"We are in the golden age" - Latin American cinema comes to town

It is held by the countries, Latin American countries that are

resident in New Zealand.

By resident, she means Latin American countries that have their embassies present here.

And that includes Spain, Chile, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Argentina and Mexico.

So this year we are the coordinators because we arrived again in New Zealand last year.

The Colombian embassy in New Zealand reopened in 2025 after a hiatus of nearly 23 years.

And the task of hosting this nationwide event landed in Ambassador Isaura's office.

It's a sign that interest in Latin America is on the rise in New Zealand.

Professor Alvarado, who's been a supporter of this festival, says his courses in Massey reflect a similar reality.

And we teach, for instance, a course on Latin American cinema.

And so Latin America and Spain, so we deal with not only what happened in Spain or Latin America in the past, but what's happening now.

I teach a course on Latin American music and politics, how Latin America came about and then...

the current situation all over the continent.

So that's a reflection of what the society is.

It is important for everyone to be aware of what's happening and the students respond well to that.

People in the community respond well to that because they want to know what's happening.

They want to discuss that.

So that's our role and that's one of the roles of this film festival too.

It could be a comedy.

Or it could be a drama, it could be a political thriller.

There is a reflection of the complexity, I think, of what Latin America and Spain are all about.