The 14th edition of the Cine Argentino film festival opens today at Kino Lucerna, bringing a fresh lineup of contemporary Argentine films to Czech audiences. Running from Oct. 10 to 14, the event is organized by the Embassy of Argentina in collaboration with the historic Prague cinema.
Cine Argentino has grown into one of the city’s autumn cultural fixtures, known for introducing Central European audiences to the diversity of modern Argentine storytelling. This year’s program includes six feature films and two shorts, selected by festival dramaturg Jan Rybář to reflect the country’s cinematic creativity.
“The festival has built a loyal following over the years,” Rybář says in a press release. “Viewers can again expect a range of films that represent the best of Argentina’s recent cinema, from tense thrillers to intimate dramas.” The opening night also features a traditional tango performance by Prague’s Studio 12 in the Lucerna Passage, highlighting the country’s cultural spirit beyond film.
Crime, romance, and rediscovered history
The festival opens on Friday, Oct. 10 with The Heist of the Century, a true-crime thriller based on one of Argentina’s most famous bank robberies. Starring Guillermo Francella (My Masterpiece, The Secret in Their Eyes) and Diego Peretti (The German Doctor), the film recounts a meticulously planned heist that turns out to be more illusion than violence.
Other highlights include What We Wanted to Be, a romantic drama about a man and woman who meet after a film screening and create an imaginary world together. The short film La falta accompanies the feature, portraying teachers struggling to care for a young girl after a family tragedy.
Documentary film The Exile of the Musicians in Exile explores the lives of European musicians, many of Jewish descent, who fled Nazi persecution and rebuilt their lives in Argentina. Directed by Silvia Glocer, the film connects these forgotten histories with a present-day concert performance. It screens alongside the short Tranvías (Tramways), a tense psychological study of a man whose tram ride spirals into paranoia.
A mix of drama, suspense, and imagination
Cine Argentino also presents The Major Tones, a surreal drama about a young woman whose metal prosthetic begins to receive Morse code signals following surgery. As she tries to decipher the mysterious messages, the film blends science fiction and personal transformation in an allegorical story of resilience.
In The Delinquents, two weary bank employees turn to crime in search of freedom from their monotonous routines. Rodrigo Moreno’s acclaimed drama, screened at Cannes and San Sebastián, examines how far people are willing to go to escape conformity—and what they risk losing in the process.
The festival concludes on Tuesday, Oct. 14 with Message in a Bottle (pictured at top), a mystery thriller about a sommelier who discovers a way to send messages into the past. As her attempts to rewrite mistakes spiral out of control, the film examines guilt, fate, and the consequences of altering time.
Supported by the City of Prague and the Czech Ministry of Culture, the festival continues to strengthen ties between the Argentine and Czech film communities. Screenings take place at Kino Lucerna, with tickets and full program details available at kinolucerna.cz and cineargentino.cz.
