The Girl Who Stole the Show
EIZA GONZALEZ REYNA in ‘Baby Driver (2017)’ won us over completely, says Latinolife film critic Corina Poore who was impressed by the rising Mexican star at the end of the summer's Pop up screens.
Cause and Effect in Bolivian Art
In the first ever show of Bolivian Contemporary Art in London featuring four Bolivian artists - painters Ivan Benítez and Marcelo Rodríguez and photographers Javier Molina and Fabiola Retamozo - ‘Analogue Intercourse‘ refers to…
SURVIVING BAHIA'S CARNIVAL
Sweaty grabbing men, cheesy electric guitar music, trance-enducing drumming and plenty of piss: how our girl in Salvador de Bahia got lost in the frenzy that was Brazilian Carnival 2010 and managed to come out to tell the tale.
Latin Londoner #38: Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis, Dancer, Choreographer and Actor
Raised in East London Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis is a queer dancer, actor, choreographer and proud afro-Latina from Dominican Republic. Starting out as a dancer including on an international tour with artist Wizkid and on the…
LATIN LONDONER #27 - Juanita Euka - Singer-Songwriter
Juanita Euka is a LUKAS award-winning singer-songwriter. Niece of Congolese rumba legend Franco Luambo, she grew up in Buenos Aires before arriving on UK shores. Known for her work with Wara, London Afrobeat Collective and…
Alejo Durán (1919-1989) - Colombia’s first king of Vallenato
Alejo Durán was the first accordion player to win the Leyendas de Vallenato Festival, an event that creates superstars in Colombia. Labourer by day and one of the country's most prolific Vallenato composers and performers by…
Remembering Rodolfo Aicardi
Blessed with an unusual voice, which exuded passion and raw emotion, an era of great songs that connected with audiences every day lives, and a magnetic charisma, Rodolfo Aicardi was one of Colombia’s biggest Cumbia stars of the…
Looking for Trouble – The Life and Poems of Roque Dalton
As the first bi-lingual edition of a selected works of the Salvadoran poet, Roque Dalton, is published, Roger Atwood reflects on the life and work of one of Central America's greatest literary figures and revolutionaries…
Great Latin American films from 2021
2021 was a difficult year for film, especially cinema releases. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2021 Academy Awards event took place in April 2021, at the usual event venue, the spectacular Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los…
"Critics in Chile Did Not Consider Me a Writer"
Isabel Allende is one of the Spanish-speaking world’s most widely read authors. The award-winning Chilean novelist has written over twenty books, which have gone on to sell over 74 million copies worldwide and be translated into…
Films to Watch Before You Die #2 - 'El Mismo Amor, la Misma Lluvia' by Juan Jose Campanella
OLIVETTI BLUES – A two-hour journey into the beauty of love, passion and dreams.
Films To Watch Before You Die #8 - Strawberry and Chocolate (Fresa y Chocolate) Cuba 1993
One of the most memorable queer films in Latin American film history, Strawberry and Chocolate is a delightful 1993 film by Cuban directors Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio, where seduction is the operative word.
Things You Should Know About...Inspiring US Afro-Latinxs
Changing the world in everything from Poetry to Baseball, from Politics to Hollywood, here, in no particular order, are just some of the US Afro-Latinos who have helped shape the American landscape and who you should definitely…
“…And Some Have Greatness Thrust Upon Them.”
‘Argentina 85’ directed by Santiago Mitre and starring Ricardo Darín and Peter Lanzani, is a taut, fact-based courtroom drama that is as suspenseful as it is intense. It tells the story of how Julio César Strassera and his…
HOLA London @ The 02
Summer Showers Couldn’t Rain on Hola! London’s Parade of Latin Stars including Juan Luis Guerra, Juanes, David Bisbal and Sebastián Yatra
Between Land and Sea - an interview with Cuban artist Armando Mariño
One of Cuba’s most well-known contemporary artists, Armando Mariño studied in Havana, now lives and works in New York and exhibits all over the world. Now in London showing his large scale works rooted within the stories of…
UK Latino Music Producers
With the UK Latin urban music scene boiling over into the mainstream, a generation of talented Latino producers are rising to the surface. Drawing on their diverse Latin American roots, London influences, and the talent and…
Spotlight on... Gigolo & La Exce
Ronald Rafael Tejeda Santos and Jean Carlos Ferreira Suero, artistically known as Gigolo and La Exce formed the reggaeton, trap and urban music duo from San Juan, Puerto Rico, famous for the singles such as "Nasty,"…
REMEMBERING SELENA
I'm willing to bet that you've seen a few Jennifer Lopez films. But have you seen her best one? The one where she plays another musical star - who was even bigger than ‘Jenny from the Block’ would go on to be.…
Myth or Reality, and Does it Matter?
