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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.
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 Filmed in the idyllic Mayan Riviera, All Inclusive follows the story of a Chilean-Mexican family during their summer vacation. Facing the imminent arrival of a storm, each of the characters goes through unexpected situations that cause deep changes in their lives, and they have to deal with their innermost fears, conflicts and secrets. The trip will be unforgettable, but it will remind every member of the family of the ups and the downs that make up life. With a stellar cast featuring Jesús Ochoa, Valentina Vargas, Ana Serradilla, Martha Higareda, Jesús Zavala, Leonor Varela, Jaime Camil, Maya Zapata, Mónica Cruz and Edgar Vívar, All Inclusive is an appealing movie that talks about the search of happiness, the things we don’t say, tolerance and family love. Amateur Daniel Treviño USA, Drama, 2009 15 min, RED, Color English
Everything seems to be moving fast for Michael, so one day he packs up his camping gear and takes off on his old motorcycle looking for a place a relax. As he sets up his tent along side a lake, he spots a girl in a blue bathing suit and he ends up meeting her on a boat. It turns out that Sam is not like other girls; she is different and it is this difference that both attracts and pushes Michael away from her.
Texas Premiere
Producer: Daniel Treviño Production Companies: Daniel Treviño Screenwriter: Daniel Treviño Cinematographer: Yuta Yamaguchi Editor: Daniel Treviño Music: Emile Millar Cast: Nick Spain, Nikki Valdez, Laurie Coker
Regal Metropolitan - Thur. April 22 6:00PM (preceding Ser y no ser) Director Daniel Treviño and Assist. Director Marisol Medrano in attendance.
Hecho en Tejas Shorts Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 12:00PM Director Daniel Treviño, DP Yuta Yamaguchi, Producer Willie Rockefeller, and Actor Nikki Valdez in attendance. Amnesia is a thriller of truth, forgetfulness, vengeance and encounters. Zúñiga and Ramírez, two pawns of a war no one wants to recall, are lonely men that find each other after a long period of time. Set in the city of Valparaíso and the Atacama Desert, the film deals with the encounter of the tortured and their torturers after the end of the Pinochet dictatorship. Amnesia is an essential reference for understanding this dramatic period of transition in Chile.
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.
Aquele Querido Mês de Agosto Our Beloved Month of August Miguel Gomes Portugal, Musical/Drama, 2008147 min, 35mm, ColorPortuguese with English subtitles
Co-sponsored by Austin Film Society Amid the mountains, in the heart of Portugal, the month of August is abuzz with people and activity. Emigrants return home to set off fireworks, fight fires, sing karaoke, hurl themselves from bridges, hunt wild boar, drink beer, and make babies. The film is an intoxicating blend of visuals and sound that follow the strange relationship between a father, a daughter and a nephew in a traveling pop band. Aquele Querido Mês de Agosto was presented in the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2008 Cannes Festival, and was subsequently selected in more than forty international festivals, winning over a dozen prizes.
US Premiere
Miguel Gomes was born in Lisbon in 1972. He studied at the Lisbon Film and Theatre School and worked as film critic for the Portuguese press. He directed several short films that received awards in festivals such as Oberhausen, Belfort and Vila do Conde. Producer: Luís Urbano, Sandro AguilarProduction Companies: O Som e a FuriaScreenwriter: Miguel Gomes, Mariana Ricardo, Telmo ChurroCinematographer: Rui PoçasEditor: Telmo Churro, Miguel GomesMusic: Mariana RicardoCast: Sónia Bandeira, Fábio Oliveira, Joaquim Carvalho
Alamo South Lamar - Tues. April 27 7:00 PMBuy Tickets
Arráncame la vida begins its journey during a transformative period in Mexican history. The Revolution of 1910 is over and the country’s rule is open to whatever politician had the audacity to grab it. Dominating men fight ruthlessly for control, manipulating and exploiting others to gain power. Growing up in 1930s Mexico, Catalina Guzmán knows little of the world beyond her father’s house, unaware of the political storm that looming over the whole country.
In 1973 in Chile, at the height of the internal tension during Salvador Allende’s three years in office, Carmen, a university employee, maintains her faith in the popular government despite the constant questioning by her colleague Juan and her partner Víctor, who, confronted with the imminent coup, opts for a more radical response than she does. Carmen maintains her hope with the support of Carvajal, an exemplary proletarian in charge of cleaning up the university.
Away Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo Chile/USA, Drama, 2010 5 min, 8mm/S16mm, Black & White No Dialogue
It is the beginning of the winter. Diego travels to New York for the first time trying to come to terms with the memories of his past and those shared with the man he lost.
World Premiere
Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo was born in Santiago, Chile in 1985. After earning a dual major in Communication and Aesthetics from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, he worked as an independent filmmaker directing short fiction films and art videos. His first short film, Los hombres y el río, premiered at the Santiago International Film Festival and Valdivia International Film Festival. He is currently in New York completing his Master of Fine Arts degree at New York University.
Producer: Fiona Murguia Production Companies: Cinestación Screenwriter: Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo Cinematographer: Alexis Gambis Editor: Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo Sound Design: Lamia Alami Cast: Diego Muñiz Vicuña, Gregory Lucas
Regal Metropolitan - Thur. April 22 8:00PM (preceding La mujer sin piano)
Narrative Shorts Competition Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 4:00PM
Barking Water Sterlin Harjo USA, Drama, 200885 min, HD Video, ColorEnglish
Frankie and Irene have a difficult past, but Frankie needs Irene’s help with one task. He longs to get out of the hospital and go home to his daughter to make amends. Frankie has always loved Irene, and even though he drove them apart, she agrees to help him in his trying time. With the sounds and rhythms of their past providing the soundtrack for a redemptive journey, Frank and Irene ride together through Oklahoma for one last time. This unforgettable story about saying goodbye won the 2009 Best Film prize at the American Indian Film Festival and was also an official selection at Sundance.
Austin Premiere
Sterlin Harjo belongs to the Seminole and Creek Nations, and is a native of Oklahoma. Interested in film and visual art from an early age, Harjo studied painting at the University of Oklahoma before writing his first feature-length script, Four Sheets to the Wind. He completed a year of development on his first feature through the Sundance Institute’s Filmmaker Labs where he worked under the guidance of industry veterans such as Robert Redford. Barking Water is his second feature film.
Producer: Chad BurrisProduction Companies: BW FilmScreenwriter: Sterlin HarjoCinematographer: Frederick SchroederEditor: David Michael MaurerSound Design: Travis Call, Ryan M. PriceMusic: Ryan BeveridgeCast: Casey Camp-Horinek, Richard Ray Whitman
Regal Metropolitan - Wed. April 28 8:00 PMBuy Tickets
Cerro de la Cruz Constantino Escandón Mexico, Drama, 2009 10 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English Subtitles
A young man on the verge of death finds himself trapped between his ideals of love and the brutal violence of the revolutionary war.
US Premiere Born in Mexico in 1976, Constantino Escandón studied communication at Tecnológico de Monterrey. He was the director and writer of several short films including Lucio, Philia, El solito. He has also served as location manager on several feature films such as El mago, El cielo dividido and Propiedad ajena. Cerro de la Cruz is his third short film as writer and director.
Producers: Arturo Castelán, Alfonso F. Escandón, Issa Guerra Production Companies: CONACULTA-IMCINE, KODAK, Labofilms, La Manta de México, Libido Screenwriter: Constantino Escandón Cinematographer: Juan Carlos Lazo Editor: Constantino Escandón Sound design: Daniel Hidalgo Music: Antonio Avitia Cast: David Medel, Eduardo Granados, Óscar Ibarra, Neri Paredes, Luis Alberto García, Eduardo Granados
Regal Metropolitan - Thur. April 22 4:00PM (preceding Quanto Dura o Amor?)
