The eleventh edition of Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival (BAFICI) organized by the Ministry of Culture of the city of Buenos Aires, and directed by Sergio Wolf, will take place between March 25th and April 5th, 2009, with screenings at various venues around the city, featuring a total of 350 movies and short films.
Some of the titles that make up this year's program are: 35 shots of rhum, by renowned French director Claire Denis (Chocolat, Nénette et Boni, Beau travail); Filmefobia (Brazil, 2008) a movie about fears by filmmaker Kiko Goifman, who last year presented Handerson e as horas; Examined Life (Canada, 2008) by Astra Taylor, about present existence on a tour along the 5th Avenue; Shirin (Iran, 2008) by Abbas Kiarostami (Through the Olive Trees, A Taste of Cherry, Y The Wind Will Carry Us) presented at the 65th Venice Film Festival, a homage to Iranian women; the second film by Chilean director Sebastián Silva, La nana (Chile-Mexico, 2009) winner as best International Drama Film at the Sundance Festival; Une autre homme (2008) by Swiss director Lionel Baier , about the relation between a famous film critic and a novice in the medium; Milestones (United States, 1975) the documentary by Robert Kramer (Guns, À toute allure, Notre nazi) about writer Grace Paley and her particular vision on Vietnam war; Awaydays (United Kingdom, 2008) by Pat Holden based on the novel by Sampson's; Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Japan, 2008) by animation master Hayao Miyazaki (Sen and the Mysterious Disappearance of Chihiro, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle); and 16 memorias (Colombia, 2008) by Camilo Botero Jaramillo, a movie about the family films of the Posada Saldarriagas in Medellín, among many other titles. Some of these filmmakers will be present at Festival.

Venues:
Aliance Francaise: Av. Cordoba 946
Arteplex Duplex Caballito: Av. Rivadavia 5050
Atlas Santa Fe: Av. Santa Fe 2015
Open Air Screenings: Pasaje Carlos Gardel 3100 / Plaza San Martín de Tours (Schiaffino & Posadas)
Espacio BAFICI: Guardia Vieja 3332
Hoyts Abasto: Av. Corrientes 3247
Malba Cine: Av. Figueroa Alcorta 3415
Teatro 25 de Mayo: Av. Triunvirato 4444
Teatro Gral. San Martín: Av. Corrientes 1530 Piso 10º - Sala Leopoldo Lugones.

Tickets: AR $8.
From March 18th to March 25th, 10 AM to 10 PM:
Online at www.bafici.gov.ar
Casa de La Cultura: Av. De Mayo 575
Hoyts Abasto: Av. Corrientes 3247
Hard Rock Café: Pueyrredón 2501
During the festival: Online at www.bafici.gov.ar, or at all the venues of the festival.
There will be some special activities with free entrance at Hoyts Abasto and free concerts at Teatro 25 de Mayo. Free tickets must be picked up on the day of the performances.
For more information, schedules and programs, visit BAFICi 2009 official website.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, "the world's most haunting love story", arrives in Buenos Aires. The great musical play, acclaimed by more than 80 million people for the past 20 years, will be presented with the same staging, the same wardrobe and the same scenography that have made it famous around the world, with adaptation and translation into Spanish by Eduardo Galan.

The Argentine cast will be lead by the following artists:
Carlos Vittori (Phantom of the Opera): Tenor formed at the Teatro Colon's Superior Art Institute, has interpreted the main roles in operas like: Rigoletto, La Boheme, La traviata, among others, the character of Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables”, in Buenos Aires and Mexico. He received numerous awards for his work.
Juan Pablo Skrt (phantom of the Opera): Tenor with an extensive national and international career. He is a singer at the Teatro Argentino in La Plata.
Claudia Cota (Christine Daee): Mexican actress and opera singer. In 1998 played the role of Christine on the Mexican version of "The Phantom of the Opera". In 2002 played Cosette on “Les Miserables”. In 2007, participates in "Beauty and the Beast" as ensamble and cover Belle.

