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(kə nā′dē ən) Marc Arellano Canada, Documentary, 20088 min, MiniDV, Color/Black & WhiteSpanish, French, English with English subtitles
(kə nā′dē ən) is a short documentary that explores the notion of identity. Memory, history and family are all interwoven into a narrative about one Canadian family. One of the top 10 finalists in CBC/Radio Canada's Migrations Film Competition 2009.
US Premiere Producer: Marc ArellanoProduction Companies: Transparent MediaScreenwriter: Marc ArellanoCinematographer: Marc ArellanoEditor: Marc ArellanoSound Design: Marc ArellanoMusic: Terry ScarboroughCast: Gizele Arellano, Ron Arellano, Ian Arellano, Ramiro Arellano, Marc Arellano, Natalie Perrier and Camille Arellano
Panorama Documentary Shorts Showcase Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Tues. April 27 9:00PM FREE In the future, wars will be fought over water, but in Mexico the war has already begun. This documentary contemplates Mexico’s destiny, telling the story of the struggle of its indigenous people to preserve their natural resources and their cultural identity.
Despite the disturbance from the violinist downstairs, Ernesto attempts to call back his dead wife, Esperanza. The night, however, does not end as Ernesto would have hoped, when what should have been a romantic evening ends in heartbreak.
On the official web site of the Brazilian Environmental Institute, the Brazilian wood pernambuco appears on the list of plant species threatened with extinction. Found only in the remnants of the devastated Atlantic Rainforest in the coast of Brazil, this tree has been vital in the manufacturing of fine violin bows and other instruments ever since Mozart was composing his masterpieces in Vienna. A Arvore da Música explores a path to saving the imperiled trees, along with the music that depends on them.
Adopción Adoption David Lipszyc Argentina, Drama, 2009 71 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Richard, a homosexual man, decides to adopt a child named Juan. As the child becomes accustomed to his new home, he continues to suffer from the fears of his past. Ricardo feels that his son should know his roots and begins the quest to discover Juan’s true identity. This search unravels Juan’s real story; a story very different than what was presented before. Slowly, Juan’s life begins to appear, much like the tip of the iceberg submersed within the immense ocean. Selected for competition at Mar de Plata, Festival de La Habana, and Torino GLBT Film Festival.
US Premiere
David Lipszyc, a citizen of Poland and Argentina, is a member of the Directores Argentinos Cinematográficos. He has taken on the role of screenwriter and director for several award nominated films, including Volver (1982). Adopción is his fourth feature film.
Producer: Nestor Sanchez Sotelo Production Companies: Del Toro Films Screenwriter: David Lipszyc Cinematographer: Pablo Gonzalez Editor: Monica Gomez Sound Design: Pablo Sala Music: Pablo Sala Cast: Ricardo Gonzalez
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Mon. April 26 7:00PM FREE In 1999, two brothers were deported from the United States to Mexico. Within two weeks, one of them overdosed on heroin in a seedy Tijuana hotel room, his body left unclaimed for two months in a mass grave. These U.S.-raised men, military veterans, were deported from the only country they knew—and had sworn to protect—to forge new lives in Mexico. Against the backdrop of increased attention to the U.S.-Mexico border, filmmaker Monika Navarro draws on her family’s experience to explore national identity and ties, the lives of immigrants, and what happens after deportees are sent to a homeland they don’t consider home.
Básicamente un pozo narrates the story of a primary school language arts teacher trying to solve a physics problem about perpetual motion. In order to solve it, he decides he must dig a hole that reaches to the other side of the world. He suddenly finds his family, friends, students, and the whole community rooting for him to succeed in his quest.
Bracero Stories explores the personal experiences of five former “guest workers” in the controversial US-Mexican government Bracero Program, which granted temporary work contracts to millions of Mexican laborers between 1942 and 1964. Their stories are interwoven and illustrated with archival materials, creating a composite narrative of the “bracero” experience. Interviews with other participants in the program assess its effectiveness—and its justness. These discussions mirror contemporary concerns about illegal immigration and the possible implementation of a new guest worker program. Ultimately, the film seeks to put a human face on the concept of foreign “guest worker.”
Cárcel de carne Jail of Flesh Roque Azcuaga Mexico, Documentary, 2009 75 min, BD, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Cárcel de carne is a documentary that delves into the inner workings of a rare neurological disease that is fatal, incurable and stems from unknown causes. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, attacks the motor neurons, gradually eliminating a person's ability to move. The film is a first person narrative in which the terminally ill patients speak out about their condition. Through their life experiences we try to understand the disease and catch a glimpse into part of the human condition as it relates to death, hope and transcendence.
US Premiere Roque Azcuaga, a native of Mexico City, studied at the UNAM and at the Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos (CUEC) in Mexico. In addition to his work as an editor for commercials, short films and feature films, he has also worked for radio and theatre. In 2007, Azcuaga obtained the support of IMCINE in order to produce the feature documentary Cárcel de carne.