Regal Metropolitan - Mon. April 26 8:00PM (preceding Quanto Dura o Amor?) ChamacoThe Kid Miguel Necoechea Mexico/USA, Drama, 200997 min, HD, ColorSpanish, English with English and Spanish subtitles
Chamaco is a contemporary yet timeless story about a father and son who overcome their differences, uniting to mentor a young Mexican teenager with dreams of being a boxer. The father, a doctor, left his home in the U.S. to run a medical clinic in Mexico City. The son, a former U.S. Olympic boxer, burned out too fast as a professional boxer, and is trying to rebuild his life. Abner, coming of age in Mexico, finds himself balancing pursuing his dreams with trying to make enough money to pull his sister and girlfriend off of the streets. Along the way they find each other, find themselves, and face their destinies head on.
Regional Premiere A prestigious producer, editor, and filmmaker, Miguel Necoechea has won Academy Awards (their countries’ respective versions) in Mexico and Spain. He has worked with some of the foremost contemporary filmmakers including Arturo Ripstein, Luis Mandoki, Alfonso Cuarón, María Novaro, and Lawrence Bender, to name a few. Chamaco is Necoechea’s feature film directorial debut.
Producer: Don Franken, Miguel Necoechea, Kirk HarrisProduction Companies: Ivania Films, Rogue ArtsScreenwriter: Kirk Harris, Miguel Necoechea, Carl BessaiCinematographer: Guillermo GranilloEditor: Mario SandovalSound Design: Alberto Castro, Kale DawesMusic: Evan EvansCast: Martin Sheen, Kirk Harris, Alex Perea, Danny Perea, Gustavo Sanchez Parra, Raul Mendez, Michael Madsen Closing Night Alamo South Lamar - Thur. April 29 7:00PM Buy Tickets Director Miguel Necoechea and Producer Don Franken in attendance. Cleats Maria Carter USA, Drama, 2009 7 min, DVCPro - HD, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Each morning shrouded by fog, two pairs of hands sort through curbside garbage looking for bottles and cans. Rising every day at dawn, Sr. and Sra. Martinez gather recyclables in hopes of building an inheritance for their son, one nickel at a time. A story about an immigrant family's unflagging belief in the American Dream, Cleats is a short film inspired by a true story of sacrifice and dignity, where a family’s humble, yet heroic acts help make each other's dreams come true.
Regional Premiere María Agui Carter is the founder of Iguana Films in Boston and a graduate of Harvard University. A former staff producer for WGBH Boston and currently a Brandeis Visiting Scholar, Agui Carter was the only woman director featured for her dramatic work on Discovery En Espanol's Hispanic Heritage Month. Over a dozen of her documentaries have aired on public television.
Producer: Sarah Schenck Production Companies: Iguana Films Screenwriter: Maria Carter Cinematographer: Edwin Pagan Editor: Maria Carter Sound Design: Geof Thurber Music: Joseph Julian Gonzales Cast: Christian Ortega, Brenda Garcia, Ted Mejia
Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 4:00PM (preceding Morenita) Sixteen-year-old Pablo lives with his mother, who for a few years has been struggling to make ends meet. Faced with tremendous peer pressure to fit in by his schoolmates, Pablo deeply wishes they could go back to living the way they used to.
Don Andrés, the last inheritor of the wealthy Ávalos family, feels that he has wasted the last 58 years of his life, idly reading and searching for the meaning of life. After he employs a 17 year-old peasant girl to care for his senile grandmother, Don Andrés becomes deeply ashamed of the dark desire the girl awakens in him. His inevitable emotional collapse parallels the deterioration of the formerly grand Ávalos mansion. Coronación is based on the novel by Chilean author José Donoso.
What do you do if the day your first child is to be born is also the same day your father is to be executed? If you are twenty-six-year old Manny, you use your father's impending execution as an excuse to flee the daunting responsibility of fatherhood. There's only one problem: Manny lives in Monterrey, Mexico and his father sits in on death row in Texas. Against his wife's wishes, Manny embarks on an ill-planned quest to cross the border to see his father, hoping that the trip will buy him time and insight into his upcoming responsibility.
In a town where fishing is a deeply rooted tradition, women are considered bad omens on a boat. Without entirely comprehending this creed and inspired by her grandfather’s principles, Tere decides to prove that she can become a fisherwoman. Along with her best friend, one day she is able to catch a great cunaro. But, what seemed to be a dream come true for Tere vanishes quickly in the face of reality, and becomes a life lesson that neither girl will ever forget. Nina is a 10 year old girl whose life changes dramatically when her dying father and Scissor Dancer master asks her to fulfill his last wish. Inspired by an Andean myth and by the short story by Peruvian writer José María Arguedas, "The Agony of Rasu Ñiti."
Death Rattle A.J. Garces USA, Coming of Age Drama, 2009 22 min, MiniDV, Black & White English
In a small southern Texas town, a young man must face the consequences of his actions and the uncertainty of his future.
Austin Premiere
A.J. Garces was born in Cali, Colombia and migrated to the United States in 1980, after completing his studies in visual communications. He has worked as an illustrator and filmmaker for the past ten years. Garces currently resides in San Antonio, Texas.
Producer: Amparo Garcia Crow, A.J. Garces Production Companies: Cineoptima Screenwriter: Amparo Garcia Crow Cinematographer: A.J. Garces Editor: A.J. Garces Sound Design: A.J. Garces Music: A.J. Garces Cast: Alejandro Rose Garcia, Amanda Vaez Phillips
Hecho en Tejas Shorts Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 12:00PM Don't Let Me Drown Cruz Angeles USA, Drama, 2009 98 min, S16mm, Color English and Spanish with English subtitles
It’s October 2001 and New York is still reeling from the attacks on the World Trade Center when Lalo and Stefanie meet. At first, Stefanie projects a hard exterior, rebuffing Lalo's attempts at conversation. But when a later chance encounter brings the couple together, they begin a friendship that evolves into a romance. It's not long before this new relationship runs into trouble as Stefanie's father forbids her to see Lalo. When he finds out she’s been secretly seeing Lalo, his anger threatens to separate her from Lalo. But their bond only grows stronger as they realize that in a time full of hatred and fear, only love can help them pull through and keep their heads above water. Don't Let Me Drown premiered at 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Austin Premiere
Brooklyn-based filmmaker Cruz Angeles was born in Mexico City and raised in South Central Los Angeles. He is a Sundance Institute Screenwriting and Directing Fellow and an alumnus of the prestigious graduate film program at NYU. His student short films have screened at over 30 international film festivals and have been broadcast on Showtime, PBS, Telemundo and Sí TV. Don't Let Me Drown, his feature film directorial debut, was named one of the top ten films out of Sundance by New York Magazine.
Producer: Maria Topete, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, James Lawler Production Companies: Parts and Labor Films, Rollin' Deep Productions Screenwriter: Cruz Angeles ,Maria Topete Cinematographer: Chad Davidson Editor: Andy Hafitz Sound Design: Micah Bloomberg Music: Daniel Belardinelli Cast: E.J. Bonilla, Gleendylis Inoa, Adrian Martinez, Damian Alcázar, Gina Torres, Raul Castillo, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Yareli Arizmendi
Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 4:00 PMBuy Tickets Ten year old Lizzy and Raúl live next door to each other in a duplex. Through the wall, Raúl hears Lizzy’s parents argue night after night as they head toward divorce, prompting him to try to find a way to help his friend escape her traumatic situation. This is a story about two children and their strength to overcome the common tragedies of everyday life.
