The Chambermaid (La camarista) (2019)
NAME OF FILM: THE CHAMBERMAID (LA CAMARISTA)
DIRECTOR(S): Lila Avilés
STARRING: Gabriela Cartol, Teresa Sánchez
GENRE: Drama Film
SYNOPSIS: Lila Avilés turns the monotonous workday of Eve (Gabriela Cartol), a chambermaid at a high-end Mexico City hotel, into a beautifully observed film of rich detail. Set entirely in this alienating environment, with extended scenes taking place in the guest rooms, hallways, and cleaning facilities, this minimalist yet sumptuous movie brings to the fore Eve’s hopes, dreams, and desires.
The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association announced the winners for the 2019 Latino Entertainment Film Awards where “Parasite” won the most awards with five, including Best Picture, Director (Bong Joon-Ho), Original Screenplay (Bong Joon-Ho and Jin Won Han), International Feature (for the country of South Korea), and Film Editing (Yang Jinmo).
Netflix’s gangster epic “The Irishman” leads the nominations for the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA)’s second annual Latino Entertainment Film Awards with 10 nominations. “Monos” picked up seven nominations, and six nominations went to “Parasite,” “The Two Popes” and “Marriage Story.”
Cinema Tropical, the non-profit media arts organization leading presenter of Latin American cinema in the United States, announced its Third Annual Shortlist, comprising 25 Latin American films from eight different countries plus six U.S. Latinx productions that the New York–based organization has selected as the best of the year.
The 31st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will screen 188 films from 81 countries, opening with An Almost Ordinary Summer, directed by Simone Godano, on Friday, January 3, and close with Military Wives, directed by Peter Cattaneo on Sunday, January 12.
The 28th Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) will screen 389 films representing 63 countries, from November 7 to 17. The festival will kick off on Thursday, November 7, with the local premiere of the much-lauded “Marriage Story,” starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, and directed by Noah Baumbach.
Ninety-three countries have submitted films for consideration in the International Feature Film category for the 92nd Academy Awards®. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the United States with a predominantly non-English dialogue track. Ghana, Nigeria and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants.
Ashland Independent Film Festival will showcase 13 independent feature films and one short film program from 11 countries, including Bulgaria, Siberia, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Denmark, Kenya, Iceland, Israel, Egypt, and the USA for the 30th annual Varsity World Film Week running Oct. 4 through Oct. 11 at the Varsity Theatre in downtown Ashland.
The 2019 AFI Latin American Film Festival will take place September 12–October 2 at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. Celebrating its 30th edition this year, the festival honors Ibero-American cultural connections during National Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s festival will showcase 53 films, nearly 40% of the films are directed by women.
Kino Lorber will release The Chambermaid (La camarista), the auspicious and engaging film debut by Mexican director-actress-dramatist Lila Avilés, recently named one of Variety’s “10 Latinxs to Watch 2019.”
Nearly $40,000 in prizes and awards were presented to the winners of the juried Golden Gate Award (GGA) competitions at the 2019 San Francisco International Film Festival. The top prizes New Directors Award and $10,000 cash prize went to The Chambermaid, directed by Lila Avilés and Documentary Feature Award and $10,000 cash prize went to Midnight Traveler directed by Hassan Fazili.
Feature films, short films, music videos, and more, highlighting a diversity of themes, genres, and styles characteristic of contemporary national and international cinema trends will be presented at the twenty-second Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (CLAIFF22), May 1 to 5, 2019, in Austin, Texas.
