2012 Carton Festival is on now at La Tribu

Move over, Pixar. If you’ve got some time between now and Sunday and you love animation, La Tribu is the place to be. With a selection of short animated films hailing from Argentina, Germany, Mexico, Spain and Chile, the second international animation festival, Cartón, offers a relaxed atmosphere for enjoying alternative films in a whole new way and—the best part—all for free.

People milled about the auditorium at La Tribu (Lambaré 873) late Wednesday afternoon. Some sat at tables and others on sofas. The espresso machine rumbled from time to time. Short animated films from across the world lit up the screen to the front of the auditorium—short stories in flash, stop motion and traditional animation. A world of fantasy, sometimes innocent but often morbid, comedy, strange creatures and futuristic dreams… Plus a zombie or two.

After its first successful edition last year, it’s time for the sequel of Cartón, an independent animated film festival sponsored by Caloi with the support of Argentina’s film institute, INCAA. While Córdoba has had a successful animation festival for several years (ANIMA), Cartón is the first gathering in Buenos Aires to explore the myriad forms of animation together with animated filmmakers, sketch artists, story writers and the entire community.

In addition to the films themselves, Cartón also includes talks, workshops and live “animated” entertainment. At 11pm on Friday, MaXi Bear Zi, a sketch artist, animator and musician will present his projections to music—live. Saturday is the day for independent comic book artists, with a chance to speak with the creators of different local comic books and purchase a title or two. At 4pm on Saturday afternoon, Nuria Lamfir and Irene Blei from the Film Workshop “El Mate” will offer a workshop for children ages 7-15. A little later that same day, at 7.30pm, Patricia Gualpa and Juan Sgró offer an animation workshop open to all ages; participants are asked to bring only a flashlight, which will be the main tool for creating individual animations.

Cartón runs until Sunday 26th August, with screenings of the winning shorts (and live music) at Cine Cosmos (Corrientes 2046) at 11pm. Visit www.fmlatribu.com/festival for the dates and times of the different sections and activities. Bear in mind that many of the activities could start later than the scheduled time—it’s that kind of festival. All events are free and open to the public.

With more than a million species facing extinction, people around the world lacking safe drinking water, and glaciers melting at an alarming rate, the environment is nagging the minds of many, but not enough.

So the organisers, producers, and filmmakers hope to change that attitude here in Buenos Aires with this year’s Green Film Festival.

If a Tree Falls

“Increasingly more people are taking [the environment] into account. People are interested in the topic, but they do not involve themselves in something concrete,” says Astrid Hoffman, the executive producer of the Green Film Fest.

The international film festival highlights movies from around the world that take a look at environmental issues.

Clean Bin Project

“The films we select attract people who are already involved in the issue but also those who know nothing about it. We look for varied programming, documentaries, animation, fiction, and movies for kids. The most important thing is that there is equilibrium between the message of the film and its visual appeal,” says Hoffman.

The festival is taking place from 16th to 22nd August at Cinemark Palermo, Beruti 399. Each day movies will play from midday to midnight.

The movies look at varying environmental issues including deforestation, fuel, electricity, and meat consumption to name a few.

‘If a Tree Falls’, by director Marshall Curry, tells the captivating and yet haunting story of one of the members of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). The documentary follows Daniel McGowan as he plots the burning of various public buildings including a horse slaughtering plant, an SUV dealership and a US$12m Vail, Colo., ski lodge. The film about the FBI named “domestic terrorists” won the Sundance Film Festival Documentary Editing Award and includes images that burn themselves into your memory.

On a lighter note, ‘The Clean Bin Project’ films the competition between Grant Baldwin, the director of the film, and Jen as they try to live for one year without producing any waste. The two don’t buy anything that would need to be thrown into a trashcan, so no packaging, boxes, bags, etc. While maintaining a lighter spirit the movie looks at the sobering underbelly of the garbage catastrophe all over the world: the Pacific Garbage Patch is an area of ocean the size of Texas where garbage outnumbers the plankton six to one. The hard-hitting facts create the perfect balance and although Jen and Grant sometimes wonder whether or not they can actually make a difference, they follow through with their plan and realise just how much one person can do.