El acuarelista The Watercolorist Daniel Rodríguez Peru, Dramedy, 2008 88 min, Super 16mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
T is an office clerk who wishes to fulfill his grand dream of painting a watercolor but his dream is thwarted by his neighbors, who think it is a sublime trifle, something impractical, even immoral, and who of course have a much better idea of how T must spend his time. Funny, absurd and beautifully shot, El acuarelista is a disquieting metaphor on the ease with which we elude the defense of our most intimate essence and yield the control of our life to others.
Texas Premiere www.elacuarelistalapelicula.com
Daniel Rodríguez (Daniel Ró), has a degree in Economics from the University of Missouri. In 2000, he was awarded a scholarship to complete his MFA in film at New York University. Rodríguez’s short films have been awarded prizes at the Montreal World Film Festival, the International Film Festival of Cartagena, and many others in Peru. With themes of love and social reality, his films manage to capture the irony of human nature in a fantastic and timeless manner. In 2008 he produced Altiplano, a Belgian-German-Netherlands co-production that premiered last year at Cannes.
Producer: Daniel Rodríguez Production Companies: Cinecorp Screenwriter: Daniel Rodríguez, Alvaro Velarde, Eduardo Mendoza Cinematographer: Tanon Sattarujawong Editor: Gianfranco Annchini, Jonatan Relayze Sound Design: Rosa María Oliart Music: Omar Garay Cochea, Aníbal Núñez Cast: Miguel Iza, Salvador del Solar, Patricia Pereyra, Sol Alba
Regal Metropolitan - Fri. April 23 6:00 PMBuy Tickets It’s 1988, and Melo, an Uruguayan town on the Brazilian border, awaits the visit of Pope John Paul II. Fifty thousand people are expected to attend, and the most humble locals believe that selling food and drink to the multitude will just about make them rich. Petty smuggler Beto thinks he has the best idea of all when he decides to build a bathroom in front of his house and charge for its use. His efforts bring about unexpected consequences, and the final results will surprise everyone.
El cielo, la tierra y la lluvia deals with the lives of four lonely people living through monotony and silence in the south of Chile. They meet to eat, walk on the beach, take the ferry or simply to accompany each other without needing to say anything. In a way, they try to save themselves in a silent, furtive, and extreme manner. They search for love, sex, inexistent family affection, and their own space and time, not only to distance themselves from the loneliness that intimately brings them together, but, ultimately, to find themselves. Ana, a 50-year-old woman, falls into a depression when her husband leaves her. Once she finally decides to get over it, she begins to change from the outside in and, led by rekindled desire, starts a process in which she rediscovers her sexuality. Cultured, prosperous, blessed with three children and many friends, Leonardo and Martha are a truly enviable example of the species “married couple.” Leonardo is an author of considerable repute; Martha, a hyperactive housewife with academic interests. Leonardo sits back and observes; Martha forges ahead and acts. An enviable couple?
Twenty-eight year-old Enrique Heredia, also known as “Cuajo”, is afflicted by cerebral palsy and has difficulty walking. He and Adolfo, a downbeat 30-year-old who lives with his alcoholic father, decide to open a music studio, where they can earn a living while working with music, their passion. To accomplish this goal, they surround themselves with men and women of different origins and cultures but with whom they all share the common denominator of belonging to a long-suffering and deprived urban community. Winner of the 2009 Goya Award for Best First Feature.
El vuelco del cangrejoCrab Trap Oscar Ruíz Navia Colombia, Drama, 200995 min, S16mm, ColorSpanish with English subtitles
Set in the Afro-Colombian community of La Barra on Colombia’s Pacific coast, El vuelco del cangrejo tells the story of both the drama of a young man trying to flee his past, and the pending clash between a remote village and modernity. Daniel arrives in the village looking for a boat to leave the country. He intends to stay for only a few days, but finds his destiny entwined with the village’s for a time. Cerebro, the leader of the community, is trying to adjust to the advent of modernity, facing the prospect of a beach resort being built on land that traditionally had been held by the community. El vuelco del cangrejo was awarded the FIPRESCI Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Regional Premiere
Oscar Ruíz Navia was born in Cali, Colombia in 1982. After studying at the National Film and TV school of Colombia, he graduated in Social Communications at Valley University. Aside from working as assistant director in Carlos Moreno’s Perro come perro and a number of other films, in 2006 he founded Contravía Films, an independent production company.
Producer: Diana Bustamente Escobar, Guillaume de SeilleProduction Companies: Contravia Films, Diana Bustamente,Arizona FilmsScreenwriter: Oscar Ruíz NaviaCinematographer: Sofia Oggioni Hatty, Andres PinedaEditor: Felipe GuerreroSound Design: Miguel Vargas, Frederic Thery, Isabel TorresCast: Rodrigo Velez, Arnobio Salazar Rivas
Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 6:00 PMBuy Tickets
Entrevista con la tierra Interview with the Earth Nicolás Pereda Mexico, Documentary, 2009 18 min, HD, Color Spanish with English subtitles
In Entrevista con la tierra, documentary and fiction seamlessly merge to create a hybrid poetic film. Through a series of interviews and enactments we learn the story of Nico and Amalio, two children who lost a friend while climbing a mountain.
Regional Premiere
Nicolás Pereda was born in Mexico City in 1982. His short films Cycle and This Film is not a Thriller have screened in many festivals in Europe, North America and South America. He has made films and videos for several hybrid plays and operas, which have been presented in Mexico and Europe. In 2007 he earned a Masters in Fine Arts from York University in Toronto, Canada. His award-winning first feature film ¿Dónde están sus historias? has screened at festivals around the world, and his subsequent films have all garnered critical acclaim.
Producer: Nicolás Pereda, Sebastián Hiriart Screenwriter: Nicolás Pereda Cinematographer: Sebastián Hiriart Editor: Nicolás Pereda Sound Design: Nicolás Pereda Music: Marcela Rodríguez Cast: Amalio Miranda, Nico Miranda
Regal Metropolitan - Thur. April 22 8:00PM (preceding El informe Toledo)
Regal Metropolitan - Tues. April 27 10:00PM (preceding Todo, en fin, el silencio lo ocupaba)
Epílogo Epilogue Carlos Correa Mexico, Drama, 2009 16 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
When Manuel's lifelong routine is broken, he finds that he must go out and adapt into an unknown world to prevent himself from disappearing.
Texas Premiere Carlos Correa, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, earned a Bachelors degree in Audiovisual Arts from the Universidad de Guadalajara. He has worked primarily in the areas of direction and photography for various short films, as well as in the areas of television, video and advertising. In 2007 he won a grant from the Academia Jalisciense de Cinematografía to produce Epílogo, his first short film that was subsequently supported by the Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía.
Producer: Kenya Márquez-Alcadef Cortés, Karla Uribe González Production Company: CONACULTA-IMCINE, Academia Jalisciense de Cinematografía - Universidad de Guadalajara, Puerco Rosa Screenwriter: Carlos Correa Cinematographer: Javier Morón Tejero Editor: Felipe Gómez Sound Design: Odin Acosta Music: Mauricio Estrada, Rodrigo Castro, Klaus Mayer, Roberto Sánchez Cast: Germán Robles San Agustín, Candelario Pérez, Sara Isabel Quintero, José de Jesús Hernández, Frank Rodríguez, Eduardo Covarrubias, Denis Corona Ramírez
Panorama Narrative Shorts Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 12:00PM Three teenagers—Gerardo, Nano and Raymundo—spend their spare time stealing gasoline to go joyriding. They travel in one of their mother’s car without a fixed destination, looking to entertain themselves. Each stop is a crash with reality that puts their friendship to the test, showing that teenage friendships have a thin line that separates betrayal, deception, and a kamikaze-like solidarity. Gasolina is an intimate story that shows that youth, country, and future are defined by extremes.