Producer: Elsa Reyes Production Company: CONACULTA-IMCINE, FOPROCINE, Zensky Cine Screenwriter: Roque Azcuaga Cinematographer: Enrique Stone Editor: Roque Azcuaga, Elena Pardo Sound Design: Fabiola Ramos Music: Joseph Saint-Remy
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Wed. April 28 7:00PM FREE Children of the Amazon follows Brazilian filmmaker Denise Zmekhol to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, in search of the indigenous children she photographed 15 years before. The film invites the viewer to see through the eyes of these inspiring, remarkably resilient people, whose lives have been transformed by a road that was carved through their forest home by an outside world. Poetic and visually stunning, this film engages the senses and sympathies as global issues take on a profoundly human perspective.
CuBata Kevin McSorley Ireland/Cuba, Documentary, 2010 10 min, HDV/MiniDV, Color Spanish with English subtitles
In Cuba, women have traditionally been prohibited from playing the Bata drums due to religious and cultural taboos. In this documentary, female drummer Aleida Sucarrat Torres talks about her experience playing the Bata drums while the “Chinitos,” a family of Bata drum players and makers, share their insights on the traditions and history of this sacred musical instrument.
World Premiere Kevin McSorley is a journalist and has been a researcher and producer in the television industry in Northern Ireland for seven years. He received his MA in Documentary Practice at the University of Ulster in 2008 and was awarded a bursary from One World Media to travel to Cuba to make his short film CuBata in 2009.
Producer: Kevin McSorley Cinematographer: Kevin McSorley Editor: Kevin McSorley Sound Design: Kevin McSorley Music: Piri López Chinito Cast: Pedro López Chinito, Elián López Chinito, Piri López Chinito, Aleida Sucarrat Torres, Odelkis Torres
Panorama Documentary Shorts Showcase Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Tues. April 27 9:00PM FREEDe ollas y sueños Cooking Up Dreams Ernesto Cabellos Peru, Documentary, 2009 75 min, HDV, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Could it be that an entire nation is represented through its kitchen? Crossing air, land and sea, De ollas y sueños explores Peru’s gastronomic revolution for an answer. From the most humble family kitchens to high-end restaurants, this documentary finds that Peru's cuisine is deliciously integrating with its people who have historically been marked by ethnic and economic differences. Renowned chefs such as Gastón Acurio, Ferrán Adrià, Juan Mari Arzak and Bernardo Roca Rey share their views alongside unsung chefs, who also dream of Peru's cuisine as a motor of development. Audience Award winner at Festival Filmar en América Latina (Geneva, Switzerland).
Texas Premiere
Ernesto Cabellos is an award winning Peruvian documentary filmmaker. His first feature documentary, Choropampa, el precio de oro, earned him three awards including the 2002 OCIC Cinematographic Post-Production Award at the Mar del Plata Film Festival. De ollas y sueños is his second documentary feature.
Producer: Ernesto Cabellos, Susana Araujo Production Companies: Guarango - Tal Screenwriter: Ernesto Cabellos Cinematographer: Ernesto Cabellos Editor: Lessandro Sócrates, Antolín Prieto Sound Design: Takuo Shima, Jose Balado Music: Martin Choy-Yin, Jose Balado Cast: Gastón Acurio, Teresa Izquierdo, Bernado Roca Rey
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Sun. April 25 5:00PM FREE Using home movies and other media, Diário de Sintra documents director Paula Gaitán’s return to the Portuguese city of Sintra, to search for memories of her late husband, Brazilian cinema novo pioneer Glauber Rocha. Gaitán and Rocha lived exiled in Portugal in 1981 with their two children, Eryk and Ava, before his untimely death. The filmmaker’s layered experimental work creates an impression of the past through its rich accumulation of images, meditations, and reminiscences.
A woman facing a bleak future recounts her life in sketchy, seemingly random, episodes. One by one the scars and despair left by a life ridden with responsibilities and sacrifice, but little joy, inevitably emerge. Diario del fin is a visceral and moving account filled with brutally honest, yet liberating, confessions.
El bombillo Juan David Soto Taborda Cuba/Colombia, Documentary, 2009 12 min, MiniDV, Color Spanish with English subtitles
El bombillo is the story of two brothers and their journey home from school. They construct a world of adventures surrounding a light bulb they purchased to brighten up the little house they built with their father.
World Premiere Juan David Soto Taborda wrote the short film Oury Jalloh, based on the real life of a Sierra Leone refugee who was burnt in his prison cell by German police. El bombillo is his first documentary short in which he acted as a director and cinematographer.
Producer: Carlos Rodríguez Production Companies: Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV Screenwriter: Juan D. Soto Taborda Cinematographer: Juan D. Soto Taborda Editor: Juan D. Soto Taborda Sound Design: Orisel Castro
Documentary Shorts Competition Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 4:00PM
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Wed. April 28 9:00PM FREE El peleador Pablo José Lozano Hernández Cuba/Dominican Republic, Documentary, 2009 22 min, Video, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Leonardo is a young boy who likes to train fighting fish. He lives in San Isidro, a hot, picturesque area of the Old Havana district where the Caribbean colors and allure are an everyday occurrence. One day, he sets out to buy some fighting fish in a shop around the corner just to make them fight the ones he keeps back home. Leonardo’s fighting fish parallel his experiences, in the abstract and in the concrete, as a 10-year-old boy amongst his friends and at the gym where he trains to be a boxer.