Play Again

‘Play Again’ promises to be one of the most interesting films at the festival. Director Tonje Hessen Schei puts the spotlight on children in his compelling documentary about their disassociation with nature. With almost 90% of a child’s time spent indoors one quote sums up the entire message of the film: “What they will not value they will not protect and what they will not protect they will lose.”

Finally, among the many must-see documentaries at the festival is ‘The Island President’. The film, directed by Jon Shenk, takes a look at former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed and his crusade to save his country from the dangerous effects of global warming. The tiny island nation in the middle of the Indian Ocean is under threat of sinking due to rising sea levels. The film goes with Nasheed as he plunges under water for local government meetings and raises his voice in international environment councils to grab the attention of the rest of the world.

The Island President

Overall the festival is set to welcome even more guests than last year’s 5,000 with some fantastic and captivating movies.

The event kicks off today with a bicycle tour to the cinema where Hoffman and her team will introduce two of the contributing directors, Josh and Rebecca Tickell, who directed ‘Fuel, Freedom’ and ‘The Big Fix’.

“We are a city that still has many outstanding issues in terms of sustainability,” says Hoffman. “We hope that the festival leaves people thinking and encourages them to change their everyday actions in order to create a better world.”

The Peruvian community celebrated 191 years of independence from Spain over the weekend with an event on Avenida de Mayo between Chacabuco and Plaza de Mayo.  Traditional dancers in colorful dresses twirled down the street to the stage at the base of the Plaza.  Ave de Mayo was lined on both side with food vendors and the smells of grilled chicken, freshly fried churros and more tempted hungry passersby to open their wallets and fill their stomachs.  Photographer Beatrice Murch was on hand to document a bit of the morning’s festivities.

Viva el Peru proclaims this ribbon on the side of the stand for grilled chicken.

Large bottles of Inca Kola, the bright yellow soda from Peru, are offered for sale in a stand along Avenida de Mayo.

Cakes by Don Beto tempt passersby on an early Sunday morning.

A Porteño checks out a hand-woven blanket for sale.

Sparks fly from the burning coals cooking skewered chicken.

Couples dance a traditional dance in full costume down Avenida de Mayo.

Women proclaim their Peruvian pride with red and white face paint on their cheeks.

The marching band plays the Peruvian national anthem at the base of Plaza de Mayo.

Two Peruvian bikers who custom modified their bikes admire each other's work.

The old traditions and the new media.

Starting old traditions out young.

A young woman poses for the camera during the festivities.

Miss Bolivia playing at Ciudad Emergente 2012 (Photo: Lautaro Aránguiz)

If you have been craving a plethora of youth culture activities stuffed into a one medium sized area, then Ciudad Emegente held at Cultural Centro Recoleta between 6th-10th June is right up your street.

With more things going on than you can shake your stick at, the “five days which will join the pulse of half a million young people who pass through the festival,” is a clear effort by Buenos Aires City Government to once again desperately show that they’re at the forefront of porteño youth culture.

For the fifth year, Ciudad Emergente will be cramming live bands, DJs, VJs, fashion, poetry, film, street art, street dance, stand up comedy, theatre, digital art and interactive art, into a five day long extravaganza. Basically, everything and anything associated with youth culture as they can possibly get their hands on.

The festival will be showcasing work and holding lectures from some of the most interesting Argentines currently capturing the digital and graphic art worlds. Famous Argentine graphic designer Alejandro Ros, is exhibiting his infamous designs for CD sleeves, and street artist Lucas Grothesque, will be painting the courtyard. The ‘3D’ theatre spectacle Hombre Vertiente will take its viewers on a water odyssey every night at 9pm, which if you haven’t seen already, take the opportunity to see what you’ve been missing for free.

Although the festival is a platform for up and coming Argentine musicians, it is also made some stage time for big name Latin American bands throughout the week. Bomba Estéreo, one of the largest contemporary Colombian bands, are headlining the first night of the festival with their experimental-brand of cumbia will surely be a crowd pleaser.