Juntos Together Nicolás Pereda Mexico, Drama, 2009 73 min, HD, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Gabino, Luisa and Paco live in an apartment in Mexico City. They don't have cold water and the refrigerator has broken. They make a trip to the country to find a lost dog.
US Premiere
Nicolás Pereda was born in Mexico City in 1982. His short films Cycle and This Film is not a Thriller have screened in many festivals in Europe, North America and South America. He has made films and videos for several hybrid plays and operas, which have been presented in Mexico and Europe. In 2007 he earned a Masters in Fine Arts from York University in Toronto, Canada. His award-winning first feature film ¿Dónde están sus historias? has screened at festivals around the world, and his subsequent films have all garnered critical acclaim.
Producer: Nicolás Pereda Production Companies: En Chinga Films Screenwriter: Nicolás Pereda Cinematographer: Alejandro Coronado Editor: Nicolás Pereda Sound Design: Nicolás Pereda Cast: Gabino Rodríguez, Luisa Pardo, Francisco Barreiro
Regal Metropolitan - Mon. April 26 10:00PM Karai norte Man from the North Marcelo Martinessi Paraguay, Drama, 2009 20 min, 16 mm, Black & White Guaraní with English subtitles
A man. A woman. An encounter forces them to evoke events they were both determined to forget. Karai norte is based on Paraguayan author Carlos Villagra Marsal’s classic short story.
Regional Premiere
Born in Asunción, Paraguay in 1973, Marcelo Martinessi studied communication in Asunción and film in New York, Madrid and London. He has worked as a director on documentary and short films in Paraguay since the 1990’s.
Producer: Marcelo Martiness, Gabriela Sabaté Production Companies: Mira Screenwriter: Marcelo Martinessi, Based on a short story by Carlos Villagra Marsal Cinematographer: Luis Arteaga Editor: Marcelo Martinessi Sound Design: Martín Grignaschi Music: Maestro César Cataldo Cast: Lidia Vda. de Cuevas, Arturo Fleitas
Regal Metropolitan - Fri. April 23 10:00PM (preceding Muamba)
Narrative Shorts Competition Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 4:00PM La buena vida tells the story of four characters that, while strangers to each other, live in the same bustling city. All of them chase after their dreams: Teresa tries to rescue lives as a psychologist; Edmundo is a hairdresser who dreams of owning a car; Mario wishes to join the Philharmonic; and Patricia works on surviving daily life. As they chase after their dreams, but struggle with misfortune, all of the characters will be surprised by where life takes them.
La canción de los niños muertos The Song of the Dead Children David Pablos Mexico, Drama, 2008 38 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
My mother was murdered and my father remained alone with five children to care for. He could not offer us consolation; instead, he isolated us. He took us to the beach to pass the summer in an old cabin and that was where everything changed. My brothers and I became united by depression and alcohol. All I wanted to do was to leave that place.
US Premiere David Pablos received the prestigious Fulbright scholarship and was able to pursue a Master’s degree in the United States, specializing in film direction and screenwriting. He was invited to partake in the 2008 IDF Academy Summer School with his documentary project One Frontier, All Frontiers. David has also been selected to participate in the Visionary Campus Guadalajara, in collaboration with the Berlinale Talent Campus and the International Film Festival of Guadalajara.
Producer: Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica Production Companies: Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica Screenwriter: David Pablos Cinematographer: Hatuey Viveros Editor: David Pablos Sound Design: Rodrigo Lira Music: Sergei Prokofiev, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Cast: Rubén Pablos, José Martínez, Rodrigo Azuela, Ana Elena Kelly, Sebastián Aguirre, Daniel Corkidi, Flavie Boeda
Panorama Narrative Shorts Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 12:00PM A man remembers a childhood promise, which awakens his curiosity to seek out an old girlfriend again.
A small fishing village in the south of Chile becomes a magnet for hordes of divers, fishermen, merchants, businessmen and prostitutes, who flock in from around the country when the ban on a prized, yet endangered mollusk—“el loco” (the abalone)—is lifted ever so briefly by fishing authorities. Father Antonio is intent on both preventing his flock from running wild as well as raising enough cash for a new antenna that would allow his radio station, “Mother of the Divine Providence” to reach the entire region. The fishing village is also invaded by a small band of hookers led by Norma, a madam who drives her girls in a battered bus to any place around the country where there is action. Carlos Maldonado, a former local diver, comes home after a seven-year absence to join this bizarre group of people so he can buy abalone for a Japanese firm, and also to see Sonia, a love interest from the past.
La guerra gaucha The Gaucho War Lucas Demare Argentina, Drama, 1942 95 min, 35mm, Black & White Spanish with English subtitles
Co-sponsored by Austin Film Society An award-winning epic film, La guerra gaucha is set in the Salta Province in 1817 during Argentina’s war for independence, when the irregular forces commanded by General Martín Güemes carry out a guerrilla action against the Spanish army. The commander of a Spanish army contingent, Lieutenant Villarreal, is wounded, captured by the guerrillas, and put under the medical care of Asunción, the mistress of an estancia. When she finds out from his identification papers that the Lieutenant, though serving in the Spanish army, was born in Lima, she persuades him of the justice of liberating America from Spain. The film was awarded the 1942 Silver Condor for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay from the Argentine Film Critics Association.
Lucas Demare, born in 1910, was a prominent Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. In 1964 he was a member of the jury at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival. He died of a heart attack at seventy-one in 1981.
Production Companies: Artistas Argentinos Asociados Screenwriters: Ulyses Petit de Murat, Homero Manzi, Based on the novel by Leopoldo Lugones Cinematographers: Bob Roberts Editor: Carlos Rinaldi Sound Design: Jorge Di Lauro Music: Lucio Demare, Juan Ehlert Cast: Enrique Muiño, Francisco Petrone, Angel Magaña, Sebastián Chiola, Amelia Bence, René Mugica
Regal Metropolitan - April 25 10:00PM
La mujer sin piano Woman Without Piano Javier Rebollo Spain, Drama, 2009 95 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
La mujer sin piano portrays 24 hours in the domestic, professional, and sexual life of a 21st century housewife in Madrid. The main characters are a suitcase, a pair of shoes, Carmen Machi (delivering her first leading role) and Czech actor, composer, and scriptwriter Jan Budar. La mujer sin piano was awarded the Silver Seashell Award at San Sebastian International Film Festival for Best Director, and co-winner of the AFI New Lights Competition 2009.
Regional Premiere
Javier Rebollo was born in Madrid, Spain. From 1996 to 2002, he directed various feature documentaries for Spanish television network TVE and he shot a series of short films around the same character and actress, Lola Dueñas, a collaboration that reached its highest peak in 2006 with the critically acclaimed feature film Ce je sais de Lola. La mujer sin piano is his second feature film.