Additional cast:
Nicolás Martinelli (Raoul Vizconde de Chagny)
Mirta Arrua Lichi (Carlotta Giudicelli)
Santiago Sirur (Piangi)
Lucila Gandolfo (Madame Giry)
Ricardo Bangueses (Monsieur Firmin)
Romina Corpucci (Meg Giry)

The Phantom of the Opera opens March 19, 2009, at Teatro Opera, Corrientes 860.
Tickets on sale at the theater, Monday to Sunday 10 am - 8 pm, or through Ticketek Argentina.
Last performance: November 29, 2009.

The fourth stage of Argentina Polo Tour 2009, the fall tournament created four years ago by Adolfo Cambiaso and Gonzalo Pieres, will be played between Sunday, March 15 and Sunday, March 29, at Centauros Polo Club and La Picaza Polo Club.
In this stage twelve teams will be participating. There will be a 22 goal tournament for the Mastercard and Fernet Branca Cups, and a 16 goal tournament for the cups Powerade and Nikkon, with the presence of Argentine and international players, including Adolfo Cambiaso himself.

22 Goal Teams:
El Remanso: George Hanbury, Jaime Garcia Huidobro, Manuel F. Llorente, Joaquin Pittaluga.
Enigma: Jerome Wirth, James Robert Beim, Matias Mac Donough, Malcolm Borwick.
Santa Teresa II: Federico de Narvaez, Pablo Llorente, Hilario Ulloa, Ignacio Taberna.
Loro Piana: Nick Johnson, Alejandro Muzzio, Alberto Heguy, Lucas James.
Pilar Chico: Craig McKinney, Tomas Pieres, Pablo Pieres, Martin Garrahan.
Apes Hill - Barbados: TBA, Juan Gil Zavaleta, Mark Tomlinson, Luke Tomlinson.

Calendar of matches 22 Goal Tournament:

1st Date:
Sunday 15:
2.00 PM: El Remanso Vs. Enigma (Centauros)
4.00 PM: Loro Piana Vs. Apes Hill - Barbados (Centauros)
Monday 16:
2.00 PM: Santa Teresa Vs. Pilar Chico (La Picaza)

2nd Date:
Thursday 19:
2.00 PM: Santa Teresa Vs. Enigma (Centauros)
4.00 PM: El Remanso Vs. Apes Hill - Barbados (La Picaza)
4.00 PM: Loro Piana Vs. Pilar Chico (La Picaza)

3rd Date:
Saturday 21:
2.00 PM: Santa Teresa Vs. Apes Hill - Barbados (Centauros)
4.00 PM: El Remanso Vs. Pilar Chico (Centauros)
Sunday 22:
2.00 PM: Loro Piana Vs. Enigma (La Picaza)

4th Date:
Wednesday 25 (Semi Finals):
4.00 PM: Enigma vs Loro Piana (Centauros)
5.00 PM: Santa Teresa vs El Remanso (Centauros)

5th Date: (Final)
Friday 27:
5.00 PM: Enigma Vs. El Remanso (Centauros) - Mastercard Cup
Sunday 29:
3.00 PM: Loro Piana Vs. Santa Teresa (Centauros) - Fernet Branca Cup

16 Goal Teams:

Polo Do: Matias Bullrich, Diego Cavanagh, Pablo Dorignac, Maximiliano Menini.
Chapelco: Juan Cruz Adrogue, Facundo Sola, Silvestre Grant, Francisco De Narváez.
Hotel Le Tour: Norman Edward Bellone, Miguel Novillo Astrada, Juan Carlos Harriet, Manuel Harriet.
Los Cocos: Teodoro Zubillaga, Javier Novillo Astrada, Santiago Trotz, Martin Joaquin.
Loro Piana: Celine Charloux, Andres James, Adolfo Cambiaso, Gustavo Usandizaga Jr.
La Picaza: Carlos Solari, Santiago Solari, Juan Jose Storni, Kevin Korst.

