finest flamenco dancers and most sought-after teachers. Latinolife talks to her about flamenco's past, future, and how to experience the 'present' when dancing.
Filming Cuba
Next week sees the release of 'Day of the Flowers' - a comedy drama about two Scottish sisters travelling with their late father’s ashes to Cuba, and starring Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta. In this interview, BAFTA…
Butterfly Catching
In Madame Butterfly, the One Man Opera, the butterfly takes flight one more time as the abandoned son goes looking for his father in the US. Mexican born Ignacio Jarquin, who himself metamorphosised from Opera conductor to singer…
Travelling Heart
The new film Viramundo follows legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter Gilberto Gil on a musical journey from Bahia, Brazil to Australia, South Africa, and back to the Brazilian Amazon. It had its UK premier at Barbican in late…