Shanghai, Jun 18 (IANS/EFE): Ibero-American films will not compete in the Shanghai International Film Festival, or SIFF, but will be represented with 18 films in Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, Basque and Catalan, among the more than 300 selected for event.

Latin presence will therefore show a sharp drop from 2012, up to now the biggest showing by the Ibero-American film industry, when it had two movies competing - Spain's "De Tu Ventana a la Mia" by Paula Ortiz, and Mexico's "El Sueño de Lu" (The Dream of Lu) by Hari Sama, both taking home awards, plus two others in the Official Selection and another 27 in different divisions of the SIFF.

To be shown this week in Shanghai theaters will be 11 films from Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Spain, with the latter nation's contribution including "O Apostolo" (The Apostle) in Galician by Fernando Cortizo, and "Emak Bakia Baita" in Basque by Oskar Alegria.

Latin America is also represented in this section of the SIFF by the Mexican film "Ventanas al Mar", by Jesus Mario Lozano, Chile's "La Viña" by James Katz, Argentina's "Por un Tiempo" by Gustavo Garzon, and the Brazilian film "Elena" by Petra Costa.