Latin Wave artistic director Monica Wagenberg is excited to be back in Houston. “I program film festivals all over the world,” she says. “But the festival I enjoy the most is Latin Wave.”

According to Wagenberg, that’s because most festivals feature dozens, if not hundreds of films, while the MFAH’s sixth annual Latin Wave film festival has been rigorously pared to eight offerings. “The best eight (Latin American films) make it to the festival. It’s quite intimate and intense.”

She also says that, by the time the visiting filmmakers leave, the festival is a favorite for them as well.

“To tell the truth, they’re usually not that excited to come to Houston. They’ve usually been traveling around the festival circuit for a long time and they’re a little tired. But they are excited about Houston when they leave,” after seeing not only the festival, but local cultural offerings such as the Menil Collection, which gives the filmmakers a “backstage” tour.

That’s all very well for the filmmakers, you might say, but what about the films themselves? Is the recent cinematic boom in Latin America an ongoing affair? Definitely, says Wagenberg.

“We see that some of the strongest films are from first- and second-time filmmakers, which attests to the fact that the Latin American film renaissance is ongoing.” She also says that the Latin American scene is rapidly evolving.

Until very recently, Argentina was by far the dominant film producer in South America, both in quantity and quality. But while Argentina is still a cinematic power, other countries, principally Colombia and Chile, are catching up. (She says that, probably for reasons of geography, Mexican film is not as appreciated in Latin America as it is here. “People in Latin America are not as aware of the enormity of what’s happening in Mexico.”)

This reality is reflected in the festival line-up, which features two films each from Colombia and Chile, but only one from Argentina, down from its typical two.

Asked to pick a theme, or predominant element from this year’s offerings, Wagenberg thinks a minute, then points to the lead performances. “In several of these films, actors who have successful in the national theaters give really strong performances, but they’re willing to work with first- and second-time filmmakers. That’s another way we can see how the prestige of film is increasing.”

She specifically refers to the performances in Gatos Viejos (Old Cats), by Belgica Castro as an old woman on the verge of senility, and by Catalina Saavedra as her needy, grasping daughter.

She also singles out Karine Teles’s star turn in Riscado (Craft). “It’s really a film about performance. Teles (who is a leading stage actor in Brazil) is the lead, and she’s also the director’s wife, so he [Gustavo Pizzi] probably created this role for her. She won Best Actress at the Rio Film Festival for her performance.” (Pizzi and Gato Viejos co-director Pedro Peirano will be in attendance.)

The Colombian filmsLos Colores de la Montaña (The Colors of the Mountain) and Todos Tus Muertos (All Your Dead Ones)each deal with the lingering effects of that country’s 40-year-long civil war, but they do so in subtle, unexpected ways. Colores looks at war through the eyes of children. “But it’s done with rigor. Los Colores de la Montaña expresses the suffering of the war, but without one scene of violence.”

And Todos Tus Muertos uses black humor and absurdity to approach its grim subject. “But Todos Tus Muertos turns out to be the most powerful. It really deals with the suffering.” (Todos Tus Muertos director Carlos Moreno will attend.)

The weakening of family ties is another theme several films touch on. For example, the Mexican Asalto al Cine, by first-time filmmaker Iria Gomez Concheiro, paints a grim picture of teen life in Mexico City’s barrios, and the kids’ problems come as much from their own families as from the streets. (Gomez Concheiro will attend.)

Argentina is represented by Rompecabezas (Puzzle), about a woman who re-examines her own life as she assembles a jigsaw puzzle of Queen Nefertiti. The Peruvian entry is the touching and spiritual film Octubre (October). The Chilean Post Mortem, which takes place during the 1973 coup, will also screen.

Latin Wave 6 takes place at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Thursday-Sunday. For a full schedule, click here. Opening night party, Thursday 9:30 p.m. at the MFAH Audrey Jones Beck Building.