From Afar (Desde Allá) + Q&A with director Lorenzo Vigas

Director Lorenzo Vigas is in conversation with academic, critic and curator Maria Delgado following the screening, which is presented with Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London

★★★★ “a gritty and cinematic study in desire and repression” The Skinny
★★★★ "An intriguing, emotionally painful and brilliant film." The Guardian
“Accomplished and compelling” Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily
“Masterly feature debut” – Stephen Holden, New York Times Critics’ Pick
“[From Afar] marks out Vigas as one of Latin American cinema’s more auspicious arrivals of recent years” Guy Lodge, Variety

Winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival 2015

An ICA Exclusive Project

From Afar is a compelling and beautifully-shot story of the complex relationship between two men from different worlds. Haunted by traumas from his past, wealthy, middle-aged Armando (played by Chilean star Alfredo Castro) has difficulty forming relationships, instead paying young men to come to his home and undress while he watches. Yet, his world is radically changed after a violent encounter with young street mechanic Elder (Luis Silva) sparks off a dangerous love affair between them.

The debut feature from Lorenzo Vigas—heralded as one of the most exciting new directors today—From Afar is a meditation on human desire and a sensitive portrait of the tensions and repression of Venezuelan society. Showing exclusively at the ICA in London, it is the first Venezuelan film to be selected for the competition at Venice Film Festival, where it was awarded the Golden Lion in 2015.

Son of artist Oswaldo Vigas, Lorenzo Vigas was born in Merida, Venezuela, in 1967. He studied molecular biology before moving to New York in 1995. He attended several film workshops at New York University. In 1998, he returned to Venezuela to direct the TV documentary series Expedición. Between 1999 and 2001, he directed several documentaries for the production company Cinesa.

Alfredo Castro has appeared in several films by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, including the award-winning The Club (2015) and No (2013). His roles in Larraín’s Tony Manero (2008, as a man obsessed with John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever) and Post Mortem (2010, as a morgue worker in search of a missing cabaret dancer) both won him much acclaim and awards. He also appeared in Italian films – Alessandro Lunardelli’s Up to the world (2013, Il mondo fino in fondo) and Daniele Cipri’s È stato il figlio (2012, aka Mon père va me tuer). Born Alfredo Castro Gómez in Santiago de Chile, he is also an accomplished theatre and television actor, writer (co-writer credit for Tony Manero), professor, theatre director and founder of Teatro La Memoria, a milestone in the history of contemporary Chilean theatre.

From Afar, dir. Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela/Mexico 2015, 93 mins. Spanish with English subtitles.