Regional Premiere Producer: Christian Quiroga Saldaña Production Companies: Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV Cinematographer: Oliver Mota Editor: Ariel Escalante Meza Sound Design: Raynier Hinojosa O’Farrill
Regal Metropolitan - Fri. April 23 6:00PM (preceding La asamblea)
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Wed. April 28 9:00PM El Sistema Paul Smaczny, Maria Stodtmeier Germany, Music Documentary, 2009 102 min, HDV, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Venezuela's unique system of music education takes children from violent slums and turns some of them into world-class musicians. El Sistema shows how Venezuelan visionary Jose Antonio Abreu has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of children over the past three decades. This lyrical and moving documentary takes us from the rubbish dumps and barrios of Caracas to the world's finest concert halls. Children from streets dominated by the gun battles of gang warfare are taken into music schools, given access to music, and taught through the model of the symphony orchestra how to build a better society. Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier's film finds hope and joy in unlikely places.
Regional Premiere
Paul Smaczny studied law, French and German literature, film and theatre arts in Regensburg, Hamburg, and Paris. After obtaining his Master’s degree, he began working as an assistant director and dramaturge for various productions in France. Since 1989 he has been active as a film producer, director and screenwriter. Maria Stodtmeier studied cultural work in Potsdam and Budapest. She has produced various international music and literature projects, and since 2006 she has been active as a film producer.
Producer: Paul Smaczny Production Companies: EuroArts Music International Cinematographer: Michael Boomers Editor: Steffen Herrmann Sound Design: Toine Mertens, Andreas Köppen
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Mon. April 26 5:00PM FREEEl viaje del cometa The Journey of the Comet Ivonne Fuentes Mendoza Mexico, Documentary, 2008 86 min, HD, Color Spanish with English Subtitles
A couple of retired teachers transform an out-of-use school bus into a mobile home. With the help of a few telescopes, their retiree salary and a dream, they begin their cross-country journey to the most isolated places of Mexico in order to teach astronomy to public schools students.
US Premiere
Ivonne Fuentes Mendoza was born in Mexico City and studied at Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos where she produced the documentary short La Virgen Lupita, which won the Mikeldi prize at the Cinema Festival of Bilbao. She has been nominated for the Ariel prize for best decorator and art director for several films. With the support of the Fondo para la Producción Cinematográfica de Calidad and a grant from FONCA, she shot her first feature film documentary, El viaje del cometa.
Producer: Iván Avila Dueñas Production Companies: Fondo para la Producción Cinematográfica de Calidad, 13 Lunas, Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, Panasonic de México, MCO Studios Screenwriter: Ivonne Fuentes Mendoza Cinematographer: Alejandro Cantú Editor: Elena Pardo Sound Design: Pedro Jiménez Music: Sánchez y Ledezma Cast: Enoc Fuentes López, María Luisa Aguilar Aranda, Víctor Enoch García Fuentes
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Sun. April 25 9:00PM FREEAs a celebration of young filmmakers, Cine Las Americas presents the Emergencia Youth Film Competition, a special section of the festival open to filmmakers ages 19 and younger.
The 2010 Emergencia screenings contain a great selection of youth films produced by a diversity of individuals and organizations. The selection includes works from the multidisciplinary arts program Say Si! in San Antonio TX, the Real to Reel Digital School in Lynn MA, Puyallup youth from Seattle WA, Navajo youth from Arizona, the Global Action Project in New York City, and young filmmakers in California.
The award for Best Emergencia Film will be granted by an invited Youth Film Jury, comprised of students who attend the Boys and Girls Club of the Austin Area after-school programs at LBJ High School in Austin.
Thursday April 22 – 4 to 7 PM – FREE!Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC)600 River Street, Map
Extranjero is a short film about belonging. The smell of things, the noises and the flavors of the country left behind, haunt you and make you realize that life, maybe, wasn't that terrible back in your country. A story about an immigrant's beloved, whose sadness and loneliness are not eased by the remittances sent back to them. The jungle madness known as Grissi Siknis is a contagious, naturally bound syndrome that occurs among the Miskito of Eastern Central America and affects mainly young women. Grissi Siknis is typically characterized by long periods of anxiety, nausea, dizziness, irrational anger and fear interlaced with short periods of rapid frenzy in which the victims lose consciousness, and believe that devils beat them, have sexual relations with them, and run away. Traditional Miskito tradition holds that Grissi Siknis is caused by possession by evil spirits or inflicted by a malevolent evil sorcerer. While Western medicine typically has no effect on those affected with the disease, the remedies of Miskito herbalists or healers are often successful in curing the madness. The movie documents a cross-cultural conquest dance, La Danza de la Pluma, which evolved from Zapotec dance rituals in Oaxaca under the influence of the Spanish colonizers. It incorporates the struggle between Moctezuma and Cortez, Christianity and paganism, with several variations as to the ultimate victor. It has deep cultural significance and importance, with dancers committing themselves for a three-year period, and involves much ritual preparation and community involvement. The movie focuses on the dancers' motivations, their three-year commitment, the sacrifices involved, and how this ancient tradition has survived.
The life of actress Camila Quiroga (1891-1948) seems to have been forgotten. In 1943 an autobiography in a magazine detailed her trips around Latin America and Europe, and discussed her pro-proletarian film Juan sin ropa (1919). Juan sin ropa’s scheduled release unfortunately coincided with Argentina’s Semana Trágica (“Tragic Week”), when a series of labor revolts in Buenos Aires were violently suppressed. But 60 years after her death, interviewees throughout this documentary bring to light more intricate details and stories about the acclaimed actress that would have been otherwise left forgotten.
