Our documentary section has a new name: Documania! It refers as much to the eclectic slate of 13 films selected this year - ranging from the humorous ("Vuelve a la vida') to the sublime ("Nostalgia for the Light') - as it does to the increased popularity of documentaries in the last decade. Latin American documentary filmmakers are very much a part of this explosion, and are making films that challenge the conventional notion that documentaries are, well... boring! In that spirit, this year we have chosen films that are every bit as exciting and absorbing as feature films. Whether documenting the fight for Ethnic Studies programs in the Tucson school system ("Precious Knowledge"), joining an adopted Swedish man in his search for his Colombian birth family ("I'm Not a Svensson Anymore"), or chronicling the difficult lives of young urban poets in New York City ("To Be Heard"), these films will change the way you see the world and the way you think about documentaries.

- Mario Diaz, Documentary Programmer

 

Film titles and screening times for Documania 2012 at the 19th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival TBD, 2/12.