The programme will run for eleven days between November 25 and December 5 and feature some of Latin America's latest successes such as Bus 174, El Bonaerense and an entire Gala Night dedicated to The Motorcycle Diaries.

For the first time, the programme is enhanced by Directors' Retrospectives, Masterclasses and Q&A sessions. The Retrospectives will be focused on three legendary directors: Fernando ‘Pino’ Solanas (Argentina) who will present his last film A Social Genocide followed by a press conference with special guests. The other two will be on Francisco Lombardi (Peru) and Jorge Sanjinés (Bolivia).

César Charlone (Uruguay/Brazil), Director of Photography and Oscar Nominee for ‘Cinematography’ in City of God, will lead a Masterclass on Digital Intermedia and Electronic Postproduction, and the producer of The Motorcycle Diaries, Edgard Tenembaun, from Argentina will participate in a Q&A session after the screening of the film at the Gala Night.

Other special guests are: Professor Michael Chanan with a Masterclass on Latin American Documentaries; the Director Alfonso Rojas Priego (Mexico) who will be presenting his last film The Truce; the Director of Sink the Belgrano and Rebellion, Federico Urioste (Argentina); Paula Rodríguez (Chile), Director of Pinochet's Children; Eva Baratta, Director of 3 Minutes; Alberto Amortegui & Paulo Sanhueza (Chile), Directors of Passport to Justice; Abel Peñalba, Director of Photography in Moebius and the Film Music Composer Mariano Nuñez West (Argentina) to present Moebius and Taxi, an Encounter and offer a masterclass on Latin American music. Also present will be the Colombian actor Jhon Alexander Toro who stars in The First Night (UK Premiere) and Maria, Full of Grace.

Homage will be paid to the late Brazilian director of 'Cinema Marginal', Rogerio Sganzerla. His wife, Helena Ignez, herself a ‘muse’ of Brazilian Cinema Novo, will introduce the screening of The Red Light Bandit and will offer the audience a Q&A session.

This year the festival incorporates three new venues for its events: the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), The Ritzy Cinema and the Latin America Bureau, in addition to Odeon Covent Garden and Odeon Panton Street, where the festival was previously held.

The Film Festival is part of a series of cultural events organized by Discovering LatinAmerica, to show and share the different cultures of Latin America and to raise funds for charities in this region. This year, all proceeds will be channelled through Prema UK in aid of the educational project Schools for a Change, a programme aimed at strengthening the management skills in rural schools in Argentina run by Fundación Compromiso.

For further information and full film schedule please visit: www.discovering-latinamerica.org.uk