Producer: Stefan Schmitz, María Zamora, Damián París Production Companies: Avalon Productora Screenwriter: Javier Rebollo, Lola Mayo Cinematographer: Santiago Racaj Editor: Angel Hernández Zoido Sound Design: Daniel Fontrodona Music: Emile Millar Cast: Carmen Machi, Jan Budar, Pep Ricart, Nadia de Santiago
Regal Metropolitan - Thurs. April 22 8:00 PMBuy Tickets Regal Metropolitan - Wed. April 28 4:00 PMBuy Tickets
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 It is a significant day for 80-year-old Antonio—after an absence of many years, his estranged son is coming to visit. All must be perfect. There will be a toast with special champagne, an embrace, warm words that may finally bridge the gap between them…but before all that, Antonio must wait. Bedridden, he looks out his window at the Patagonian landscape and sees light and life, the past and the present, while sensing the future. He decides to secretly leave the house, unseen by his faithful caretakers, to take what might be a last walk in his fields, breathing the air, treading the earth, inhaling the scent of the land that had been his life. What might otherwise seem like insignificant memories or moments in one’s life take a special, beautiful meaning and weight in this poetic, humanistic film.
Teenager Juan crashes his family’s car into a telegraph pole on the outskirts of town and then scours the streets searching for someone to help him fix it. His quest leads him to Don Heber, an old, paranoid mechanic whose only companion is his dog Sica; to Lucía, a young mother who is convinced that her real place in life is as a lead singer in a punk band; and to “The One Who Knows,” a teenage mechanic obsessed with martial arts and Kung Fu philosophy. The absurd and bewildering worlds of these characters engage Juan in a one-day journey during which he will come to accept what he was escaping from in the first place—an event both as natural and inexplicable as a loved one’s death.
After Julia is sent to jail for the murder of her lover, she gives birth to a son. Raising a child in prison is difficult, but the only thing that matters to Julia is this new being that accompanies her now. There is no life for her beyond that of her child. Her fellow inmate, Marta, becomes her ally; her mother Sofía, her opponent. While Marta attempts to teach her how to be a mother to her child in the least appropriate place; Sofía wishes to take over rearing the child, so that he can grow up free, outside the prison. The duel between mother and daughter reveals the dilemma facing Julia: is it better for her child to grow up next to his mother in prison, or without her, but in freedom?
Lo bueno de llorar tells the story of a couple, Vera and Alejandro, in the midst of ending their relationship. They are faced with a long night of decisions, doubts, fears, lies, silences, reflections and arguments. In a style reminiscent of Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset (2004), Bize’s film ultimately explores the dissolution of the couple. Intent on exploring the hidden feelings involved in a relationship through its minimalist style, the film reveals the dishonesty that may exist in a relationship, but also great truths about human beings.
Looking for Palladin Andrzej Krakowski USA/Guatemala, Comedy/Drama, 2009 115 min, HDVcamPro, Color English, Spanish with English subtitles
Arrogant Hollywood talent agent, Josh Ross, is sent to Guatemala to find two-time Oscar winning actor Jack Palladin. Although they’d never met, the search is emotionally complicated as the long-time retired star was once married to the Josh’s late mother. The young agent’s contempt for the old actor mirrors his comedic distaste for the local community whose help he desperately needs in order to find Palladin. What Josh hopes will be a quick and lucrative deal turns into a soul-searching journey. The retired star and his estranged son must confront the past they had forsaken.
Regional Premiere
Andrzej Krakowski studied at the famed Polish National Film School in Lodz, Poland and at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Krakowski has written, produced, and directed over 50 films all over the world, tackling subject matters often considered risky and unpopular by Hollywood standards. Looking for Palladin is his latest feature.
Producer: Mahyad Tousi Production Companies: Looking for Palladin LLC Screenwriter: Andrzej Krakowski Cinematographer: Giovanni Fabietti, Alberto Chaktoura Editor: Babak Rassi Sound Design: Bob Pomann Music: Joel Dancyger, James Skinger Cast: Ben Gazzara, David Moscow, Talia Shire, Vincent Pastore, Angelica Aragon, Pedro Armandariz Jr., Roberto Diaz Gomar, The Morales Brothers
Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 2:00 PMBuy Tickets
Los ojos de Javier is a short narrative written and shot in two days for the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. It tells the story of Javier, who wakes up one day to find that his eyes have walked out on him. They did not bother trying to explain the reasons why, they just packed up their stuff and left. The film deals in a light, comedic way with the serious issues of soul disability and loss of identity.
Los viajes del vientoThe Wind Journeys Ciro Guerra Colombia/Germany/Argentina/The Netherlands, Drama, 2009 117 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Late in life, Ignacio sets out on a journey to return an accordion to its proper owner vowing never to play it again. Along the way, Ignacio begrudgingly accepts the company of a young dreamer named Fermín. Together they discover new ways of survival and the uniqueness of Colombian culture. Ignacio eventually tries to dissuade Fermín from becoming a traveling musician, as it will only lead to a life of sadness and solitude. However, Ignacio will have to face the fact that perhaps destiny has different plans for him and his pupil. Beautifully composed, with breathtaking cinematography capturing the beauty and diversity within Colombia, this film has won awards including the 2009 Award of the City of Rome (Festival de Cannes).
Regional Premiere
Ciro Guerra, born in Rio de Oro, Colombia graduated with a degree in Film and Television from the National University of Colombia. At the age of 20 he directed his first feature film, La sombra del caminante, which was selected at over three dozen international film festivals. It has also won numerous international awards including the 2005 Jury Prize for Best Debut Film at the Trieste Festival of Latin American Cinema. Los viajes del viento is his second feature film.
Producer: Christina Gallego, Diana Bustamante Production Companies: Razor Films, Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul, Cine Ojo, Primer Plano, Marcelo Cespedes, Pascual Condito, Volya Films, Denis Vaslin, ZDF Screenwriter: Ciro Guerra Cinematographer: Paulo Andrés Pérez Editor: Ivan Wild Sound Design: José Jairo Florez Music: Ivan Ocampo Cast: Marciano Martínez, Yull Nunez
Regal Metropolitan - Tues. April 27 8:00 PMBuy Tickets
Mal día para pescar Bad Day to Go Fishing Alvaro Brechner Uruguay/Spain, Drama, 2009 104 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Jacob van Oppen, the former strongest man on earth, and his manager Orsini, a scrawny yet dapper businessman who calls himself "The Prince," make a good living by traveling around small South American towns and organizing wrestling exhibitions in run down theaters. Jacob is an uncontrollable titan of impressive dimensions who can only be appeased by the soft soothing melody of Lili Marleen. Once this oddball pair disembark at the village of Santa Maríam business really kicks off. Ever so resourceful, Orsini knows how to find the right combatant but fishing in Santa María could lead to a bigger catch than he's hoped for. Although the cunning editor of the local newspaper is convinced to have sniffed out Orsini's secret, he very well might be on a false track.... Mal día para pescar was an official selection in the 48th Cannes International Critic's Week 2009.
Regional Premiere www.verticecine.com/maldiaparapescar
Born in 1976 in Montevideo, Alvaro Brechner has lived in Spain since 1999. He has directed several documentaries for the History Channel, the Odyssey Channel, Spanish National TV (TVE) and three short films. Mal día para pescar is his first feature film.