People at the entrance of Centro Cultural Recoleta during the opening of Ciudad Emergente 2012 (Photo: Lautaro Aránguiz)

At 6pm on Thursday, see Chilean Ana Tijoux, whose mixed roots and political heritage is feistily exhibited in a rap/hip-hop/Latino infusion. Growing up in France after her parents were exiled from Chile during General Pinochet’s dictatorship, she started out rapping in French and Spanish, moving on to form Tiro de Gracia, the best selling Chilean rap group of all time. Expect politically motivated songs such as Shock, which was inspired by the student protests, and an impressive display of MC-ing 1977.

And then there is Miss Bolivia, whose cheeky reggae is probably the best (and only) aggressive, feminist, lesbian, tropi-cumbia rap you’ll hear all year. Watch her sneer and gyrate in her video for Alta Yama, then be impressed by the fact she’s just as likely to rap about the drug epidemic in South America or the beauty of pluralism as she is about ripping her thong off.

Street dancing will be taking centre stage on the Patio del Ajibe everyday at 4.30pm and 6.30pm, with body poppers and break-dancers contorting themselves in a way that would make your grandma blush. For old school b-boying check out Los Fabulosos Bboys or current Campeonato Knock Out competition holders Terrible Style Crew.

When you need to chill out from all the noise and movement, head to Sala 4 for a spot of spoken word. Almost agonisingly young and talented, emerging Argentine poets and lyricists will be reading their work aloud. Magazine lovers can discover the cream of Argentine youth publications in Sala 12, both events running from Thursday to Sunday.

Also catch brilliant music documentaries on in the BAFICI space, featuring “Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon”, “Leonard Cohen: Live at Isle of White”, Arcade fire’s “Mirror Noir”, and Chemical Brothers’s exhilarating “Don’t Think”. Spanish Film Quiero Tener una Ferretería en Andalucía unveils the lost years of Joe Strummer in Southern Spain, giving a rare insight into the iconic but enigmatic Clash frontman.

If all this isn’t enough, each night at 8.30pm a cutting-edge Argentine fashion designer will be speaking about the aesthetics of their designs.

Phew. The best part? It’s completely free. FREE!!!

Now in it’s 14th year, Instituto Multimedia DerHumALC’s (IMD) International Human Rights Film Festival has brought films focusing on human rights and environmental issues from all corners of the globe to Buenos Aires.

Still from Australian film 'Abendland'

The festival is putting on a mixture of short, medium and long documentary and fiction films, consistently focused on global human rights – a subject that occupies the consciousness of Latin Americans and Argentines due to a far too recent heritage of dictatorships, civil wars and social movements. It therefore makes it fitting for this consciousness to be embodied in the film festival’s theme this year: Identity.

“We chose the issue of Identity because we see it, metaphorically speaking, as a tree deeply rooted in the past to bloom in the actions and choices of the present,” explains IMC festival director, Florencia Santucho.

“Just like the branches and leaves turn towards the sun in search of vital energy, each person needs their identity to freely develop their potential and choose their own path.”

The Greek documentary The Argentina Experiment, one of the films running for the festival’s Feature Films Official Competition, illustrates this mentality by investigating how identity can be derived from the development of present decisions from the actions of the past. It follows Greek director Yorgos Avgeropoulos’s return to Argentina ten years after the economic crisis to see if Greece can learn fiscally from Argentina’s example.

Although constantly framed by the theme of identity, the festival branches off into many sub-topics covering a diverse range of issues, both international and national – from the environment, native peoples, childhood and youth, to migrants and gender views. The festival casts a wide scope, showing films on Colombia, on the Middle East, the Arab Spring, while also opening the ‘window’ to controversial political movements in Venezuela and Cuba.

