26th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival

Program

The Felpetos have run a clandestine lottery operation for decades, quietly embedded in a modest housing development. Maribel leads a crew of clerks who record bets from her living room, while her mother Alejandra oversees the books from an identical house just a few meters away. Lately, the neighborhood has taken a tense turn—some lottery bankers have been raided, and whispers of police shakeups and suspicious money flows are everywhere. But no one knows what’s true and what’s just rumor or media speculation.

A secret society of giant hot air balloon makers in Brazil's favelas risk everything to create and fly their illegal masterpieces. Dubbed as delinquents, these 'baloeiros' operate underground like street artists, bringing joy to their communities while evading government threats and bounty hunters. Director Sissel shares her initiation into the balloon brotherhood, where launching silk paper creations becomes an act of social redemption and collective dreaming.