Supposedly based on a true story about Basque farm lad, who started to grow uncontrollably to became Europe’s tallest man, reaching a height of 2,42m, Handia swept the boards at the 2018 Goya Awards, winning 10 out of their 13…
Top 10 Best Guacamoles in London
The world seems to have gone avocado mad. This delicious, healthy fast-food is no longer Latin America’s best kept secret. In the UK alone avocado sales have soared to an astounding £142 million in past year. Petitions have…
On The Trail of Che
A wave of nostalgia is sweeping Latin America as the 50th anniversary of the death of Che Guevara approaches. Julio Etchart follows the ‘Che route’ to the remote spot where the revolutionary icon was executed.
Brave New Woman: An Interview with Nathy Peluso
Fiery and fearless, big and bold, Nathy Peluso aims to provoke. A woman’s woman, she creates characters and shape-shifts between styles, genres and languages; hiphop, R&B, salsa or jazz - nothing fazes this Spanish raised-…
The Films of Armando Bó
In the first of our 'Memorable Film' series on Latin America and Spain’s most memorable films and directors, Latinolife’s film editor, Corina Poore, profiles the ground-breaking Argentine director Armando Bó
Things That Matter to...Nestor García Gonzalez
32 year old Mexican Nestor Garcia Gonzalez has been working as a professional break-dancer for the last 9 years. In Mexico he was flexing his amazing talent in international touring shows, such as the Michael Jackson tribute and…
CRASHING THE BALL: Meet the UK Latina Actors Taking the Stage
What happens when you bring thirteen Latina actors together to take part in the first ever magazine cover dedicated to Latin American film and theatre makers in the UK? LatinoLife shared a special moment with Díana Bermudez,…
Our Favourite Latin Christmas Songs
Christmas is a universal celebration, but the feelings it generates is different for every culture and every country, by the music we listen to, the food we eat, our idiosyncratic festive habits. Every December in the UK, when…
TIEMPOS DE GLORIA
From revolution, exile, immigration and hardship to becoming the world’s first ever mainstream Latina pop star. Gloria Estefan recounts her life to Amaranta Wright in an intimate interview that reveals the ecstasies, agonies and…
Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America (1935 - 2009)
It is 11 years since Mercedes Sosa - the singer and exponent of what became known as 'nueva cancion' - died, but her musical legacy lives on, not just in her native Argentina or even Latin America but across the globe.…
JORGE SPITERI - Musician (1951 - 2020)
The Venezuelan composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, vocalist and much- loved friend, died on Sunday May 24th 2020, from cancer in North Carolina, USA. Jorge was a pioneer of Latin rock and funk mixed…
'Tu Casa Mi Casa' by Enrique Olvera
Enrique Olvera, the world-renowned chef behind Mexico City’s Pujol and New York’s Cosme, has collaborated with three Mexican chefs for his first home cooking book “Tu Casa Mi Casa”. Marketed as “Mexican recipes for the home cook…
10 Argentine Female Urban Artists to watch out for
Argentina’s urban and experimental music scenes are bubbling with talent — here are ten women rewriting sounds and shaking up expectations. Follow them, listen close.
Peru 1982: A Six-month Photo Odyssey in South America
An exhibition at the Peruvian Embassy by photographer Tony Hutchings showcases the country's stunning landscapes and rich cultural diversity, captured during a six-month trip to South America.
'Sin Señas Particulares' Dir. Fernanda Valadez
The Devil is Alive and well on the Mexican Border in ‘Sin Señas Particulares’ (Identifying Features - 2020), one of the Latino highlights at the 2020 BFI London Film Festival - a moving, multi-award-winning Opera Prima from…
Top Ten Reggaeton Hits of March
If you are stuck at home waiting for that 21st of June to come along…I bring you hope with the best tracks of the month that will make you look forward to sunny and going-out days again! Check out the likes of Bad Bunny, Rosalía…