La sombra del tiempo Teddy Barouh Cuba/France, Drama, 2009 15 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Nina is haunted by the memory of an experience of prostitution at the age of 10. Now at the age of 27, she will deliver this secret to Gabriel, the man who restored her faith in life.
Regional Premiere Teddy Barouh is a 27-year-old director and screenwriter with ties to Cuba and France. La sombra del tiempo is his first short film.
Producer: Yousef Ananda Production Companies: Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV Screenwriter: Teddy Barouh Cinematographer: Stephane Renard Sound Design: Esteban L. Bruzón González Panorama Narrative Shorts Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 12:00PM Buy Tickets EICTV Shorts ShowcaseMexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Wed. April 28 9:00PM La tarea Milagro Farfán Cuba/Peru, Documentary, 2009 28 min, MiniDV, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Sayné is an eight-year-old girl who must write a short story about her family for a school assignment. As she writes, she makes discoveries about her family members including her mom, dad, as well as her mom’s girlfriend. Although her mother’s partner has been around for a long time, Sayné begins to understand how her family is different than others and wants to ensure that she isn’t treated differently because of that.
World Premiere Producer: Marcela Esquivel Jiménez Production Companies: Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV Screenwriter: Daniel Tavares de Oliveira, Milagro Farfán Morales Cinematographer: York Neudel Editor: Domingo Lemus Sound Design: Albán Henriquez Music: Sexto Sentido
Panorama Documentary Shorts Showcase Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Tues. April 27 9:00PM FREE EICTV Shorts Showcase Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Wed. April 28 9:00PM FREE For over 50 years, the Kahnawake Mohawks of Quebec, Canada occupied a 10 square-block hub in the North Gowanus section of Brooklyn, which became known as Little Caughnawaga. The men, skilled ironworkers, came to New York in search of work and brought their wives, children and, often, extended family with them. Little Caughnawaga tells the personal story of Mohawk filmmaker Reaghan Tarbell from Kahnawake, Quebec, as she explores her roots and traces the connections of her family to the once legendary Mohawk community through the stories of the women who lived there.
Kanien’ kehá:ka—Living the Language is a two-part documentary series about what it takes to save a language in the Mohawk community of Akwesasne. The documentary examines various aspects and approaches of the Akwesasne Freedom School and its Mohawk language immersion program, which addresses key concepts of tradition, traditional education and identity preservation. The school has been in existence for 26 years with a philosophy “to create Mohawk speakers and leaders for two worlds.”
In 1930, the American Smelting & Refining Company hired William "Bill" Parker to work at the Angangueo mines in Michoacán. Bill arrived with his girlfriend, Joyce Hartzell, a photographer. Bill and Joyce fell in love with the town and its simple ways and decided to make it their permanent home. Bill was an amateur filmmaker and used his 16mm camera to shoot several documentaries portraying day-to-day life in Angangueo and Joyce’s trips around Spain and South America. But Joyce died in 1975, victim to pulmonary cancer, and 36 days later, Bill shot himself in the head. Bill’s diary describes those last few days: from Joyce’s passing to his own suicide. The movies and photographs made by the Parkers over the years become the material that relives their memories and tells the story of these two lovers that even death couldn’t tear apart.
Los herederos is a portrait of the young children in the Mexican countryside who begin to work at an early age. The film focuses on their daily struggle for survival and their activities in farming, sculpting and painting “alebrijes,” shepherding, making bricks, weaving, looking after their siblings, collecting water, harvesting tomato, chili, maize, and laboring in a myriad of other activities. They have inherited tools and techniques from their ancestors, but they have also inherited their day-to-day hardship because, as generations pass, child workers seem to remain captive in a cycle of inherited poverty.
March Point Annie Silverstein, Tracy Rector USA, Documentary, 2008 57 min, HD, Color English
In the late 1950’s, two refineries were built on March Point, an area that was once part of the Swinomish reservation by treaty. March Point tells the story of three Swinomish teens’ awakening to the destruction these refineries have brought to their communities. Ambivalent environmental ambassadors at the onset, the boys grapple with their assignment with humor, sarcasm and a candid self-knowledge. But as their filmmaking evolves, they experience the need to understand and tell their stories, and the power of this process changes their lives. March Point was an official selection of PBS's Independent Lens and won an Audience Award at the Indigenous Green Environmental Film Festival.
Austin Premiere
Annie Silverstein and Tracy Rector launched the Native Lens program in partnership with the Swinomish Indian Tribe which was the beginning of their non-profit media organization Longhouse Media. In 2007, Silverstein moved to Rio de Janeiro for one year to work on a case study on the social impact of teaching media making to Rio's underprivileged youth. Tracy Rector (Seminole) earned her Masters in Education from Antioch University with an emphasis on indigenous approaches to learning. She specializes in Native American Studies, traditional plant medicine and documentary film.