Producer: Virginia Hinze, Pablo Ramírez Production Companies: Expresso Films, Baobab Films, Telespan 2000 Screenwriter: Alvaro Brechner, Gary Piquer Cinematographer: Alvaro Gutiérrez Editor: Teresa Font Sound Design: Nacho Royo Music: Mikel Salas Cast: Gary Piquer, Jouko Ahola, Antonella Costa, César Troncoso
Regal Metropolitan - Fri. April 23 8:00 PMBuy Tickets Director Alvaro Brechner 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 9:00PMMemorias del desarrollo Memories of Overdevelopment Miguel Coyula USA/Cuba, Drama/Experimental, 2010 113 min, HD CAM, Color English, Spanish with English subtitles
Sergio Garcet is a Cuban novelist living an isolated life in New York City, who, despite having experienced the Cuban Revolution, now feels like nothing more than an aging college professor. Frustrated by his publisher’s lack of interest in his new novel and his increased inability to relate to others, he builds collages depicting his mordant vision of the world. The film's narrative structure consists of a mash-up of flashbacks, dreams, and hallucinations mixing live action, animation, and news footage from the last half of the 20th century. Memorias del desarrollo is a follow-up to the Cuban classic Memorias del subdesarrollo, based on the 1968 novel by Cuban writer Edmundo Desnoes. The film was an Official Selection at Sundance Film Festival 2010.
Regional Premiere www.memories-of-overdevelopment.com
Miguel Coyula was born in 1977, in Havana, Cuba. At the age of 17, he made his first short with a VHS camcorder, which led to his admittance to the International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. Since then, he has won numerous awards for his experimental short films. His first feature, Red Cockroaches was described by Variety as "a triumph of technology in the hands of a visionary with know-how" and went on to win several international awards.
Producer: David Leitner Production Companies: Memorias LLC Screenwriter: Miguel Coyula Cinematographer: Miguel Coyula Editor: Miguel Coyula Sound Design: Miguel Coyula Music: Dika Durbuzovic, Hayes Greenfield, Miguel Coyula Cast: Ron Blair, Eileen Alana, Susana Pérez, Lester Martínez, Dayana M. Hernández
Regal Metropolitan - Thurs. April 22 10:00 PMBuy Tickets Regal Metropolitan - Tue. April 27 6:00 PMBuy Tickets
Miente Lie Rafi Mercado Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic, Thriller, 2009 94 min, Digital, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Henry, an introverted young artist, rides the fine line between reality and fantasy in order to survive his distorted urban life. His friend Diff jolts his thirst for adrenaline while Paula, his mysterious lover, dares him to explore his wildest desires. Miente is a Latino psychological thriller with a unique visual style that will take you to the edge.
Texas Premiere www.ondamaxfilms.com/new-films.php?page=film-miente
Rafi Mercado is a director, producer, designer and creative director, known for his irreverent work for the Latin Grammy Awards. He has also worked on music videos for Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, among other artists. He founded House of Mercado Entertainment in New York before going back to Puerto Rico to work as production designer for 2007's Manuel y Manuela and then as director for Miente.
Producers: Frances Lausell, Ileana Ciena, Sonia Fritz Production Companies: Isla Films Screenwriter: José Ignacio Valenzuela Cinematographer: Sonnel Velázquez Editor: Raúl Marchand Sound Design: Gerónimo Mercado Music: Gerónimo Mercado Cast: Oscar Guerrero, Mariana Santangelo, Frank Perozo, Teresa Hernández, Yamil Collazo
Regal Metropolitan - Thur. April 22 6:00 PMBuy Tickets
Morenita Alan Jonsson Gavica Mexico, Drama, 2008 92 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Desperate to save his family from death threats by a notorious drug dealer, Mateo Cruz steals the venerated image of the Virgin of Guadalupe causing pandemonium throughout Mexico. Morenita was the official selection at nearly two dozen film festivals around the world and has won many international awards including, Best Film and Best Director at the Festival Cultural Iberoafroamericano in Cologne, Germany.
Austin Premiere
Alan Jonsson was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has studied at various film schools including UCLA, Loyola and Real Academia International de Cine in Barcelona, Spain. Jonsson has also worked as an apprentice in international productions like K9, Medicine Man, Romeo and Juliet, among others. In 2000 he directed the short film Knowing, which received awards at several international film festivals. Jonsson is currently directing commercials and developing his next feature film.
Producer: Ozcar Ramirez Production Companies: Esfera Films Screenwriter: Alan Jonsson Gavica Cinematographer: Emiliano Villanueva Editor: Ana Garcia Sound Design: Miguel Sandoval, Enrique Grainer, Erik Dounce Music: Leoncio Bon Lara Cast: Ignacio Lopez Tarso, Horacio Garcia Rojas, Maya Zapata, Everardo Arzate, Dagoberto Gama
Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 4:00PM Buy TicketsMuamba Petty Smuggling Chico Faganello Brazil, Drama, 2009 78 min, 35mm, Color Portuguese with English subtitles
Lian is a young man from a South American border town in conflict with his father, a smuggler posing as an insect collector. With a smuggled camera recording things that not every one sees, Lian travels in search of freedom as well as the car he won on a television game show. Through his travels, he winds up discovering an unknown world. A film with artistic sensibilities that, for U.S. audiences, might best be compared with David Lynch’s style, Muamba is a creative blend of the objective and subjective, leaving the viewer to form connections between narrative threads that are not obvious on the surface.
World Premiere
Chico Faganello is a director, screenwriter and producer of fictional films, documentaries and television programs. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication and a PhD in Literary Theory from the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. In 1996, he founded Faganello Comunicações, which is dedicated to artistic, educational and cultural projects.
Producer: Lícia Brancher, Chico Faganello Production Companies: Faganello Comunicações Screenwriter: Fábio Brüggemann, Chico Faganello Cinematographer: Marx Vamerlatti Editor: Cíntia Domit Bittar, E. José Sound Design: Leonardo Gomes Music: Willy Gonzalez Cast: Eduardo Hoffmann, Aguinaldo Filho, Fernanda Franceschetto
Regal Metropolitan - Fri. April 23 10:00 PMBuy Tickets
My 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. During supper, two women who recently began dating sit down to discuss infidelity. Between wine, a snoring son, and passionate sex, the discussion will lead them to ask each other whether their relationship should and could continue.
Norteado Northless Rigoberto Perezcano Mexico/Spain, Drama, 2009 95 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Andrés reaches the Mexican border to cross into the United States. Between each attempt, he discovers that Tijuana, the city that adopts him, is a troubled one. As he waits there, Andrés is not only confronted with his feelings and what he left behind, but also with those he meets in Tijuana: Cata, Ela, and Asensio.
Austin Premiere
Born in Zaachila, Mexico, Rigoberto Perezcano's training as a filmmaker is the result of having directed documentaries. His film XV en Zachila participated in different festivals, receiving several national and international prizes. Norteado is his first feature film.
Producer: Edgar San Juan Production Companies: Tiburón Filmes, IMCINE, FOPROCINE, McCormick de México Screenwriter: Edgar San Juan, Rigoberto Perezcano Cinematographer: Alejandro Cantú Editor: Miguel Schverdfinger Sound Design: Pablo Tamez Sierra Music: Ruy García Cast: Harold Torres, Sonia Couoh, Alicia Laguna, Luis Cárdenas
Alamo South Lamar - Mon. April 26 9:45 PMBuy Tickets
Virtuoso drummer and percussionist Jahir belongs to an Evangelist music group. One day, after defying the priest, he is expelled from church and he finds himself wandering the streets of Rio de Janeiro in an existential search for his music and his place in the world.
Beto is the custodian of a house in Mexico City, left empty for several years, in which he used to work as a domestic helper. The solitude of the last ten years coupled with the monotony and routine of his job have led him to develop a pathological fear of the world outside, to the point of limiting his contacts to only two people: the owner of the house, for whom he has a feeling of deep gratitude and respect that is translated into obedience; and Lupe, a friend, a confidante, and a lover. News that the house is to go on sale causes a dilemma for Beto, who doesn't know whether he should dare to set forth and live or seek a way of remaining in his confinement.
