the LACE

HABANA BLUES. 
MON 5th SEPT / 7pm
Cuba / 2005 / Drama – Music / 110 min.

Cuba is a land of music, and consequently a land of musicians. Longtime friends and collaborators Tito and Ruy are preparing for a big concert when they learn that two Spanish record producers want to hear them play; this could be the break they’ve been waiting for. Will Ruy accompany his wife and children to Miami? What will happen to Tito’s grandmother if he goes off on the worldwide tour the Spaniards have been talking about? Habana Blues is full of lots of extraordinary music, but what makes it so special is the way that the director details the lives of these artists, and the choice they might be forced to make regarding their music, their families and their country.

EL CHACOTERO SENTIMENTAL (The Sentimental Teaser). 
TUE 6th SEPT / 8pm
Chile / 1999 / Comedy – Drama / 87 min.

An eccentric host of a popular radio show offering offbeat personal advice takes calls from listeners who disclose their trials, tribulations, and passions. The candid exchange between the host and his listeners leads to three stories that, while different from each other, are similar in the callers’ urgency to reveal all to the radio audience. Based on a successful Chilean radio show, the film portrays stories inspired by real listeners of the show. El chacotero sentimental won the audience award at the Chicago Latino Film Festival, Toulouse Latin America Film Festival and Viña del Mar in 2000.

NUEVE REINAS (Nine Queens). 
THU 8th SEPT / 8pm
Argentina / 2000 / Crime – Thriller / 114 min.

Early one morning, Marcos observes Juan successfully pulling off a bill-changing scam on a cashier, and then getting caught as he attempts to pull the same trick on the next shift. Marcos steps in, claiming to be a policeman, and drags Juan out of the store. Once they are back on the street, Marcos reveals himself to be a fellow swindler with a game of much higher stakes in mind, and he invites Juan to be his partner in crime. A once-in-a-lifetime scheme seemingly falls into their laps - an old-time con man enlists them to sell a forged set of extremely valuable rare stamps, The Nine Queens. The tricky negotiations that ensue bring into the picture a cast of suspicious characters, including Marcos' sister Valeria, their younger brother Federico and a slew of thieves, conmen and pickpockets. As the deceptions mount, it becomes more and more difficult to figure out who is conning whom.

PANTALEON Y LAS VISITADORAS (Captain Pantoja and the Special Services).
SUN 11th SEPT / 7pm
Peru / 2000 / Comedy - Drama / 137 min.

The Peruvian army captain Pantaleon Pantoja, a very serious and efficient officer, is chosen by his superiors to set up a special service of 'visitors' to satisfy the sexual needs of the soldiers posted on remote jungle outposts. At first unhappy about this assignment, he nonetheless puts his remarkable organizational skills in action and in a short time has his 'unit' running smoothly. In the home front things get complicated though; his wife dislikes his long hours and the secrecy surrounding his work, and he, despite being a dedicated husband, feels tempted by one of his "subordinates".

Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN (And Your Mother Too). 
TUE 13th SEPT / 8pm
Mexico / 2001 / Comedy – Drama / 106 min.

In Mexico City, late teen friends Tenoch Iturbide and Julio Zapata are feeling restless as their respective girlfriends are traveling together through Europe before they all begin the next phase of their lives at college. At a lavish family wedding, Tenoch and Julio meet Luisa Cortés, the twenty-something wife of Tenoch's cousin Jano, the two who have just moved to Mexico from Spain. Tenoch and Julio try to impress the beautiful Luisa by telling her that they will be taking a trip to the most beautiful secluded beach in Mexico called “La Boca del Cielo” (translated to “Heaven's Mouth”), the trip and the beach which in reality don't exist. When Luisa learns of Jano's latest marital indiscretion straight from the horse's mouth, she takes Tenoch and Julio's offer to go along on this road trip, meaning that Tenoch and Julio have to pull together quickly a road trip to a non-existent beach...

MACHUCA. 
THU 15th SEPT / 8pm
Chile / 2004 / Biography – Drama / 121 min.

Santiago, capital of Chile during the Marxist government of elected, highly controversial president Salvador Allende. Father McEnroe supports his leftist views by introducing a program at the prestigious school (Catholic prep school) St. Patrick to allow free admission of some proletarian kids. One of them is Pedro Machuca, slum-raised son of the cleaning lady in Gonzalo Infante's liberal-bourgeois home. Yet the new classmates become buddies, paradoxically protesting together as Gonzalo gets adopted by Pedro's slum family and gang. But the adults spoil that too, not in the least when general Pinochet's coup ousts Allende, and supporters such as McEnroe.

CIDADE DE DEUS (City of God). 
SUN 18th SEPT / 7pm
Brazil / 2002 / Crime – Drama / 130 min.

Brazil, 1960's, City of God. The Tender Trio robs motels and gas trucks. Younger kids watch and learn well...too well. 1970's: Li'l Zé has prospered very well and owns the city. He causes violence and fear as he wipes out rival gangs without mercy. His best friend Bené is the only one to keep him on the good side of sanity. Rocket has watched these two gain power for years, and he wants no part of it. Yet he keeps getting swept up in the madness. All he wants to do is take pictures. 1980's: Things are out of control between the last two remaining gangs...will it ever end? Welcome to the City of God.