Producer: Annie Silverstein, Tracy Rector Production Companies: Longhouse Media Screenwriter: Annie Silverstein, Tracy Rector, Nick Clark, Cody Cayou, Travis Tom Cinematographer: Annie Silverstein, Tracy Rector, Nick Clark, Cody Cayou, Travis Tom Editor: Eric Frith, Amanda Larson Sound Design: Bad Animals Music: Force Theory Cast: Nick Clark, Cody Cayou, Travis Tom
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Thur. April 22 7:00PM Accompanied by special presentation of youth films produced through Longhouse Media/Native Lens. FREE
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Tues. April 27 7:00PM Accompanied by special presentation of youth films produced through Longhouse Media/Native Lens. FREE Producers/Directors Annie Silverstein and Tracy Rector in attendance.Memoria de los peces Enrique Mencia Medrano Cuba/Puerto Rico, Fiction, 2009 12 min, MiniDV, Color Spanish with English subtitles
A beautiful and lonely old lady lives alone in a large house full of nothing but memories and her fish. One night she receives a phone call, but encounters only silence. The next night, at the same time, she receives a similar call. The silent, anonymous phone calls continue and begin to change her feelings of solitude, creating an illusion in her life.
World Premiere Producer: Vanesa Portieles Figueredo Production Companies: Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV Screenwriter: Chiara Marañón Cinematographer: Felipe Díaz Cifuentes Editor: Aldo Rey Valderrama Sound Design: Olivia Hernández Fernández Music: Enrique Baydán Ríos Escribano Cast: Eslinda Núñez Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 6:00PM (preceding El vuelco del cangrejo) EICTV Shorts Showcase Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Wed. April 28 9:00PMMy Father's Son JorDan Fuller USA, Drama, 2009 25 min, RED, Color Spanish with English subtitles
After picking up his son from a Mexican orphanage, Miles and Carlos hit the road toward the United States. Unable to speak each other's language, their new beginning is quickly wrecked as a gang of street kids strands them in the desert overnight. Finding themselves as blood related strangers, they must now deal with their relationship such as it is while facing the past and any possibilities of a future together. Both Xander Bailer and Mario Quiñonez have received acting awards for their performances in My Father’s Son.
Regional Premiere
JorDan Fuller was a production assistant for Dave Egger and Vendela Vida's 2009 feature film Away We Go. He has worked as an artistic director on several films. My Father's Son is Fuller's second short film as writer/director.
Producer: JorDan Fuller Production Companies: Open Road Pictures Screenwriter: JorDan Fuller Cinematographer: Jamie Urman Editor: Jorge Urbina Sound Design: Dan Brock Music: Explosion del Norte, Verdant Cast: Xander Bailey, Mario Quinez, Jr.
Narrative Shorts Competition Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 4:00PM Producer Vicky Westover in attendance.
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Mon. April 26 7:00PM (preceding Adopción) Producer Vicky Westover in attendance. Nashville, Tennessee, the “buckle of the Bible Belt” and the country music capital of the world, has become one of the most popular destinations for Latino immigrants. Despite the recent growth of this community, until December of 2007 Hispanic Catholics in Nashville did not have a place of worship they could call their own. This film follows the story of Nashville’s first 100% Hispanic Catholic church from the idea of its creation through its inauguration six months later. The film depicts a community that is proud and grateful, having finally found its own place for its members to let go of their minds, let go of their spirits, and truly be free. Point of Entry Zeus Quijano, Jr. USA, Documentary, 2009 27 min, MiniDV, Color Spanish, English with English subtitles
Carlos is an illegal immigrant living in the United States with his wife and two children. His decision to leave Mexico, his parents and siblings weighed heavily on him, but he knew that for them to get ahead he would have to leave to America. He was 15 years old at the time. Today, Carlos is 30 and continues sending money home to his family. Accolades for Point of Entry include numerous Official Selection entries in festivals as well as awards for Best Short Documentary at the Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles, and Best Non-Scripted Drama at NexTv Entertainment Web Series and Short Film Competition.
Texas Premiere
Zeus Quijano, Jr. is a graduate Film Production student at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. Zeus grew up in the suburbs of New York City. He was introduced to the craft of visual media while interning and eventually working as a production assistant on the sitcom, Spin City. He attended the University of Hawai'i and developed his craft of visual arts. USC has enabled him to integrate his love of still photographic storytelling and translate that to a fluid cinematic art.
Producer: Zeus Quijano, Jr. Cinematographer: Zeus Quijano, Jr. Editor: Zeus Quijano, Jr. Sound Design: Zeus Quijano, Jr. Music: Jake Monaco
Documentary Shorts Competition Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 4:00PM
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Wed. April 28 5:00PM (preceding Stages) Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy Renée Bergan, Mark Schuller Haiti/USA, Docmentary, 2009 50 min, DVCAM/MiniDV/HDV, Color/Black & White Creole, English with English subtitles
Told through the compelling lives of five courageous Haitian women, Poto Mitan gives the global economy a human face. Each woman’s personal story explains neo-liberal globalization, how it is gendered, and how it impacts Haiti. The film offers an in-depth understanding of Haiti; and focuses on women’s subjugation, worker exploitation, poverty, and resistance. Initiated by the subjects themselves, Poto Mitan aims to inspire solidarity activism to end injustice in the global economy. Our struggles have a common thread: fighting for justice for women, workers, or Haiti can’t help but bring about our own liberation as well. Poto Mitan won the Indie Spec Best Documentary Award at Boston International Film Festival in 2009.
