November is ‘culture month’ in Ecuador, filled with theater, literary, film and flower festivals

By Elvis Zimmerman

Although the country’s top crafts festival — Cuenca’s independence holiday celebration — wrapped up on Sunday, there’s plenty more big cultural events to come in November.

The Spanish performance group Els Comediants highlights the Loja festival.

Among the month’s major events are Ecuador’s biggest book fair, opening Friday in Quito, Cuenca’s Orquidea Film Fesitval, and the Quito Theater Festival.

The country’s largest performing arts festival ever, kicks off Thursday, November 16 in Loja. The Loja Festival of Live Arts, which runs for 10 features, includes a broad array of performances in both indoor and outdoor venues, ranging from the traditional stage theater to experimental theater, musical and dance events, mime, clown, puppet, and street theater performances.

Performing groups from Spain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Mexico, in addition to Ecuador, will appear during the 10-day event. In all, the festival will feature more than 400 performers.

Among the groups to appear will be the Spanish Els Comediants, famous for their opening act at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The group is known for its interdisciplinary performance regime that mixes the traditional with the avant-garde. Els Comediants will present the world premiere of a new production, Zibaldone, at the festival.

For more about the Loja festival, click here.

The Romanian film “Dead Nation” will screen at Cuenca’s Orquidea film festival.

The Quito International Book Fair continues until Sunday, November 19, in the Bicentennial Convention Center. The event’s special literary guest is Canadian-Argentine writer Alberto Manguel, director of the National Library of Argentina.

Among other invited authors are Alberto Chimal and Martín Solares, from Mexico; Marina Colasanti, Brazil; Magela Baudoin, Bolivia; Fabio Morábito, Egypt; and Marilyn Bobes, Cuba.

The 10-day fair includes 250 free events ranging from round-table discussions, symposiums and book presentations.

For more about the book fair, click here.

Opening November 17, the Quito Theater Festival features a number of internationally known performers. Organized by the Sucre National Theater Foundation, the festival program includes performances by Sankai Juku from Japan; Los Colochos Teatro, Mexico; and the Masters of Disorder, France.

For more about the Quito theater festival, click here.

There’ll be plenty of orchids in Guayaquil.

The sixth edition of Cuenca’s La Orquídea Film Festival opens November 24 and continues until December 1. The documentary festival includes films from Argentina, France, U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Romania. Ecuador and a dozen other countries.

For more about the Orquídea film festival, click here.

If flowers are your thing, one of the world’s biggest orchid shows and conferences got underway yesterday in Guayaquil. The 22nd World Orchid Conference (WOC) continues through Sunday, November 12, featuring displays, lectures and competitions. The WOC is at the Guayaquil Convention Center.

For more about the orchid conference, click here.