The eighth edition of Latin Wave: New Films from Latin America takes place May 2–5, with a group of new films premiering at the MFAH.

William Vega's first feature travels to a fascinating, little-known area of Colombia — the remote, sparsely populated highlands of the Andes. The film chronicles how the destructive effects of Colombia's long-standing civil war extend to this far-flung corner of the country through the story of nineteen-year-old Alicia.

When her family is murdered and her village destroyed, she flees to her only surviving relative, Uncle Don Oscar, a taciturn man living in isolation and reluctant to take her in. Don Oscar lives in a rundown lakeside inn, and Alicia begins to help his housekeeper with renovations for the tourist season — a futile task, as those tourists will never come. Vega depicts the obstacles facing Colombia's indigenous population — not only the struggle to maintain their cultural traditions and values, but also to stay alive as the strife that has long beset the country arrives on their doorstep.

Trailer: