MEMORIA (2021) directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
“In here, time stops”. Thai Director, screenwriter and producer Apichatpong Weerasethakul has set his latest offering MEMORIA (2021) in Colombia. He has managed to uncover a sense of peace that one would have thought hard to…
Renaissance Man
Doctor, poet and musician, Jorge Drexler has taken the long and winding road to global success. Winning an Oscar at 41 – the first ever for a song not sung in English – was just the beginning. Now recognised as one of the finest…
Caetano Veloso – 54 days during the dictatorship
Narciso em Ferias (Narcissus Off-duty) is Caetano Veloso’s personal testimony of his arrest and imprisonment in 1968 during the dictatorship in Brazil. Premiering at the Venice Biennale and shown at DocLisboa, the film follows…
Fantasy Football - The Power of Spain's Autonomous Communities
It is no surprise that Basque and Catalan football fans waited with baited breath for the result of the Scottish Referendum, seeking inspiration. They know better than anybody the talent in Spain’s autonomous communities and its…
Baila La Cumbia
Baila La Cumbia - Tropical tunes from the South West guaranteed to get your feet on the dancefloor!
J Balvin at the 02 Arena
A night of show-stopping, awe-inspiring production mixed with the perfect ratio of laid-back and heart-warming moments from the artist. J Balvin at this height of his career continues to set the standard for creativity, …
LATIN LONDONER #5 Katya Torres de la Rocha - Entrepreneur
Mexican born Katya Torres de la Rocha, is the CEO of www.mexgrocer.co.uk. which sells authentic Mexican food groceries and at 40 years old was voted Business Personality of the Year by both the public and the judges. Here is her…
"Don’t Even Try": Breaking Shakespeare’s Glass Ceiling
"I loved Shakespeare, but almost every fellow actor, manager and director told me: ‘don’t even try.’” Mexican-born Jimena Larraguivel didn’t want to be in telenovelas. She wanted to be on stage. But with her strong accent…
An inspired Cuban Production of Bizet's Carmen
Cuba's natural setting, with its own historical and cultural drama, and the plethora of high quality performing artists, singers and musicians make for a triumphant production of Bizet's Carmen.
The Lost Children, 2024, by Orlando von Einsiedel, Lali Houghton and Jorge Durán.
“Until we find them” – This gripping documentary reveals the extraordinary trials of 3 young children and a baby, the sole survivors of a small plane crash in the remotest Colombian Amazon, seen from the point of view of their…
DJ Flecha's Top Ten Cuban Tunes
DJ Flecha has had an amazing DJ career, playing with the most famous Cuban bands such as Los Van Van, Charanga Habanera, Adalberto Álvarez, Manolito Y Su Trabuco, Paulo F.G, Pupi Y Los Que Son Son and Issac Delgado. This is his…
Latin Londoner #40: Monica Feria-Tinta, Barrister
Originally from Peru, Monica was shortlisted Barrister of the Year in the Lawyer’s Awards and is an elected bencher of Middle Temple. She holds an LLM in International Law (LSE) and was awarded the prestigious Diploma of the…
Britpop's Favourite Timbalero
When Colombian timbal player Roberto Pla arrived the UK in the 1970s, the Latin music scene was practically non-existent. But the boy from Baranquilla soon became the percussionist of choice for UK pop artists such as Joe…
THE MOLE AGENT (2020) Dir. Maite Alberdi
“I love the fact that everything I would like to invent already exists; the challenge is to find it!” With this attitude, Chilean director Maite Alberdi brings her highly original eye to her documentaries, not least THE MOLE…
‘THE FEVER’ (A Febre -2019) by Brazilian director Maya Da-Rin -
“Like a hunter with no prey”- The multi-award winning ‘THE FEVER’ has a haunting, dreamy quality. We are immediately immersed in the quiet, alienated world of the protagonist, who is surrounded by an environment dominated by…
We Love Johnny Pacheco
And this is the bit where we say thank you to the legend on whose shoulders we stand. Put simply, Johnny Pacheco, flautist, percussionist, bandleader, arranger and co-founder of Fania Records, was one of the most influential…
LOVIN' LATIN LONDON - The Dancers
From village pubs to Saturday night television, Latin dances are captivating UK audiences more than ever before. It’s time to recognise the real stars of the show – from Tango and Salsa to Samba and Flamenco. London’s Latin…
Surrogate Latino #1 Ian Mursell – Founder of Mexicolore with Graciela Sanchez
LAYING DOWN THE LORE – For 30 years Ian Mursell, development education specialist and his wife Graciela Sánchez, a dancer with the world famous Ballet Folklórico de México, and have worked with 2,000 primary schools and a wealth…
Things That Matter to...La Mala Rodriguez
La Mala Rodriguez is one of the most successful Hispanic artists today. When Rosalia was still in her nappies, Mala was recording with some of the world's most commercial Latino artists as the only Spanish rapper to gain…
Esnayder's Empanadas Paisas
Empanadas are the most traditional of Latin American dishes, with their origen in the north of Spain, introduced the by moors during the their ocupation. Today you can find empanadas on any Latin American high street, as one…
Tierra Peru
A thoughtful menu and a obvious passion for bringing the best of Peru to London that will delight both Peruvophiles and Islington Residents
El Parador
El Parador is somewhat of a legend as small local restaurants go, a North London favourite this small Spanish restaurant is clearly popular with young and older North Londoners, single adults, and couples looking for a relaxed…
Shake It Off!
