2009 Sydney Latin American Film Festival

Country: Chile

199 TIPS TO BE HAPPY

199 RECETAS PARA SER FELIZ

Director Andrés Waissbluth will introduce the film.

Andrés Waissbluth, 2008, 2010, Feature, Chile, Spain, 99min, Spanish, Catalan with English subtitles

A Chilean couple, Tomás and Helena, living in Barcelona in the grip of a heat wave receive an unexpected visitor: Sandra, the girlfriend of Helena’s recently deceased younger brother. Nymph-like Sandra is in no hurry to leave and slowly manages to wind both Tomas and Helena around her little finger. Tomas is trying to finish his self-help book in spite of his writers’ block and Helena can’t get her dead brother out of her mind.

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CHRISTMAS

Navidad

Some friendships can change your life overnight.

Ursula Budnik, 2009, 2010, Feature, Chile, 104min, Spanish with English subtitles

Two troubled teenagers break into a vacant house on the outskirts of Santiago on Christmas Eve. The young lovers - upbeat Aurora and angst-ridden Ale - have reached an impasse in their blossoming romance.

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OPTICAL ILLUSIONS

Cristián Jiménez, 2009, 2010, Feature, Chile, Francia, Portugal, 105min, Spanish with English subtitles

 

It’s a hazy and baffling new world for Juan following an operation that grants him partial sight after a lifetime of blindness. As he peers closely at the blurry shapes and colors around him, he begins to see the world for what it truly is and perhaps life was better when he was blind.

 

 

Click here for more information on the producer of the film Andrés Waissbluth.

 

 

 

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Masángeles

Polvo nuestro que estás en los cielos

An epic drama about a dysfunctional family, guerilla dreams and military repression.

Beatriz Flores Silva, 2008, 2009, Feature, Belgium, Chile, Cuba, Switzerland, Uruguay, 123min, Spanish with English subtitles

 

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Radio Corazon

A stellar Chilean cast in three provocative tales of love and sex.

Roberto Artiagoitia, 2007, 2009, Feature, Chile, 107min, Spanish with English subtitles

Radio Corazon is a top rating radio program where callers share their most intimate secrets with host Rumpy and his listeners. Tune into the sexy, dramatic and turbulent lives of three individuals as they share their life experiences on-air. 

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Kill Them All

Matar a todos

A tense political thriller about the aftermath of the dirty wars in Uruguay and Chile

Esteban Schroeder, 2007, 2009, Feature, Chile, Germany, Uruguay, 92min, Spanish with English subtitles

Julia Gudari is investigating the kidnapping of Berrios, a Chilean chemist wanted by the international authorities in connection with crimes committed by the Pinochet regime. Everything seems to indicate that the Uruguayan army is holding the man to prevent him from giving evidence as a witness. Julia, who was kidnapped and tortured during the Uruguayan dictatorship, is afraid that her father, General Gudari, is involved in the case. Amid the pressure and threats, Julia realises that if she wants to know the truth, she’ll have to dig into her past and overcome.

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Desierto Sur

Visually stunning, multi-award winning road movie with a story that spans from Spain to Northern Chile.

Shawn Garry, 2007, 2009, Feature, Chile, 100min, Spanish with English subtitles

Beautiful Sofia has led a full and happy life in Barcelona, but the sudden death of her mother sends her reeling. A mysterious “return-to-sender” letter reveals that her mother lived her happiest days far from Spain, in a remote place called Desierto Sur. Filled with sorrow, Sofia leaves Spain for Chile and sets off on a road trip in search of the remote and unknown place.

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Tres y Medio

Jean-Marc Simonneau, 2009, 2010, Short, Chile, 13min, Spanish with English subtitles

Mi torero y lo arriesgado del amor

Jose Miguel Zuñiga, 2008, 2009, Short, Chile, 30min, Spanish with English subtitles

No me pidas que no lo lamente

Don’t ask me not to be sorry

Constanza Fernández, 2008, 2009, Short, Chile, 25min, Spanish with English subtitles