Fest thrives with Vargas in the director's chair

CHICAGO LATINO

FILM FESTIVAL

When: Friday through April 29

Where: Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Clark; Facets Multimedia, 1517 W. Fullerton

Tickets: $10 (festival passes available)

Phone: (312) 409-1757;

www.latinoculturalcenter.org

The Chicago Latino Film Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary, thanks to the steadfast work of its founder and executive director Pepe Vargas.

Along the way, the festival has gained an international reputation for showcasing the best in Latin cinema and has attracted a strong local and national following among film lovers.

"Being the best is something we take seriously," Vargas said. "Over the years, we've worked diligently with few resources to get where we are today."

The festival began as a student recruitment event at St. Augustine College with 14 films projected onto a wall. No students were recruited, and the school canceled it after its second year.

But Vargas, who organized the festival, saw something happening.

"The first year, 500 people came," he recalled. "The next year, there were 3,500, and I knew there were people out there interested in these films."

Vargas is determined to make each festival better than the last.

"We work within the mentality that we are here to make a difference," he said. "It would be stupid for us to waste such an opportunity.

The festival, which is thought to be the oldest of its kind in the country, has grown from a budget of $10,000 in its third year to $1.2 million. Approximately 35,000 film fans attend the many screenings, which this year include 115 features, documentaries and shorts from all over Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, Portugal and the United States.

Festival selections range from major releases to smaller independent films.

The opening night film -- "El Regalo (The Gift)," by the husband-and-wife team Cristian Galaz and Andrea Ugalde -- was a box-office phenomenon in Chile. "Arrancame la Vida (Tear This Heart Out)," by Roberto Sneider, won wide acclaim in Mexico. And the melodrama "Lo Mejor de Mi (The Best of Me)," from Spanish director Roser Aguilar, was a hit on the festival circuit.

On the independent side there is "Silent Shame," a drama directed by Tadeo Garcia, about a young man who finds his mother's diaries and discovers a painful family history.

Chicago filmmaker Dalia Tapia, who produced "Silent Shame," sees the festival as the perfect opportunity to "tell universal stories."

"Coming from an underrepresented population -- female and Latino -- this is a venue for us to tell our stories," Tapia said. "Pepe has paved the way for many of us."

Vargas is proud of the fact that the festival focuses on the entire Latino culture.

"We aren't interested in the culture of only one country," the Colombian-born Vargas said. "We are interested in the whole package. The aim of the festival is to enhance the unity among these nationalities. We get cultural input from everywhere."

For years, Vargas has been trying to establish a permanent home for the Latino Cultural Center of Chicago, which runs the fest. He believes it's an important outlet for a city in which 20 Latin nationalities co-exist.

The organization works to showcase the best in Latin theater, dance, visual art and film at events throughout the year.

"The Cultural Center is a bridge to Latin culture not only for Latinos but for everyone of every nationality," Vargas said.

Vargas hopes he is getting closer to his dream of building the center in a downtown location. He says he has been in discussions with the city in hopes of procuring a piece of land.

"Then we will engage in a capital campaign to raise the money," he said. "We want to share the offerings of our culture with all of Chicago. Ours is a universal message."

Various directors, producers and actors will participate in post-screening discussions at the festival. All films are screened in their original language with English subtitles.

Coming Friday: Check out the Movies section for Bill Stamets' capsule reviews of films in the festival.

Color Photo: The Chilean blockbuster "El Regalo (The Gift)" is the opening-night offering at the 25th annual Chicago Latino Film Festival. ; Color Photo: Brian Jackson, Sun-Times / Pepe Vargas, founder and executive director of the Chicago Latino Film Festival, is working on building a permanent downtown home for the Latino Cultural Center of Chicago, which he calls "a bridge to Latin culture." ;