As we head towards the easing of lockdown we all feel a little relieved. But the carnage that the pandemic has wreaked on our mental health has yet to be unveiled. Rafael Santandreu, one of the world’s leading psychologists,…
Messi is the greatest, so was Diego
Argentina’s well-deserved victory in Qatar means that this South American nation has not only won two World Cups as a democratic country (a third under dictatorship), but each have been achieved thanks to the greatest player of…
From Reggaetón to Urban Latin: What Happened after the Boom?
Five years ago Reggaetón exploded onto the US music scene with NORE’s Oye Mi Canto. Fresh out of the streets of Puerto Rico and Panama, Latino kids, the US’s fastest rising demographic, were going crazy for it in every major city…
The Heart of Brazil
Brazil’s definitive fiesta front man, Zeca Pagodinho, is one of the country’s most loved artists. Embodying the free, easy-going Carioca spirit and representing the tradition of sambas de raiz (grassroot sambas), Zeca…
'The Latin American Cookbook' by Virgilio Martinez
Danica Katich delves into a masterpiece of research, commitment to food and ode to cooking and sharing by one of Peru’s most magnificent chefs
Things That Matter… Jards Macalé
Having worked with some of the biggest names in Brazilian music, including Joao Donato, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and more, Jards Macalé has garnered status as one of the most influential samba and tropicalia artists. Macalé’s…
Chronicle of a Repression Foretold
In 1975, one-year-old Carole Concha Bell and her family journeyed into exile. They fled Chile as refugees during the Pinochet dictatorship, after her grandfather, a government official for the democratically elected Socialist…
Remembering, Mongo Santamaría, Cuban Percussionist (1917-2003)
Mongo Santamaria is arguably the best Conguero ever! Part of that generation of Cuban percussionists who emigrated to the States in the 40s and 50s, Mongo had a fantastic career, recording crossover hits, releasing critically…
"At the end of the day what's most important is family"
We talk to Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjona (daughter of Guatemalan singer Richardo Arjona) and Diego Boneta (hot off his title role in Netflix's Luis Miguel: The Series) who make up the stellar Latino cast of a…
The death of Fidel Castro, what his legacy to Cuba has been, and how he should be remembered.
Richard Gott, historian, journalist and one of the few foreigners who met both Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, recounts his impressions of the 20th century revolutionary icon.
...Argentine Beef
There is nothing quite like the taste of an Argentine 'parrilla', whether its the waft of prime beef grilling from a Buenos Aires building site or its idyllic mingling with Eucalyptus whislt lying in the Pampa sun.…
Slow Cooked BBQ Cuban Mojo Pulled Pork with Mojito Dipping Sauce
Ever since watching last year’s hot movie Chef, we here at Latinolife have been craving a Cuban Sandwich and other Cuban delicacies. This Cuban twist on a crockpot pulled pork will knock the socks off of any dinner guest. It…
By Reason, By Force: an interview with Chilean artist Mario Fonseca
Mario Fonseca: Conceptual Artist, Writer and Photographer talks about Chile today and how the Military Dictatorship (1973-1989) affected his work.