¡Cine Magnífico! Film Festival Brings Ibero-American Films to Albuquerque

May 22, 2013

"!Cine Magnífico! Albuquerque's Latino Film Festival," presented by the Instituto Cervantes of Albuquerque in partnership with the UNM Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII) and the National Hispanic Cultural Center, announces its inaugural year as it opens from May 30-June 2, 2013. ¡Cine Magnífico! is New Mexico's only film festival presenting the voice and vision of Latin@ cinema. The LAII is proud to support the film festival's first year by serving as Instituto Cervantes' partner in education and outreach for the festival.

¡Cine Magnífico! exhibits contemporary documentaries, short films, and feature films about Spain, Latin America, and Latinos in the U.S. In doing so it promotes intercultural awareness and celebrates the diversity of Ibero-American cultures throughout the world.

"New Mexico is poised to become an internationally renowned locale for Latino cinema," explained Milly Castañeda-Ledwith, co-founder of the festival and cultural events coordinator for Instituto Cervantes. "We've designed the festival to build on New Mexico's expansive heritage and emerging film industry - two features that provide a platform for engaging contemporary filmmakers to bring their work to Albuquerque."

Opening night will kick off at 7:00 p.m. at the National Hispanic Cultural Center's Bank of America Theatre with the acclaimed "Blancanieves/Snow White," a black-and-white silent drama that draws upon the Brothers Grimm and the tale of Snow White.

From Friday to Sunday the festival will continue at the Guild Cinema with an exciting lineup of films such as "Elefante Blanco/White Elephant," a saga of good intentions gone violently awry in Buenos Aires; "Sofía y el Terco/Sofia and the Stubborn Man," a film inspiring in its deft depiction of an older woman's solo journey across remote Colombia; and, among others, "La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus."

Films will be in Spanish and Portuguese with English subtitles. For more information about ¡Cine Magnífico!, including festival pass and pricing details, visit the festival website. To track the most recent details, visit the festival's Facebook page. Alternatively, the film festival poster is available for quick reference.