Films competing in the Feature Films Contest include the Austrian documentary Abendland (meaning ‘evening land’ in German), a critical commentary on the Europe’s addiction to technology and security, and the influence of the Western world. In Acorzado, a Mexican fictional entry, the protagonist decides to make a raft from his neglected taxi and sail off for a better life in the USA, only to find himself in Cuba. The British documentary Cocaine Unwrapped on the other-hand offers a start to finish look at the cocaine trade and asks some important questions about the way governments are fighting back against the industry.

Each film in the festival teaches the viewer lessons on the way we look at life – from Journey to Portugal’s questioning of border control’s treatment of people, to the Canadian short documentary, Keepers of the Water, chronicling the plight of group of children protesting about environmental crime.

Putos Peronistas, Cumbia de un Sentimiento is in competition this year.

This year’s festival also sees the addition of the National Film Contest category, which focuses on homegrown talent. Drawing on the central theme of identity, Sin Punto y Aparte (No Full Stop) follows its director’s return to Argentina after fleeing to Israel during the military dictatorship, and discovering the role of Judaism in modern day Argentina. Putos Peronistas, Cumbia de un Sentimiento (The Peronist Fags, Cumbia Feeling) tells the fascinating story of a revolutionary political group of Peronist homosexuals in a district of Buenos Aires. Also catch the woman’s prison based Captive Moons, and the documentary Jopoi, All Together, on the legacy of Paraguayan indigenous language.

As festival director Florencia Santucho explains, each film corresponds to a “social memory [which] is deeply rooted to the identity of all communities where each and everyone knows who he or she is in view of the sum of past experiences, present commitments and future objectives.”

Through others’ exploration of identity the festival tries to make the viewer question their own perceptions, asking, “how much does the judgement of others influence our perception of ourselves?” The theme of Identity isn’t just there to tie the films together neatly; it’s also a recommendation on how to view these films.

All films are showing in ten venues across the city from the 23^rd to the 30^th May. For more information see the IMD festival’s website for the programme.

Megan Cassidy heads to Argentina’s 8th annual Tattoo Show to meet with organisers, a network of friends who have worked in the industry together for years.

Camera: Celeste Barrera
Editing: Luis Lopez

Help Ambientate make their Christmas wishes come true, supporting them in their aim to host FestEco, Argentina’s first zero carbon festival, in February.

The festival will be funded solely by crowd-funding, via the platform Ideame, and will take place in CheLA, an ex-factory in Parque Patricios.

Ambientate is organizing the festival with the aim of increasing awareness of carbon footprint in a creative and fun way.

Activities will include art, projections, a stage with music and theatre, a fair, information stands, workshops, a kids corner, a ‘green’ food area, a tree planting, games about the carbon footprint and much more!

All using alternative energy, a large part of which will be generated in real time with the public’s participation. To achieve all of this, Ambientaet is working in conjunction with many organizations, engineers, activists, artists, cultivators, cooks and all levels of volunteers.

The festival will take place the weekend of 25th and 26th February in CheLA, a former factory in Parque Patricios, and the space has different spaces where the different themes such as food, transport, energy generation, waste management and responsible consumerism will be tackled.

They say: “When we think of a ‘zero carbon’ festival, what we want to create in Buenos Aires is a space where the various actors and aspects of the carbon and environmental issues can be encountered, and show that we have many tools within our reach to organize an event and have fun contaminating the least possible. This can be translated into daily life, in many actions which we can all incorporate. The first step is knowing how we generate our carbon footprint and what impact it has for all of the environment, to then understand what alternatives we have to reduce it.

“We believe it is fundamental that the festival is free, so that everyone can come to interact and learn.”

Help them achieve their dream by donating now – even the smallest contribution is rewarded!

This is not pixar. It’s Cartón.

Festival Internacional de Cortos de Animación La Tribu, or simply Cartón as it’s been named, opened yesterday and runs until Sunday 6th November. Aimed specifically at amateur and recreational filmmakers, it’s the only Argentine festival dedicated to the celebration of independent animation.

In a city as big as Buenos Aires, you might imagine there’d be similarly minded festivals going on but you’d be wrong. Which is why, as the only festival with such strong independent roots, event organisers have high hopes for Cartón.

