In 2003, under Raúl Galvez’ direction and programming, the festival decided to expand the concept of Latin films, to include European countries such as Italy, France, Portugal and of course, the “Latin country of Canada: Quebec.”

With the backing of the Consulates of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, Portugal, France, Uruguay, and many friends, volunteers, institutions and sponsors, we intend to bring to Toronto the best possible cinema from these Latin countries.

For “Best Film” the festival has two kinds of votes: for the audience and for the critics’. The coincidences or disagreements that those votes represent, gauge the temperature of the festival. The “best film” for some, is not always the “best films” for others.

The definition of what constitutes a good film varies in proportion to the education, intelligence, maturity and sensibility of each viewer. In accordance with this, each film “completes its being” in ways that differ for every spectator. But, usually, no matter who it is, when a film of quality appears, it's stands out.

So after all, what is a good film?
For TILFF it is the following: a well-balanced equation of content, acting, dialogue, storytelling, photography and soundtrack, that leaves us some ethical goods to ponder. Aesthetics alone are not enough. And importantly, we are in a film moment that relies on a powerful and inebriating technique, while its ethical values shine out.

We’re all tired of high budgeted film that are cheap in content. We favour intelligent independent cinema of every genre. You might however be poor in resources and a lousy filmmaker too. As a certain kind of independent cinema demonstrates with that pretentious language of…nothing. And yes, we are also tired of nothingness.

It is not easy to make good cinema and it’s not easy to get good films for an independent festival. Really, it is a big effort. But thorough these years, you, the audience, have told us that we have satisfied your expectations and have provided a good program. In the end, we believe, that’s what it is all about.

TILFF will be expanding its activities. We will keep you regularly informed through our “comunicados”. Enjoy the festival and thank you so much for the faithful backing and the good wishes we have received in all these years. It is our biggest stimulus.

TILFF 2005

The Toronto International Latin Film Festival presents Spanish and Latin films from around the world to Canadians. We present a festival of Latin films which have universal appeal and that can be enjoyed by Spanish/Portuguese/Italian/French speakers, lovers of Latin culture and Canadian film lovers at large.

All films are subtitled in English*

We select films on the basis of artistic merit and promote the festival, in Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian and French, through all media to as wide a film-loving audience as possible.
With the support of the Toronto-based Spanish, Brazilian, Portugues and French Consulates, we present a selection of films from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Chile, France, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Spain, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Quebec, and elsewhere.

MANDATE
To seek out Spanish/Brazilian/Italian/French/Portuguese language 35 MM FILMS/DVD/VIDEO not normally seen in Toronto that have artistic merit.

To hold a film festival for lovers of the Spanish/Portuguese/Italian/French languages as well as native speakers of those idioms by providing English subtitled prints.

To promote the Festival in the English as well as the Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian media in Toronto to as wide a film-loving audience as possible.

OUR AUDIENCE
Toronto International Latin Film Festival (TILFF) audience is educated and inquiring and has a special interest in Spanish/Brazilian/European Latin culture, due to tourism, and/or a love of the cinema, literature, music and the arts.

Attended by a wide cross section of Toronto's population, the Festival naturally
appeals to the native Spanish/Portuguese/Italian/French speaker as well as the educated Hispanophile. There are more than 800.000 Spanish-speaking people in Canada –more than 250.000 in Toronto- and the numbers keeps growing.

There are more than 2.000.000 Canadians who speak Spanish. And they keep learning. Free Trade with Mexico and other Latin American countries obviously stimulates all this. In the States there are 40.000.000 Spanish-speaking people! No doubt we are heading to a bi-lingual continent.

Given the support of all the consuls representing Spanish and Latin American speaking countries, this film festival achieves great reach and an ever-growing prestige in the Canadian media and audience.

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL LATIN FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING
For the past ten years, Film Festival Director Raúl Gálvez has been one of Canada’s most respected Spanish language film programmers, and has won with his festivals the hearts of Toronto’s enthusiastic film going community.

A writer and filmmaker in his own right, he has built up a rich network of contacts throughout the Spanish and Latin world and sees TILFF 2005 Festival ready to take off from a bigger platform.

