Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Bitter Christmas’ and Diego Luna’s ‘Ashes’ Lead Latin American Film Festival Lineup

Pedro Almodóvar’s “Bitter Christmas” and Diego Luna’s “Ashes” are among the Latin American Film Festival lineup.

The Latin American Film Festival will take place Sept. 16 through Oct. 7 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The festival will kick off with “The Match,” a documentary depicting the 1986 World Cup match between Argentina and England using archival footage, narration by players Gary Lineker and Jorge Valdano and new testimonials from other players about that day. 

Up next will be Manuela Martelli’s “The Meltdown,” followed by Luna’s fourth directorial feature “Ashes.” Martelli’s coming-of-age thriller is set in post-Pinochet era Chile, and Luna’s feature is an unconventional immigration drama about a young Mexican woman who journeys to Spain with her brother to join the mother who left them behind as children. 

The festival will close with Almodóvar’s latest feature “Bitter Christmas.” The film reunites Almodovar with Argentine actor Leonardo Sbaraglia (“Pain And Glory”). The film follows the parallel stories of two self-obsessed filmmakers who contemplate the limits of inspiration to cure a long period of creative drought. 

The AFI Latin American Film Festival also features the U.S. premieres of several recent favorites from the international festival circuit. The event is dedicated to presenting Latin American talent during National Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s selection of 43 films from 21 countries spans international festival favorites and award winners, local box-office hits and debuts from a new generation of Latin American filmmakers, including 12 U.S. and North American premieres.