Discovering Latin American (DLA) is proud to present the inaugural event at this years film festival, the 8th Edition of the Discovering Latin American Film Festival (DLAFF). With proceedings kicking-off officially on 26 November 2009, the pre-screening is the first chance to get a taste of the DLAFF, and an excellent opportunity to see Simn Brands multi-award winning film, Paraso Travel. The DLAFF is the UKs largest Latin American film festival, and this year will be very pleased to donate all proceeds to Kiya Survivors.

Simn Brands feature follows the fate of two young Colombians who leave Bogota desperate to make-it-big in the US. Marlon and Reina embark on a brutal exodus from Latin America to New York across the Mexican border. Paraso Travel is the story of young love, a love between two immigrants, and their fading dreams: a passionate story of courage, strength and devotion.

Brands second feature has won a plethora of awards in Latin America, the US and Europe, including: Best Actress Angelica Blandon (Bogota Film Festival, 2008), Jury Award as a Best Film (Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, 2008), Audience Award as a Narrative Feature (San Francisco Bay Area International Film Festival, 2008), Audience Award (Huelva Latin America Festival, 2008).

The DLAFF prides itself in showing the freshest, most innovative, high-quality cinema from Latin America. Further to the screenings of shorts, features and documentaries, there will also be a range of panel discussions, Question-and-Answer and film-making master-classes. The DLAFF is proud to hold their screenings in exclusive locations such as the ODEON cinemas in Covent Garden and Panton Street, the Institute for Contemporary Arts (ICA), Tate Modern London, Shortwave Films, South Bank University, University and College London.

This year DLAFFs is delighted to support Kiya Survivors, a charity which helps abandoned children with special needs in Peru (Registered Charity in England and Wales, no. 1121519). More information is available via http://www.kiyasurvivors.org/.

The pre-screening of Paraso Travel will take place on Tuesday 27 October at 8:30pm in the ODEON Covent Garden (135 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8AH). Full programmes for the Film Festival will be available at the pre-screening.