Past screening

Caprichosos de San Telmo

Directed by: Alison Murray
Runtime: 1hr 12min Year: 2011
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Details

Directed by: Alison Murray
Runtime: 1hr 12min Year: 2011
Country: Canada, Argentina
Last Screened: Tue 26th Jan 2016

A portrait of the working class musicians and dancers of Buenos Aires’ San Telmo neighbourhood, who have channelled the city’s many cultural influences into the street performance called Murga.

The second film in our Filmmakers Showcase strand is Alison Murray’s personal homage to the working class musicians and dancers of Buenos Aires’s San Telmo neighbourhood.

Every year, Pichi (Hector Roterio) a local taxi driver, assembles a group of locals to train for the annual parade. At first glance, they don’t look promising – Sergio has clearly led a hard life but turns out to be a surprisingly fluid dancer. Maria Eva comes alive teaching murga moves to the new girls in the neighborhood, under her watchful eye, they practice the rhythms and its accompanying steps.

Murga is a remnant of Argentina’s former African communities, but is now practiced by anyone in this impoverished neighbourhood who can surrender to its pull.

This new strand is a specially curated showcase featuring some of the most creative and visually inventive doc makers working today.