Payasos Clowns Marianela Vega Oroza Peru/USA, Drama, 2009 20 min, Super 16mm, Color/Black & White Spanish with English subtitles
After the death of his father, a young journalist named Chino finds refuge in the world of street clowns. His relationship with the clowns leads him to overcome the anger toward his deceased father and to reconcile with his mother. Based on Daniel Alarcón’s short story Ciudad de Payasos, this short film was awarded the 2009 Best Fiction Film and Best Short Film at the Latin American Film Festival in Lima.
North American Premiere
Marianela Vega Oroza is a Peruvian filmmaker and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she received her MFA in Film Production. Her work has screened in numerous festivals and galleries around the world, including the Center of Contemporary Culture in Barcelona. Combining different formats, genres and visual elements, Oroza approaches filmmaking from an intimate point of view; her films are a personal journey. Payasos is her seventh short film.
Producer: Carolina Denegri Screenwriter: Marianela Vega Oroza Cinematographer: Mario Bassino Editor: Marianela Vega Oroza, James Leche Sound Design: Glenn Eannes Music: Martin Choy Cast: Tommy Parraga, Elsa Gonzales, Juan Huapaya, Roberto Saavedra
Regal Metropolitan - Fri. April 26 6:00PM (preceding El acuarelista)
Narrative Shorts Competition Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 4:00PM Pedro and the Captain, a film based on a play by Argentine writer Mario Benedetti, is a film propelled by its form and its content. Both dimensions are developed rigorously to transmit an idea of veracity in four encounters between torturer and prisoner, and the effect of the film’s audiovisual style is to physically discomfort the viewer as he or she is encouraged to identify with the prisoner. The film gives pre-eminence to action, to the actors, to the dialogue, and to the brief, precise reflections upon sensations and emotions.
Perpetuum Mobile Nicolás Pereda Mexico/Canada/France, Drama, 2009 90 min, HD, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Gabino is a 24-year old man who still lives with his mother and works as a moving truck driver in Mexico City. He constantly witnesses the perils and distress that others have to endure as they move out of their homes and out of other people's lives. Gabino and his mother have a distant relationship that comes to a climax when they stumble upon an unexpected discovery. Perpetuum Mobile was recently awarded the Best Mexican Feature award at the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
Regional Premiere www.ondamaxfilms.com/new-films.php?page=film-perpetuum
Nicolás Pereda was born in Mexico City in 1982. His short films Cycle and This Film is not a Thriller have screened in many festivals in Europe, North America and South America. He has made films and videos for several hybrid plays and operas, which have been presented in Mexico and Europe. In 2007 he earned a Masters in Fine Arts from York University in Toronto, Canada. His award-winning first feature film ¿Dónde están sus historias? has screened at festivals around the world, and his subsequent films have all garnered critical acclaim.
Producers: Nicolás Pereda, Catalina Pereda Production Companies: En Chinga Films Screenwriter: Nicolás Pereda Cinematographer: Alejandro Coronado Editor: Nicolás Pereda Sound Design: Alejandro de Icaza Cast: Gabino Rodríguez, Teresa Sánchez, Francisco Barreiro
Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 8:00PM
Quanto Dura o Amor? Paulista Roberto Moreira Brazil, Drama, 2009 82 min, RED Camera, Color Portuguese with English subtitles
Co-sponsored by the Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival Aspiring actress Marina arrives in São Paulo with dreams of independence and fulfillment. She shares an apartment on Avenida Paulista with Suzana, a lawyer with an air of mystery. A few floors up lives Jay, a frustrated author searching for meaning in his life. At a nightclub, Marina becomes obsessed with a singer, Justine. At the courthouse, Suzana begins a relationship with a colleague, Gil. In the streets, Jay takes in a prostitute named Michelle as his muse. At the breakneck pace of the city, the three Paulistas will live the euphoria of passion and its flipside, taking the audience along on a journey full of surprises. Winner of Best Actress Award (Maria Clara Spinelli) at the 2009 Paulinea Film Festival.
Regional Premiere
Roberto Moreira is the award-winning director of the 2004 Contra Todo, his directorial debut, which received over 20 international prizes. Roberto is also a professor at the renowned ECA (Escola de Comunicação de Artes da Universidade de São Paulo), and the scriptwriter of Tata Amaral’s Um Céu de Estrelas (1996) and Antônia (2006). He has also directed episodes for the TV series Cidade dos Homens (2005).
Producer: Geórgia Costa Araújo Production Companies: Coração da Selva Screenwriter: Roberto Moreira, Anna Muylaert Cinematographer: Marcelo Trotta Editor: Mirella Martinelli Sound Design: Eduardo Santos Mendes Music: Livio Tragtenberg, Radiohead Cast: Silvia Lourenço, Danni Carlos, Paulo Vilhena, Maria Clara Spinelli Regal Metropolitan - Thur. April 22 4:00PMBuy TicketsRegal Metropolitan - Mon. April 26 8:00PMBuy Tickets
Red Mesa Ilana Lapid USA, Coming of Age Drama, 2009 17 min, 35mm, Color Spanish, English with English subtitles
Unable to share her beloved grandfather's dreams for her future, Lynn charts her own path by seeking love beyond familiar borders. Caught in the crossfire of her love for her grandfather and her secret love with an undocumented worker, she must decide which borders she is willing to cross. Set on a cattle ranch on the US-Mexico border, Red Mesa, winner of the Best Short Film award at Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival in 2009, is a cinematic exploration of love, loyalty, and coming of age through the struggle with difficult choices.
Austin Premiere
Ilana Lapid, Artist in Residence at Slifka Center at Yale, is a filmmaker, writer and arts-educator interested in exploring the personal faces of global conflict. Ilana was born in New York City, spent her childhood in Jerusalem and Ottawa before moving to Las Cruces, New Mexico. She has a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University, with a focus on International Relations and Middle Eastern studies. She has produced three award-winning USC thesis films and directed 11 short films, for which she was awarded both the Jack Nicholson and the John Huston Directing Awards from USC.
Producer: Vineet Dewan Screenwriter: Ilana Lapid Cinematographer: John DeFazio Editor: Franklin Peterson Sound Design: Chris Brenner, David Lankton Music: Sasha Ivanov Cast: Tom Bower, Jessica Spotts, Gabriel Rivera
Regal Metropolitan - Wed. April 28 6:00PM (preceding Sincronía) Gabriel Rivera welcomes you to Cine Las Americas: Welcome and Trailer Señal de vida Sign of Life Diana Peñaloza Mexico, Drama, 2008 10 min, HD, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Destiny comes closer to two strangers: a pregnant girl and a lonely man. Each one of them discovers an echo of their own fear and hope within each other.
Regional Premiere Diana Peñaloza was born in Mexico City in 1983. In 1994 she moved with her family to San Cristobal las Casas in Chiapas, where she lived for 7 years. She then returned to Mexico City and studied cinema at the Universidad del Cine. Señal de vida is her directorial debut.
Producer: Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica Production Companies: Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica Screenwriter: Diana Peñaloza Cinematographer: Damián Aguilar Editor: Diana Peñaloza Sound Design: Diana Peñaloza Music: Johannes Brahms Cast: Luisa Pardo, Rodolfo Arias
Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 6:00PM (preceding Tres dies amb la família) As they chase dreams that have lost all meaning, a widowed father and his musician son, a TV broadcaster and her younger boyfriend, and a married professor inspired by his student, must negotiate what to sublimate and what to consummate in their desires. The film explores how modern-day life leads people astray from their most genuine expressions in the name of convention. The pressures and stress of day-to-day life, loneliness, and the absence of communication conspire to transport the characters into seemingly empty lives.