NOTE: Some of the films programmed by Mr. Gálvez in past years include:
Sub-Terra (Chile) - No Shame/Sin Vergüenza (Spain) - Pachito Rex (Mexico) -
Grissinopoli (Argentina) - The First Night/La Primera Noche (Colombia) - A
Talking Film/Um Film Falado (Portugal/France/Italy) - East End Kids/Vues De
L'est (Quebec) - The Island/L'isola (Italy) - Common Ground/Lugares Comunes
(Argentina) - Scent Of Oak/Roble de olor (Cuba) - The Mountain Hawk/El
Gavilán de la Sierra (Mexico - Master Building in Copacabana/Edificio Master
en Copacabana (Brazil) - Once Upon A Time In Paradise/El Lugar donde estuvo
el Paraíso (Argentina) - My Time Is Today/Meu Tempo E Hoje, Paulinho Da
Viola (Brazil) - Durval Discos (Brazil) - Human Beings/Seres Humanos (Mexico) – Reflections/Reflejos (Spain) – Every Stewardess Goes To Heaven/Todas Las Azafatas Se Van Al Cielo (Argentina) - Three Nights Of A Saturday/3 Noches de un sábado (Chile) – About Buñuel/Acerca de Buñuel (Spain) – Portrait Of A Nude Woman/Nudo Di Donna (Italy) – Condor Crux (Argentina) – An Hidden Life/Uma Vida Em Segredo (Brazil) – El Leyton (Chile/France) – The Elusive Good/El Bien Esquivo (Perú) – Dog In The Manger/El Perro Del Hortelano (Spain) - The Escape/“La fuga” (Argentina/Spain) – Family Video/“Video de familia” (Cuba) – The Invisible Kids/“Los niños invisibles” (Colombia/Venezuela) –Violet Parfume/“Perfume de violetas” (México) – Alone/“Solas” (Spain) – The Pinochet Case/“El caso Pinochet” (Chile/Spain/France) – Waiting List/“Lista de espera” (Cuba/Spain) – City Of Mary/“Ciudad de María” (Argentina) –“I Love you, made in Chile” (Chile) – Cousin Angelica/“La Prima Angélica” (Sección Joyas: Spain) –“Diástole y Sístole” (Colombia) –Streeters/“De la calle” (México) – Illusion Of Movement/“Ilusión de Movimiento” (Argentina) – Life Is To Whistle/“La Vida Es Silbar” (Cuba) – The Books And The Night/“Los Libros Y La Noche” (Argentina) – Terminal Rite/”Rito Terminal” (México) – Coronation/“Coronación” (Chile) – An Argentinian In New York/“Un argentino en New York” (Argentina) - “Bwana” (Spain) – The Frontier’s Law/“La Ley De La Frontera” (Spain/Argen/France) – Caliber 35/“Kalibre 35 (Colombia) – The City/“La Ciudad” (USA) – A Successful Man/“Un hombre de éxito” (Cuba) – The Immobile Swimmer/“El Nadador Inmóvil” (Argentina) – The Last Zapatistas/“Los Ultimos Zapatistas” (México) – The Romance Of Aniceto and Francisca/“El Romance del Aniceto y la Francisca” (Argentina) – Suddenly Dawn/ “Amaneció de Golpe” (Venezuela) – The Bait/“La Carnada” (Perú) – The Sentimental Teaser/“El Chacotero Sentimental” (Chile) – The Debt/“La Deuda” (Colombia) – The Other Conquest/“La Otra Conquista” (México) – The Sleepwalker/“La Sonámbula" (Arg) – Nude With Oranges/ "Desnudo Con Naranjas” (Venezuela) – Red Ink/“Tinta Roja" (Arg/France) – Thesis/ “Tesis” (Spain) – Soccer Stories/"Historias de Fútbol" (Chile) – Train Of Shadows/ "Tren de Sombras" (Spain) – The Southern Lighthouse/ "El Faro del Sur" (Arg/Spain) – The Snail Strategy/"La Estrategia del Caracol" (Colombia) – Mayor Edipo/"Edipo Alcalde" (Spain/México/Colom) – Paradise Ashes/“Cenizas del Paraíso” (Arg) – Madagascar/ “Madagascar” (Cuba) – To Storm The Heavens/ "Asaltar Los Cielos" (Spain) – Ifygenia/“Ifigenia” (Venezuela) – As Lightning/"Cómo Un Relámpago" (Spain) – The Santera/"Santera" (Cuba) – A Life And Two Errands/ "Una Vida y dos Mandados" (Venezuela) – Chile, The Forgotten Memory/"Chile, la Memoria Olvidada" (Chile) – The Impostor/"El Impostor" (Argentina) – It’s Only One Life/ “La Vida Es Una Sola" (Perú/Alemania) - A Bit Of The Night/“Un Pedazo De Noche” (México) – Eva Perón/“Eva Perón" (Argentina) – Return To Sender/ "Sin Remitente" (México) – Eagles Don’t Catch Flies/“Las Aguilas No Cazan Moscas" (Colombia) – Love Me And You’ll See/ "Quiéreme y verás" (Cuba), and more.

* * *

We are extremely careful to request films with English subtitles.
Very occasionally we get last minute surprises.
There is nothing we can do about that except to inform the audience of the situation as quickly as we can (Notification in the cinema and on this web page.)

This year the critics who will vote for Best Film are:
Isabel Inclán, from the Spanish newspaper Correo Canadiense
Jorge Pica, from the York University radio program Ondas Latinas
Etan Vlessing, from the Hollywood Reporter in Toronto
The audience also votes for Best Film.

Thanks, Raul

TILFF would like to thank the primary sponsors of the 2005 Festival:

VOLUNTEERS

We are very grateful to all our volunteers. Without them the Festival would be simply impossible. And we take care of them repaying their efforts with many tickets for our films in the Festival and more. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please contact us

info@tilff.com