CLFFMÁS
will initially feature
short films chosen
from the last five years
of the Festival, with
more added every month
The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago (ILCC), producer of the Chicago Latino Film Festival (CLFF) among other events, announced today the launch of their streaming platform CLFFmás.
Created in partnership with BTEC, an organization dedicated to creating new and exciting opportunities in technology, the platform will initially feature more than 30 short films from Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the United States chosen from past editions of the Chicago Latino Film Festival with new titles to be added monthly. This desktop and mobile subscription-based service will cost $4.99 a month and $3.99 for ILCC members.
To watch on desktop, visit clffmas.com. For mobile viewing, watch right from the Chicago Latino Film Festival app. CLFFmás is made possible by the support of Corona Extra.
“For years, festival goers have asked us where else they can watch our Festival selections, both shorts and features, once the Festival is over. The fact is that, in the case of a feature film, unless it was picked up for distribution our Festival was the one and only place to see them. Short films are even harder to access elsewhere. But now, with this service, film lovers will have a chance to see these shorts 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Pepe Vargas, founder and executive director of the International Latino Cultural Center.
“We receive over 400 short films every year, but we can only program about 10% of them in our festival. I am confident that out of those that are left out, there is another 15-20% that we can now showcase through this service. We want to establish partnerships that will be good for these filmmakers and for us,” added Vargas.
“We are proud to join the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago in launching this exciting cross-platform digital service that will be positioned to be a major contributing player in the Spanish-language digital space. Through CLFFmás, audiences across the country and the world will experience the work of the new visionaries of Latino cinema,” said Xavier Hernández, principal of BTEC.
This first round of titles include such award-winning shorts and CLFF favorites as:
La memoria de los peces (Colombia; Director: Christian Mejía Carrascal), the story of a fisherman who returns to the town from which he ran away many years ago after a massacre;
Huguito (Argentina; Director: Pablo J. Cosco), about a boy who leaves his impoverished neighborhood to travel to the Iguazu Waterfalls in search of his mother;
J-Def (USA; Director: Esaú Meléndez), a portrait of Chicago artist Jeff Maldonado and the arts program he started after his son was killed in a shooting;
Marta Rosa (USA/Mexico; Director: Barbara Cigarroa), about a woman who struggles to persevere after her daughter’s tragic death;
Normal (Venezuela; Director: Vadim Lasca), a drama about the massive anti-Chavez riots that took place in 2014; and Otro Corto (Puerto Rico; Director: Heixan Robles), a comedy about, what else, making movies.
The Chicago Latino Film Festival
The 36th Chicago Latino Film Festival will take place from April 16-30, 2020 at the AMC River East 21 Theatres. The ILCC is currently accepting submissions for both the Festival and its annual poster contest. Feature and shorts filmmakers have until December 16 to submit their titles. The poster contest is open to all artists and submissions are due on January 17, 2020; the winner will be announced on January 31. For more information, visit chicagolatinofilmfestival.org.
ABOUT BTEC
BTEC is and incubator/accelerator media arts and technology training portal/location. Its mission is to implement, enhance, improve, engage and stimulate the learning environments for all students to advance their educational experiences and skills in order to prepare them to live and work in a global economy. Their goal is to become the most sustainable and adaptive entrepreneurship center for people to prosper and succeed in this innovation gig-economy.
ABOUT THE ILCC
The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago is a pan-Latino, nonprofit, multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated to developing, promoting and increasing awareness of Latino cultures among Latinos and other communities by presenting a wide variety of art forms and education including film, music, dance, visual arts, comedy and theater. The Center prides itself for its outstanding multidisciplinary local and international cultural programming which spans Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the United States. | Born out of the Chicago Latino Film Festival, The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago also produces other programs, including the Latino Music Festival, which celebrated its 14th edition in the Fall; Film in the Parks, also in its 14th season; the monthly Reel Film Club, already in its 10th year; and many others. All in all, the audience has grown from 500 people in 1985 for the first Chicago Latino Film Festival to more than 70,000 (Latinos and non-Latinos) who enjoy the year-round multidisciplinary cross-cultural exchanges offered by the Center.
