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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

2011 Copa America Film & Book Festival

The 2011 Copa America tournament is more than a year away but I have to start preparations for a personal tie-in competition this summer because unlike the 2007 film edition, I plan to have a literature category as well. So that means I will pick a film and a book from all the nations taking part in the 2011 tournament.

Also, unlike 2007, I will not draw the books and films into groups as per the soccer tournament. Instead, I will pick an outright winner from all the books and films.

Books

The main criteria for a book's selection is that the author must be born in the appropriate South American country. If that criteria cannot be met, then it is acceptable to choose a book from a foreign born author whose origins can be traced back to the South American country in question.

Argentina: Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar
Brazil: Philosopher or Dog by Machado de Assis
Bolivia: The Fat man from La Paz by Rosario Santos
Chile: 2666 by Roberto Bolaño
Colombia: Rosario Tijeras by Jorge Franco
Ecuador: Huasipungo by Jorge Icaza
Paraguay: I, The Supreme by Augusto Roa Bastos
Peru: Conversations in the Cathedral by Mario Vargas Llosa
Uruguay: Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano
Venezuela: Chronicles of a Nomad by A.A. Alvarez

Films

The selected film must either be a country's production or co-production. If a co-production cannot be found, then it is acceptable to pick a film made by a director originating from the appropriate South American country.

So far, these are the only selections, with remaining titles to be added in upcoming months.

Argentina: The Secret in Their Eyes (Juan José Campanella)
Chile: Tony Manero (Pablo Larraín)
Colombia: Crab Trap (Oscar Ruiz Navia)
Peru: Milk of Sorrow (Claudia Llosa)

10 or 12

Currently, Mexico and Japan are also invited to the Copa America. However, it is unclear if the two will eventually take part or not. If both nations are allowed to compete, then I will add in a film and book to represent the two countries.

Pause...Start

All the book reading and film viewing will start after the conclusion of this summer's World Cup.


[Update: July 5, 2010]

Some of the books have changed with the following entries replacing the ones mentioned above:

Brazil: Zero by Ignácio de Loyola Brandão
Bolivia: Aurora by Giancarla de Quiroga
Chile: The Secret Holy War of Santiago De Chile by Marco Antonio de la Parra
Colombia: The Armies by Evelio Rosero

The Uruguayan entry will most likely change as well with the new novel being either a work from Martinez Moreno or Juan Carlos Onetti.


[Update: Aug 23, 2010]

One selection change and two more film entries selected.

Argentina: Pablo Trapero's first feature Crane World (1999) replaces The Secret in Their Eyes as the Argentine entry.

Brazil: Black God White Devil (1964, Glauber Rocha)

Uruguay: A Useful Life (2010, Federico Veiroj)
[Update: Nov 15, 2010]

The draw for the 2011 Copa America has been made and both Japan and Mexico will indeed take part.

Group A: Argentina, Colombia, Japan, Bolivia
Group B: Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, Venezuela
Group C: Uruguay, Chile, Mexico, Peru

Thankfully there are no shortage of books and films to choose from both Japan and Mexico but the following two books make the cut:

Mexico: The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela
Japan: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Films selected so far..

Argentina: Crane World (1999, Pablo Trapero)
Bolivia: Cocalero (2007, Alejandro Landes)
Brazil: Black God White Devil (1964, Glauber Rocha)
Chile: Tony Manero (2008, Pablo Larraín)
Colombia: Crab Trap (2009, Oscar Ruiz Navia)
Peru: Milk of Sorrow (2009, Claudia Llosa)
Uruguay: A Useful Life (2010, Federico Veiroj)
Venezuela: El Don (2006, José Ramón Novoa)

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