American Film Institute, Association of Ibero-American Cultural Attaches & IDB Cultural Center to Present XVI WASHINGTON LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL September 20

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American Film Institute, Association of Ibero-American Cultural Attaches & IDB Cultural Center to Present XVI WASHINGTON LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL September 20 - October 4
Jury & Audience Awards for Washington Premieres of New Critical, Box Office &
                       Festival Hits From Latin America

      IDB Cultural Center to Host Opening & Closing Special Events, Plus
            September 26 Panel Discussion With Visiting Filmmakers

    SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Film Institute
(AFI), Association of Ibero-American Cultural Attaches and Cultural Center of
the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB Cultural Center) will host the XVI
WASHINGTON LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL September 20 through October 4, 2005.
For the first time in the Festival's history, special screening events will be
held at the IDB's new Conference Center.  The IDB is the oldest and largest
regional development bank, created in the nation's capital in 1959 by John F.
Kennedy to nurture Latin American economic and social development.
    The 2005 Festival presentation of 28 Latin American multiple award
winners, festival favorites, box office hits and debut works by promising new
talent will be held at AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland, with
special opening and closing night events and a filmmaker panel discussion at
the IDB's new auditorium at 1330 New York Avenue, NW, in downtown Washington,
DC.
    Among this year's lineup, the 2005 Festival includes two award-winning
films submitted for Oscar consideration in 2004 as Best Foreign Language Film:
Brazil's OLGA and Peru's PAPER DOVE, plus international award winners and
festival favorites WHISKY (Cannes), REDEEMER and CAZUZA: TIME DOESN'T STOP
(Brazilian Film Academy Awards), DUCK SEASON (AFI FEST), HABANA-HAVANA and
ADDITIONS AND SUBTRACTIONS (Miami Latino Film Festival), DIARY OF A PROVINCIAL
GIRL (Rio de Janeiro Film Festival) and BAD BLOOD (San Sebastian Film
Festival).  Every film in the Washington Latin American Film Festival is
either a world premiere (THE CURSE OF FATHER CARDONA, from the Dominican
Republic in its first Festival entry), US premiere (Paraguay's RIGHT-LEFT) or
Washington area premiere.
    "The past 15 AFI Latin American Film Festivals have brought Washington
audiences talent as extraordinary as Salma Hayek (NO ONE WRITES TO THE
COLONEL, 2000)," says Murray Horwitz, director and COO, AFI Silver Theatre.
"As Latin American talent competes at the top of the list of international
award contenders-with such actors as Gael Garcia Bernal (THE MOTORCYCLE
DIARIES, BAD EDUCATION) and directors such as Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
(AMORES PERROS) and Fernando Meirelles (CITY OF GOD, THE CONSTANT GARDENER)--
AFI is pleased to present other spectacular newcomers in the best of the new
films produced by, directed by and starring Latin Americans.  We're delighted
to partner with the Association of Ibero-American Attaches and the IDB in
showcasing the best of new Latin American cinema."
    The Festival's second annual jury prizes for Best Feature, Best Director,
Best Actor and Actress will be selected by Jeffrey Middens, American
University professor of literature; journalist Maria Isabel Rivero (DPA) and
Margarita de la Vega-Hurtado, executive director of the International Film
Seminars, New York.  Audiences can vote for Best Feature for the Washington
Latin American Film Festival Audience Award.

    Special Events at the IDB's Cultural Center (1300 New York Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC) include:

     *  A September 20, 5:30 p.m. invitational opening night reception,
        followed by a 7:00 p.m. screening of Brazil's MY UNCLE KILLED A GUY
        [Meu Tio Matou um Cara];

     *  A September 26, 6:30 p.m. free-to-the-public visiting filmmaker panel
        discussion, moderated by Lydia Bendersky, Cultural Attache of the
        Embassy of Chile, with Filmfest DC Festival Director Tony Gittens and
        Latin American filmmakers. Filmmakers/talent scheduled to appear on
        the panel include Argentina's Vera Fogwill (director/writer/actress,
        KEPT AND DREAMLESS [Las Mantenidas Sin Suenos]), Chile's Matias Ovalle
        (writer/producer, BAD BLOOD [Mala leche]), Costa Rica's Esteban
        Ramirez (director/writer/producer, CARIBE); Nicaragua's Gabriel
        Travesari (director/writer, ALONG THE PATHWAYS [Por Los Caminos]),
        Paraguay's Rafael Kohan (director/writer, RIGHT-LEFT [Derecha-
        Izquierda]; and Peru's Sergio Galliani (actor, PAPER DOVE [Paloma de
        Papel]). Simultaneous interpretation to English will be provided by
        the IDB.

     *  An October 4 invitational closing night ceremony, highlighted by a
        5:30 - 6:30 p.m. wrap reception where jury and audience award winners
        will be announced, followed by a 7:00 p.m. screening of Mexico's
        @FESTIVBERCINE.RON.

    Filmmakers and talent scheduled to present and discuss their films at the
Festival's five live on-stage presentations at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural
Center (8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD) include the director of
Argentina's BUENOS AIRES 100 KM, Pablo Jose Meza; the director, producer and
star of Brazil's OLGA, director Jayme Monjardim, producer Rita Buzzar and lead
actress Camila Ribeiro Da Silva; the producer of Brazil's DIARY OF A
PROVINCIAL GIRL [Vida de Menina], Carla Esmeralda; the director of Chile's MY
BEST ENEMY [Mi Mejor Enemigo], Alex Bowen; and the director of El Salvador's
PORTRAITS OF CLEMENTINA [Retratos de Clementina], Paula Heredia. Festival
appearance dates will be posted on Silver Theatre's on-line schedule at
http://www.AFI.com/Silver.
    AFI Silver Theatre's Festival kick-off on Wednesday, September 21, will
include a 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. invitational post-screening reception at Silver
Spring's new Latin American restaurant, Ceviche.
    Tickets for XVI LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL weeknight and weekend
screenings at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center are $9.25 general
admission and $7.50 for seniors, students and AFI members.  Weekday screenings
before 6:00 p.m. are $6.75.  Tickets may be purchased online for no service
fee at http://www.AFI.com/Silver or at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center box
office during normal box office hours (one half hour before the first show of
the day).  Recorded programming information is available at 301.495.6700;
general theater information at 301.495.6720.

     WHAT:   XVI WASHINGTON LATIN AMERICAN FILM
             FESTIVALwww.dclatinamericanfilmfestival.org

     WHO:    LATIN AMERICAN FILMMAKERS

     WHEN:   TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 THROUGH TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4

     WHERE:  AFI SILVER THEATRE AND CULTURAL CENTER
             8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland
             General information: 301.496.6720 or
             http://www.AFI.com/Silver

             IDB CULTURAL CENTER
             Inter-American Development Bank
             1300 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC
             General information: 202 623 3558
             September 26 Filmmaker Panel Discussion: Free and open to the
              public.
             Tickets available first-come, first-served at 6:00 p.m. at the
              IDB Conference Center, 1330 New York Avenue NW, near Metro
              Center.
             Photo ID required to enter.

    For a full Festival schedule, visit http://www.dclatinamericanfilmfestival.org,
or http://www.AFI.com/Silver.
SOURCE American Film Institute
http://www.AFI.com/Silver
CONTACT:
Joan Kirby of AFI, +1-301-495-6747,
jkirby@AFI.com; or Patricia Dalone, +1-703-898-6487,
pdalone@hotmail.com, for XVI WASHINGTON LATIN AMERICAN FILM
FESTIVAL