With this week serving as the festival’s debut, it’s an enthusiasm obviously shared by many. The event has garnered support from almost a dozen sponsors including ‘Anima’, a bi-annual animation festival held in Córdoba, which steals the title of the biggest in Latin America.

A screenshot from one of the entries in CGI Traditional Animation (Photo courtesy of Cartón)

Event organizer Agustín Sinibaldi, explained that the idea sprang from a program on community radio channel La Tribu, which featured discussions about comics and short film. Rising to demand, Cartón combines the two.

With a focus on short animated film, the festival showcases the techniques of traditional computer generated, stop-motion and flash animation, in free public screenings held over the next four evenings.

The films themselves were submitted in response to a contest held by La Tribu, and selected from some 100 entries. Featuring films from animators in as many as 13 different countries, the agenda for the screenings sees them divided in to genres of comedy, drama, terror, music video clip, and children’s, and promises flash animations as short as one minute next to stop-motions of an incredible 18 minutes.

To qualify for entry into the contest, all films had to meet criteria of less than 30 minutes in length and, if Spanish was not the original language, had to include subtitles for easy judging. Four of the industry’s big names, including award-winning animator Juan Pablo Zaramella, will decide a winner in each category of production, based on content and technique.

Sinibaldi explained that outside of festivals such as Cartón, the internet is the most common place for people to stumble across or share independent animation and is one of the few ways many bedroom animators reach an audience. For many, this is the first time their work has been shown in a public forum, and for the winners, guaranteed appreciation and the opportunity to gain recognition is sufficient a prize. Many of the animators are more than satisfied with the exposure and the enjoyment of coming together in the festival environment.

Animation as we knew it before computers (Photo courtesy of Cartón)

Last night saw the bohemian bar at La Tribu community radio converted into a makeshift cinema. The neon walls burst to life as animators, directors, producers, illustrators, and fans alike, gathered to share and promote animated film as a medium for communication and expression of artistic ideas and techniques.

If you’re thinking of going along but worried that your Spanish isn’t up to scratch, Sinibaldi assures that the visual nature of the festival makes it fun. Whilst it’s true that cartoons are rooted in culture and language, Cartón showcases animation from Latin America and all over the world, without falling victim to language barriers. “The festival creates a way to learn about other cultures through art,” he says. “Even with the cultural code, there’s something universal about cartoons. It’s something that doesn’t need words, just images and sounds.”

Between now and Sunday, what you get besides an animation overload, is four evenings of screenings, discussions, book presentations and talks by some of the festivals sponsors and animation schools. There’s even a drawing workshop; but if you’ve always wanted to learn how to draw like a professional, you’re out of luck. Tagged onto Saturday afternoon’s ‘Infantile’ section, and with the promise of cookies, this one’s only for budding animators eight years old and upward.

And what about the kids? While cartoons are normally associated with children, the alternative and adult content in some of last night’s previews suggests that outside of Saturday afternoon, this might not be the place to bring them. But if you’re looking to relive the Argentine childhood you never had, there will be weekend appearances from kid’s favourite Hijitus, along with other classic and not so classic characters from Argentina’s animation archives.

The winning films will be announced at the festival finale, which takes place on Sunday at Cine Cosmos, the cinema of the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). The selected films will be shown for a second time following a screening of Argentine cartoon ‘Mono Relojero’. The oldest surviving animation reel in Argentina’s cartoon history, it follows the adventures of a clockwork monkey, and will be accompanied by a live score from the aptly named ‘Chancho a Cuerda’ orchestra, which translates as the wind up pig.

With its edgy setting and alternative, independent character, Cartón is the festival for amateur artists, who might see their passion for animation endure an eight hour day and still find the energy to translate it in to the sometimes painstaking work of creating a cartoon.

Uniting directors, producers, filmmakers, artists, illustrators and animators who might not otherwise have met, Cartón offers a prime opportunity to network and connect, and most of all, brings the bedroom animators out of their bedrooms.