Calendar of matches 16 Goal Tournament:

1st Date:
Sunday 15:
2.00 PM: Los Cocos Vs. La Picaza
Monday 16:
4.00 PM: Chapelco Vs. Polo Do (La Picaza)
4.00 PM: Hotel Le Tour Vs. Loro Piana (La Picaza)

2nd Date:
Thursday 19:
2.00 PM: Hotel Le Tour Vs. Polo Do (Centauros)
2.00 PM: Los Cocos Vs. Loro Piana (Centauros)
4.00 PM: Chapelco Vs. La Picaza (Centauros)

3rd Date:
Saturday 21:
4.30 PM: Chapelco Vs. Loro Piana (Centauros)
Sunday 22:
11.00 AM: Los Cocos Vs. Polo Do (La Picaza)
4.00 PM: Hotel Le Tour Vs. La Picaza (La Picaza)

4th Date (Semi Final):
Wednesday 25:
2.00 PM: Loro Piana vs La Picaza (Centauros)
2.30 PM: Chapelco vs Hotel Le Tour (Centauros)

5th Date (Final):
Friday 27:
5.00 PM: Chapelco Vs. La Picaza (Centauros) - Nikon Cup
Sunday 29:
5.00 PM: Hotel Le Tour Vs. Loro Piana (Centauros) - Powerade Cup

Dates depend on weather conditions, check regularly for updates.
For more information and results, visit Argentina Polo Tour official website.

This traditional championship, one of the most important in the Argentine Polo Association yearly calendar, will kick off on Wednesday March 18th at the Association's magnificent polo fields in Pilar. The tournament's schedule also includes some matches and the finals in the Cathedral of Polo, the Palermo Polo Field.
This unique championship, with no handicap limits (0 to 40 goals), was created in 1929 by Don Francisco Ceballos, president of the Argentine Polo Association. In 1938 it was named "Copa Republica Argentina".
This year the 10 classified teams, proceeding from the different regions in the country and with 10 to 27 goals of handicap, are:

Zone A:

EAST CIRCUIT: El Remanso: George Hanbury 2, Guillermo Terrera (Jr) 7, Bartolomé Castagnola 10, Jaime García Huidobro 8 , Total: 27.

SOUTHWEST CIRCUIT: Coronel Suárez El Amanecer: Benjamín Araya (Jr) 6, Enrique Zorrilla 5, Zenón Zorrilla 6, Erasmo Goti (Jr) 6 Total: 23.

CENTER-WEST CIRCUIT: Namuncurá: Bautista Ortiz de Urbina 4, Francisco Fucci 5, Pablo Jauretche 8, Gonzalo Fucci 5. Total: 22.

CENTER-NORTH CIRCUIT: Venado Tuerto: Guillermo Cavanagh 4 (Jr), Juan Ruiz Guiñazú (Jr) 6, Martín Vidou 6, Juan Ruiz Guiñazú 5, Total 21

LITORAL-SOUTH CIRCUIT: Donovan Río Uruguay Seguros: Bautista Garaycochea 2, Santiago Loza 2 , Tomás Gándara 5, Felipe Sordeli 1. Total: 9.

Zone B:

PORTEÑO CIRCUIT: La Picaza: Carlos Reyes Terrabusi 1, Ignacio Heguy 9, Guillermo Wilington 7, Eduardo Heguy 9. Total 26

SOUTH EAST CIRCUIT: Miramar: Juan José Brané 7, Milo Fernández Araujo 8, Diego Araya 8, Alejandro Quentín 2. Total: 25.

CAÑUELAS CIRCUIT: La Dolfina: Gustavo Usandizaga 2, Alfio Marchini 4, Adolfo Cambiaso (Jr) 10, Lucas James 7. Total: 23.

LITORAL NORTH CIRCUIT: Aguará Guazú: Guido Julián 4 , Facundo Goti 6 , Andrea Vianini 6, Exequiel Kraft 5. Total: 21.

NORTHWEST CIRCUIT: La Estela: Juan José Storni 3, Gregorio Gelosi 3, Tomás Ruiz Guiñazú 5, Juan Marambio 4. Total: 15.

The tournament will continue with the classifying rounds on Friday 20 in Pilar and Palermo (2 PM and 4 PM); Sunday 22, in Pilar and Palermo; Tuesday 24 (11 AM and 4 PM in Pilar, 2 PM and 4 PM in Palermo) and Thursday 26 (11 AM and 4 PM in Pilar, 2 PM and 4 PM in Palermo); the finals for the Cups “República Argentina” and “Diario La Nación”, on Saturday 28, (2.00 PM and 4.00 PM), will be played at the Campo Argentino de Polo in Palermo.

Free entrance.