Latin American Film Days Comes to Uránia National Film Theatre
Budapest’s Uránia National Film Theatre is opening a window onto Latin America this September, and it’s one of those quietly special film events that rewards anyone willing to slow down and spend an evening in the dark with a good story. From 23 to 29 September 2026, the fourth edition of the Latin American Film Days brings twelve films from seven countries to the Díszterem, the theatre’s grand main hall, in partnership with the embassies of Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.
Event Details at a Glance
- Dates: 23–29 September 2026, most screenings at 19:00, with additional weekend matinees
- Venue: Uránia National Film Theatre, Rákóczi út 21, Budapest, in the Díszterem hall
- Films: twelve titles from seven countries, screened in their original languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Quechua) with Hungarian subtitles
- Tickets: 3,100 HUF full price, 2,500 HUF discounted for students, under-26s, pensioners, over-65s, and teachers
- Note: programme subject to change
A Journey Across a Continent
The festival’s programme reads like a road trip across an entire continent, moving from the crowded streets of Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires through the forests of the Andes and Cuba’s Zapata Swamp all the way to the Atacama Desert. It opens on 23 September with Puka Urpi (Red Bird), a striking Ecuadorian film that draws on the indigenous Otavalo culture and unfolds largely in Quechua and Spanish. Most of the films screen only once during the week, so this really is a one-time chance to catch titles that rarely, if ever, make it to Hungarian cinemas.
One of the standout moments is a pre-premiere screening on 26 September of Moscas (Flies), the black-and-white Mexican-Spanish dramedy directed by Fernando Eimbcke that debuted in Berlin, being shown in Budapest for the first time ahead of its wider release. It’s paired thematically with Eimbcke’s own directorial debut, Duck Season, projected from an original 35mm print and often nicknamed the Mexican answer to a slacker comedy classic for its deadpan humour and black-and-white style.
Best deals of Budapest
Brazilian cinema gets serious attention too, with two of the country’s biggest names on the bill. Walter Salles’ Central Station, the beloved turn-of-the-millennium drama, screens from a 35mm print on 25 September, while Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Pictures of Ghosts, a documentary love letter to cinema itself, plays on 27 September alongside a thematically similar closing film from Chile, The Movie Teller. Film lovers with an eye for craft shouldn’t miss the Saturday afternoon documentary double bill highlighting prize-winning cinematography from the Vilmos Zsigmond International Film Festival, featuring Tales of the Zapata Swamp and Voices from the Abyss.
Beyond the Screen
Music fans have their own reason to show up on 26 September for Milton Bituca Nascimento, a documentary tracing the life of the legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter, blending Portuguese, English, and Spanish throughout. And for something lighter, Homo Argentum, a contemporary Argentine comedy, and Flora’s Legacy, a Peruvian biographical drama about one of Peru’s most influential cultural figures, round out a programme that balances heavyweight arthouse cinema with genuinely entertaining storytelling.
All screenings are in their original languages with Hungarian subtitles, so there’s no English subtitle track, but the visual storytelling in several films, particularly the documentaries, makes them accessible even without perfect language comprehension.
Getting to Uránia National Film Theatre
The venue itself is worth the visit on its own. Uránia National Film Theatre occupies a beautifully restored Neo-Renaissance building on Rákóczi út, one of Budapest’s main boulevards, just a short walk from Blaha Lujza tér, a major metro and tram junction connecting easily to the rest of the city. The surrounding stretch of Rákóczi út and the nearby Jewish Quarter are packed with cafés, bistros, and bars, making it easy to turn a film screening into a full evening out. Whether you’re a committed cinephile or simply curious about a part of the world you rarely see on a Hungarian screen, this festival offers a rare and rewarding detour through Latin American storytelling, right in the heart of Budapest.
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