The arrival of the most anticipated day of the year has been marked with an optimistic weather forecast. The end of winter is being celebrated in the outdoors in various parks around Buenos Aires with a predicted high of 25˚C. In the city, a minimum of 11 degrees is expected during cloudy spells with a high of 25 in the afternoon due to slight breezes from the north.

Various festivals and activities throughout the city are scheduled; several restaurants are organising urban picnics and the city government has organised a “Welcome Spring: Enjoy without alcohol” festival in San Benito Park. The free festival starts at 14.30, with performances from Rolando Bruno, Yataians, La Mosca, Airbag y Los Cafres.

At Tecnópolis there will be a special programme: motorbike parade, DJs, VJs, live video and ‘rock your life’ competition in the skate park.

Painting the ecobolsas (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Sunday 5th June El Galpón farmers’ market in Chacarita played host to celebrations for World Environment Day, organised by Ambientate. The day-long event included, among other things, an array of bands, a bicycle fashion show and some excellent organic food.

The wide range of groups who took part give us a good snapshot of Argentina’s fledgling ecological movement. One of the most interesting of these groups was EcoBolsas. A cooperative for social inclusion, it trains homeless people to make sustainably produced bags, providing them with skills and employment while helping to reduce our reliance on plastic bags.

A clothes swap aimed to raise awareness of the huge environmental impact of producing clothing and show how making responsible choices can dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. They highlighted how by re-using the wealth of unused clothing in circulation instead of buying new we can avoid consuming ever more raw materials.

Another hidden, but considerable, contributor to our carbon footprint is in what we eat. Alicia Bersi was on hand to demonstrate the benefits of a more sustainable diet: choosing organic, buying from local producers, and reducing our meat consumption. For example, producing one kilogram of meat emits twelve to fourteen times the amount of carbon as does producing one kilogram of apples. Bersi was also distributing delicious vegetarian recipes to help win over those reluctant to give up their carne.

Attempting to bring these promising green shoots together into a credible force for change were Ambientate, an umbrella group for the environmental movement in Argentina. Organisers of the event, they also helped make Argentina the first country in Latin America to sign up to the global 10:10 movement to reduce carbon emissions.

Wherever you find politics in Argentina music is never far away, and a selection of bands played to entertain visitors and spread awareness throughout the day. The Indy spoke to members of Sueños de Libertad and Tres Arroyos to ask what World Environment Day meant to them.

Tres Arroyos playing in the cool evening event (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Lukas from Sueños de Libertad underlined why, as artists, they felt so proud to be involved, because “the movement to protect the environment is the only cause we have to care about absolutely, because if there’s no world, there’s no life. And if there’s no life, there’s no art.”

But their views echoed a consensus that eco-consciousness as a nation was low, and that big corporations, soya farmers and an unwilling government were among the biggest threats to protecting the environment in Argentina.

However, when asked if they had hope for a greener future all answered a resounding “yes,” confident awareness was increasing. Fernando from 3 Arroyos emphasised “this is why we play: to keep the fire behind the movement going.”

Argentina’s greener future looks set to arrive on two wheels, as the evening was dominated by cycling groups. The monthly Critical Mass bike ride was re-routed to El Galpón and the evening saw the event invaded by an army of cyclists. One of the groups who pedalled along were Fabricicleta, a non-profit workshop who provide free bicycle repair and instruction on cycle maintenance. The project also find abandoned bikes, work to repair them, and then pass them on free of charge to anyone looking for a carbon neutral method of transport.

Rolling down the runway of the biciconga (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Representatives of the city government’s Mejor en Bici were also on hand to demonstrate how through the construction of a comprehensive network of bicisendas they are putting the bike at the heart of Buenos Aires’ transport policy.

But the highlight of the day was Biciconga‘s hugely entertaining cycle fashion show. Through their imaginative and unique events they aim to spread a love of cycling. They bring people together and show that the bike is even more than just a free, green, and healthy way to get around.

Biciconga’s message echoed that of the event as a whole: that being green is about more than just hard choices, it is about joining a vibrant community of cool and creative people who want to come together to share the embrace of a better way of life.