Venezuelan film flourishing as society becomes more censored

A new wave of cinema is emerging from the chaos and violence of modern Venezuela that focuses on highly personal tales of gay love affairs and little boys who want to wear party dresses. Following the tradition of 1990s gay Cuban cinema, Venezuelan directors are finding creative ways to produce films that explore and criticize society despite increasing government control of TV and other media. And they're doing it with state funding. The debut feature "From Afar," by a little-known Venezuelan director, won top honors last week at the Venice Film Festival, one of the industry's top events. The film is about an affair between a wealthy middle-aged man and a teenage thug set against a background of poverty and violence. More…