Regional Premiere
Renée Bergan founded Renegade Pictures, Inc., in 2003 with the sole goal of educating, inspiring and advocating change through her films. Ms. Bergan studied cinema in Paris, France, and received her degree in film from UCSB in 1993. She has received various awards for her work in different socially conscious documentaries. Mark Schuller is Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Anthropology at York College, the City University of New York. In addition to understanding contemporary Haiti, Schuller’s research contributes to theories of globalization, NGOs, civil society, and development.
Producer: Renée Bergan, Mark Schuller Production Companies: Tèt Ansanm Productions, Renegade Pictures, Inc., UCSB Black Studies Research Ctr. Screenwriter: Edwidge Danticat Cinematographer: Renée Bergan Editor: Renée Bergan Sound Design: Fabrice Charmant Music: Awozam, Boukman Eksperyans, Brothers Posse, Manze Dayila and the Nago Nation, Emeline Michel Cast: Marie-Jeanne, Solange, Frisline, Thérèse, Hélène, Edwidge Danticat (narrator)
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Mon. April 26 9:00PM FREETito Juan Vera used to work as film projectionist, unveiling the magic of the movies to people in the Paraguayan interior. In Profesión cinero, Tito tells of his experiences and commemorates the golden days of cinema, through the thousands of film reels, posters, and equipment conserved from his job.
Rehje Anaís Huerta, Raúl Cuesta Mexico, Documentary, 2009 70 min, HD CAM, Color Spanish with English subtitles
After living in Mexico City for 40 years, Antonia longs to go back to her hometown, a Mazahua village in the state of Mexico. When she finally decides to do so, she encounters a lot of things that she didn't expect, like the scarcity of water threatening life in her community. This documentary was nominated for Best Feature Documentary at Mexico's Academy Awards.
Texas Premiere Anaís Huerta was born in Toronto, Canada. She studied political science in Canada and France, as well dramatic arts in several theater companies. Raúl Cuesta was born in Mexico City where he studied international business and photography. In 2002 he founded Lunave, a digital media agency, where he has created several communication projects. Together they created Amaina, a documentary production company, where they produced their first short film, Máximo. Rehje is their first feature documentary.
Producer: Anaís Huerta, Raúl Cuesta Production Companies: CONACULTA-IMCINE, FOPROCINE Screenwriter: Anaís Huerta Cinematographer: Carlos Hidalgo, Raúl Cuesta Editor: Anaís Huerta, Samuel Larson, Raúl Cuesta Sound Design: Pablo Fernández Music: Pascual Reyes Cast: Antonia Mondragón
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Tues. April 27 5:00PM FREEShopping to Belong is a documentary about the relationship between consumerism and the sense of belonging and citizenship among Latino immigrants. This documentary aims to explore the hypothesis that immigrants use shopping as a way to feel part of this country, given that it is one of the main cultural activities in the United States. This documentary shows this process through interviews with first generation immigrants who come from various parts of Latin America; they all have different immigration histories and have lived here from only a few months to as long as 25 years.
Solidarity in Saya: An Afro-Bolivian Music Movement Maya Jensen USA, Documentary, 2009 30 min, MiniDV, Color Spanish, English with English subtitles
This documentary explores the modern resurgence of traditional Afro-Bolivian Saya music. The Afro-Bolivian community has been historically underrepresented and has remained marginalized in poverty since the abolition of slavery. In recent decades, the Saya music movement has empowered Afro-Bolivians to build solidarity in the face of discrimination. The musicians use Saya as a platform for political activism and have been gaining visibility in society by telling their story and defining their own identity through performance.
Texas Premiere
Producer: Maya Jensen Cinematographer: Maya Jensen Editor: Maya Jensen, Ilko Davidov Music: MOCUSABOL-La Paz, Mauchi-Cochabamba, and musicians from the villages of Tocaña and Chicaloma Cast: Mirian Iriondo Barra, Vicki Perez, Edgar Vasquez, Estela Barra, Manuel Barra, Angelica Pinedo, Johnny Perez, Jose Travalo Pinedo, Lorena Barra, Daniel Barra, Paula Yañes, Cristian Mendez, Lorna Vasquez, Enzo Pinedo, Jorge Medina
Panorama Documentary Shorts Showcase Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Tues. April 27 9:00PM FREESowing the Seeds of Justice Abby Ginzberg USA, Documentary, 2010 60 min, HDV/DVCAM, Color English Cruz Reynoso was a man who felt the sting of injustice as a child and who, as a lawyer, judge, and American citizen, worked tirelessly to eradicate discrimination and inequality. Reynoso was born into a Spanish-speaking farming family of eleven children. He struggled to become educated, often finding himself in the cross hairs of controversy, yet guided by a strong moral compass, he was determined to enforce the guarantees of the Constitution. His ascent to the California Supreme Court was a singular achievement, for he became the first Latino justice on that bench. Throughout his career, Cruz Reynoso never forgot where he came from or on whose behalf he was fighting. Sowing the Seeds of Justice was supported by the Latino Public Broadcasting and the California Council for the Humanities.
Regional Premiere
Abby Ginzberg has been producing and directing award-winning documentary films since 1983. Her films focus on race, at risk youth and unsung heroes of the legal profession. She has recently completed a series of short films about innovative municipal responses to the HIV crisis in Oakland, Miami and the Bronx. Her films have played at film festivals across the country and internationally, and have been broadcast on public televsion.
Producer: Abby Ginzberg Production Companies: Ginzberg Video Productions Screenwriter: Steve Most Cinematographer: Vicente Franco Editor: Ken Schneider Sound Design: Jim LeBrecht, Patti Tauscher, Berkeley Sound Artists Music: B. Quincy Griffin Cast: Luis Valdez (narrator)
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Sun. April 25 3:00PM FREE Stages Meerkat Media Collective USA, Documentary, 2009 82 min, Mini DV, Color Spanish, English with English subtitles
In New York City's changing Lower East Side, a group of older Puerto Rican women and inner-city youth come together to create an original play out of the stories of their lives. Over twenty weeks, the participants confront stereotypes and examine their own histories, exploring themes of immigration, relationships, aging and coming of age. Woven together, their stories take on new meaning, first as they are spoken across generations, and later when they are performed for a sold-out show. In response to a political climate that assigns little value to community arts initiatives, Stages offers an intimate portrait of an unlikely ensemble, transformed by the liberating power of their own stories. Stages was awarded the Best Documentary Award at HBO's New York International Latino Film Festival.
Austin Premiere
Collaboratively directed by twelve people, Stages is the Meerkat Media Collective’s first feature-length film. Meerkat Media has also produced over twenty short films, which have been featured in film festivals and screenings nationally and internationally. Through skill sharing and collective authorship, Meerkat Media strives to create works with a non-hierarchical and inclusive creative process.
Producer: Meerkat Media Collective Production Companies: Meerkat Media LLC Screenwriter: Meerkat Media Collective Cinematographer: Eric Phillips-Horst, Jay Arthur Sterrenberg Editor: Jay Arthur Sterrenberg Sound Design: Meerkat Media Collective Music: Meerkat Media (Josh Davis, Elliot Liu, Josh Hoisington) Cast: Lucy Calderon, Juanita Ferrier, Monsserate Vasquez, Maria Roman, Kelli Holsopple, Shontina Vernon, David Williams, Min Naing, Robin Munro
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Sun. April 25 7:00PM FREE Filmmakers Sally Bergom, Brian John and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg in attendance. Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Wed. April 28 5:00PM FREEFilmmakers Sally Bergom, Brian John and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg in attendance. Sueños y sacrificios Dreams and Sacrifices Lotte Haase The Netherlands/Peru, Documentary, 2009 41 min, MiniDV, Color Spanish with English subtitles
In Peru, each year in the month of June thousands of people come together at the pilgrimage site of the Lord of Qoyllur Riti. At 4700 meters up in the mountains they gather to dance for this Lord, the mountains and the Sun. They do this in order to beseech forgiveness for their sins, but also to ask for material things. The film follows one of the dancers, Laura, who makes the pilgrimage for the first time. She is part of a religious dance group (“comparsa”) that has its particular Andean-Catholic practices in which discipline plays a large role. The film shows what it means for individuals to make this sometimes dangerous and physically demanding pilgrimage and the sacrifices one has to make to fulfill one’s dreams.
International Premiere
Lotte recently graduated from Leiden University in the Netherlands with an MA Cultural Anthropology and specialization in Cultural Anthropology. Sueños y sacrificios is her first film and is part of her graduation project that also includes a film about folkloric dance practices in the city of Cusco, Peru.
Producer: Lotte Haase Screenwriter: Lotte Haase Cinematographer: Lotte Haase Editor: Lotte Haase Sound Design: Lotte Haase Cast: Laura Huaman
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Thur. April 22 9:00PM FREE
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Sun. April 25 3:00PM (preceding Sowing the Seeds of Justice) FREE Suertes, humores y pequeñas historias de la Independencia y de la Revolución Crafts, Humors and Short Stories of the Mexican Independence and the Revolution Crafts, Humors and Short Stories is a collection of 26 one-minute-long short films; 13 inspired by events from the Independence, and 13 related to the Mexican Revolution. This project brings together five of the most talented Mexican animation directors: Luis Téllez, Karla Castañeda, Rigoberto “Rigo” Mora (1965-2009), René Castillo and Rita Basulto, who worked with a team of over 150 illustrators, cartoonists and voice-over artists, in re-creating some of the most significant episodes of Mexican history.
CINEMINUTOS SOBRE LA INDEPENDENCIA MINUTE FILMS ABOUT THE INDEPENDENCE El Tartufo de Hidalgo Hidalgo’s Tartuffe La linterna mágica a la inquisición Magic Lantern of the Inquisition El país del juego The Land of Gaming Viruela o bizcocho Smallpox or a Sweet El arte de la fuga de Fray Servando Friar Servando the Escape Artist Insurgente por suerte de dados Insurgent by Luck at Dice Mil fusiles A Thousand Rifles La compañía de los emulantes The Company of Emulators El orden en bata y chinelas Order in a Robe and Slippers Fusilaron a la Virgen They Executed the Virgin La corona de Agustín Primero Agustin the First’s Crown El decreto de excomunión de Hidalgo Hidalgo’s Excommunication Decree Se prohíbe volar papalotes Kite Flying is Forbidden CINEMINUTOS SOBRE LA REVOLUCIÓN MINUTE FILMS ABOUT THE REVOLUTION El telégrafo y Villa The Telegraph and Villa El primer ataque aeronaval The First Air to Sea Attack La mano, la pistola y los bigotes de Obregón Obregon’s Hand, his Gun and his Moustache Cañón del parque The Cannon in the Park Los espíritus de Madero Madero’s Spirits La marca del Zorro The Mark of Zorro La bandera de Flora Russell Flora Russell’s Flag La silla de mal agüero The Unlucky Chair El dinero de Villa Villa’s Money El tesoro nacional The National Treasury El cometa del Centenario The Centennial Comet Los calzones del General The General’s Underwear Los colgados y Francisco Goitia The Hanged Men and Francisco Goitia
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Sun. April 25 8:30PM FREE
Also preceding various screenings throughout the festival.
The International School of Film and Television (EICTV) in San Antonio de los Baños - about an hour outside La Habana, Cuba - is widely respected as one of the world’s great film schools. What sets it apart is the vision of its founders – Colombian Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Márquez, Argentinean filmmaker and poet Fernando Birri and Cuban filmmaker Julio García Espinoza. From the beginning, in December 1986, they wanted to create a "school of three worlds" (a play on “third world”) for students from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Since then, several thousand students and professionals have passed through the school and it has become a truly international institution, better described as "school of all worlds.” Everyone who passes through the school in its beautiful tropical environment cannot help but be touched by the spirit and creative inspiration of the place. Most students from every generation describe their time there as a life changing experience.
Cine Las Americas is honored to present the following short films from EICTV in this year’s festival: El bombillo Dir. Juan David Soto Taborda El peleador Dir. Pablo José Lozano Hernández La tarea Dir. Milagro Farfán Memoria de los peces Dir. Enrique Mencia Medrano Tierra incógnita Dir. Rodrigo Daniel Alves de Melo La sombra del tiempo Dir. Teddy Barouh
EICTV Shorts Showcase Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Wed. April 28 9:00PM FREE As part of its new policy to end the “catch and release” of undocumented immigrants, the U.S. government opened the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in May 2006 as a prototype family detention facility. The facility is a former medium-security prison in central Texas operated by the Corrections Corporation of America, the largest private prison operator in the country. The facility houses immigrant children and their parents from all over the world who are awaiting asylum hearings or deportation proceedings. As information about troubling conditions at the facility leaks out, three activist attorneys seek to investigate and address the issues.
The Other Side of Immigration examines the causes and effects of international migration from the perspective of rural Mexican communities where large numbers of people leave to work in the United States. The film explores how NAFTA, Mexican agricultural policies, and Mexican politics have stimulated emigration over the past two decades; the extent to which households in rural Mexico directly and indirectly depend on money that undocumented immigrants send home; and the effects of emigration on families and children left behind in rural Mexico.
Tierra incógnita Rodrigo Daniel Alves de Melo Cuba/Brazil, Drama, 2009 10 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Walter is an old man who believes in a better world. Isolated in an abandoned homestead, he anxiously waits for a mysterious event that could lead him to his promised land, a land that is free from all evils of mankind. On the other hand, his son Rodolfo is convinced his father has gone mad and seeks to bring him back to reality. But when the old man’s dream world becomes a reality, Rodolfo ends up accepting Walter’s delirium and decides to follow him to his utopia.
North American Premiere Producer: Roberto Jiménez Sorokhtin Production Companies: Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV Screenwriter: Rodrigo Daniel Alves de Melo, Daniel Tavares de Oliveira Cinematographer: Arturo Juárez Aguilar Editor: Pedro Regis Dulci Sound Design: Jonathan Yeudiel Macías Ramírez Music: Sigried Macías Lastre Cast: Carlos Pérez Peña, Jorge Molina
Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 10:00PM (preceding Lokas)
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Wed. April 28 9:00PM Un fragmento de intimidad tells the story of two Mexican immigrant cross dressers in Montreal who are part of a show in which they portray famous Latin American women artists. Whales of Gold Lucia Duncan USA, Documentary, 2009 39 min, Mini DV, Color Spanish, English with English subtitles
Every winter tourists, scientists, and conservationists descend upon the San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California, Mexico following the migration of grey whales. Their presence--and the establishment of Latin America's largest biosphere reserve--brings profound change to the lagoon’s small fishing community. Whales of Gold voices local people's concerns about these changes and what the future will bring. It also raises questions about how to conserve the habitat and the species in a way that sustains the livelihoods of local people, as well as including them in decisions regarding the use of natural resources. Best Documentary, Next Frame Student Film Festival & U. Frame Student Film Festival.
Austin Premiere
Lucia has directed films about labor, tourism, culture, and the environment. Her film Making History: SEIU and the Labor Movement won a CINE Golden Eagle Award. As a Fulbright Fellow in Brazil, she made Olinda: World Cultural Heritage Site and Lord of Olinda, and worked for Video in the Villages, teaching documentary production to indigenous youth. She has a BA in Development Studies and Portuguese/Brazilian Studies from Brown University and an MFA in Film and Video from the University of Texas.
Producer: Lucia Duncan Cinematographer: Lucia Duncan Editor: Lucia Duncan Sound Design: Greg Armstrong Music: Jim Hershman
Hecho en Tejas Shorts Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 12:00PM
Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) Tues. April 27 5:00PM (preceding Rehje) Director Lucia Duncan in attendance. |
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