The near future. The world is divided by closed borders but connected by a digital network that ties together people around the world. Memo Cruz lives in an isolated farming community in Mexico, the kind of place that seems frozen in time—except for the hi-tech, militarized dam that was built by a corporation, and now controls the town’s water supply. Memo dreams of leaving his small pueblo and finding work in the hi-tech factories in the big cities in the north. On his journey north, he meets Luz, an aspiring journalist who dreams of writing a story that might one day change the world. Unwittingly their fates are manipulated by a chain of events emanating from the highest levels of technological advances.
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 In the midst of the tough social context of Pinochet’s dictatorship, Raúl Peralta, a man in his fifties, is obsessed with the idea of impersonating “Tony Manero,” John Travolta’s character in Saturday Night Fever. He leads a small group of dancers regularly performing at a bar located in the outskirts of the city every Saturday. Beneath Raúl’s exterior of seeming indifference to anything except meticulous recreation of Tony Manero’s dance moves and the chance to compete in a nationally televised Tony Manero impersonating contest, lies a darker side of his personality driven to commit a bizarre series of violent crimes. Meanwhile, his dancing partners, who are involved in underground activities against the regime, are persecuted by the government’s secret police. Tony Manero is a story about the loss of identity and obsession in recent Chilean history.
Tres dies amb la família Three Days with the Family Mar Coll Spain, Drama, 2008 86 min, 35mm, Color Catalan, Spanish, French with English subtitles
Léa has to go to Girona unexpectedly as her grandfather has recently passed away. While there, she will meet with her family, whom she has not seen since she moved. The death of the patriarch of the Vich i Carbó family is just the right catalyst to force his descendents to get along. The wake, the mass and the funeral are full of nostalgia and grief brought by his death, but it is also the perfect time to stop the show of appearances and confront each other. Tres Dies amb la família has won numerous awards including the Goya for Best New Director in 2010.
Texas Premiere
Mar Coll was born in Barcelona in 1981 and graduated from ESCAC (Superior School of Cinema and Audiovisuals of Catalonia) with a major in film directing. Her capstone project was the short film The Last Polaroid, which was selected at numerous Spanish and International festivals and won a variety of awards. Tres dies amb la familia is her first feature film.
Producer: Sergi Casamitjana, Lita Roig, Aintza Serra Production Companies: Escándalo Films Screenwriter: Mar Coll, Valentina Viso Cinematographer: Neus Ollé Editor: Elena Ruiz Sound Design: Jordi Ribas Music: Maikmaier Cast: Nausicaa Bonnin, Eduard Fernández, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Francesc Orella, Ramon Fontserè
Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 6:00PMBuy Tickets
Viajo Porque Preciso, Volto Porque Te Amo I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You Marcelo Gomes, Karim Aïnouz Brazil, Drama, 2009 75 min, Digital, Color Portuguese with English subtitles
Co-sponsored by the Amon G. Carter Centennial Professor of Communications in the Department of Radio-TV-Film at the University of Texas at Austin
José Renato, geologist, 35 years old, is sent on a fieldtrip to the scrublands of the Sertão, a semi-arid isolated region in the Northeast of Brazil. The goal of his survey is to assess possible routes for a water canal from the region’s only voluminous river. For many of the region’s inhabitants, the canal will be a lifeline, the chance of a future and source of hope. But for those living on the canal’s direct course, it means only requisitions, departure and loss. As the fieldtrip progresses, it seems that José Renato has something in common with the places he visits: emptiness, a sense of abandonment and isolation. Like an astronaut who has travelled in outer space, or a sailor who has crossed the oceans, for José Renato, nothing will ever be the same again.
Regional Premiere
Marcelo Gomes graduated in Film Studies at Bristol University and directed a number of award-winning short films. His first feature Cinema, Aspirin and Vultures premiered at Un Certain Regard, Cannes, in 2005, and went on to win more than 50 prizes worldwide. Karim Aïnouz’ first feature film Madame Satã premiered at Un Certain Regard, Cannes, 2002; his installations have been shown in the Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial (1997) and the São Paulo Biennial (2004); and he continues to work in film and television.
Producer: Daniela Capelato, João Vieira Jr. Production Companies: A Rec Produtores, Gullane Screenwriter: Marcelo Gomes, Karim Aïnouz Cinematographer: Heloisa Passos Editor: Karen Harley Sound Design: Waldir Xavier Music: Chambaril Cast: Irandhir Santos
Alamo South Lamar - Wed. April 28 7:00 PM
Vil romance Vile Romance José Celestino Campusano Argentina, Drama, 2009 110 min, 35mm, Color Spanish with English subtitles
Roberto is a gay boy who shares the house with his mother and sister. He spends his days wandering around the house, aware that all he can offer and demand of his young lover is a fling. When Roberto meets Raul, a man in his fifties who invites him to his place, Roberto is awakened to sexual and violent intimacies that he did not know were possible. A film that is ultimately about the rawness and realness of intense sexual attraction, Vil romance was nominated for Best Film at the 2008 Mar del Plata Film Festival, and received the Discovery Award from the French Critic in Latin America Cinema Meetings, Toulouse (France) 2009.
North American Premiere
Christian José Celestino Campusano was born in 1964 in Quilmes, Argentina. Son and brother of boxers, he studied Film Making in the Film Institute of Avellaneda, with an active participation in independent film and video in the eighties and part of the nineties. He is a highly unusual personality, a collector of vintage motorbikes, a versatile artist, and author of a book Argentine Marginal Mythology, composed of thirteen short stories. The work of Campusano focuses on criminal, homosexual and esoteric marginalities with an unusual and alluring forcefulness. Producer: José Celestino Campusano Production Companies: Cinebruto Screenwriter: José Celestino Campusano Cinematographer: Leonardo Padín Editor: Leonardo Padín Sound Design: Ernesto Angel Barrera Music: Juan Manuel Colombo Cast: Nehuen Zapata, Oscar Génova, Marisa Pájaro, Javier De La Vega
Regal Metropolitan - Fri. April 23 10:00 PMBuy Tickets
When I Grow Up Sharon Arteaga USA, Drama, 2010 10 min, HD, Color English and Spanish with English subtitles
Michaela hates helping her mom sell tacos out of their van every morning before school. The film is about two generations, with two different dreams, and the point where they must intersect.
Texas Premiere When Sharon Arteaga turned fifteen, she convinced her parents that a video camera was a better investment than the Quinceañera they wanted her to have. She wrote and directed two short films using her church youth group as cast, crew, producers, and distributors. She transferred to the University of Texas in 2006 and received her BS in Film in May 2009. While enrolled at UT, she worked on several films as co-director, co-editor, director of photography, and whatever job would help tell a story. She loves God. A lot.
Producer: Sharon Arteaga Screenwriter: Sharon Arteaga Cinematographer: Marshall Rimmer Editor: Mark Gerchak Sound Design: Mark Gerchak Music: Brian Joseph Ramos Cast: Marita De La Torre
Hecho en Tejas Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 12:00PM Director Sharon Arteaga and actor/producer Marita De La Torre in attendance. ¿Dónde están sus historias? Where Are Their Stories? Nicolás Pereda Mexico, Drama, 2007 73 min, HD, Color Spanish with English subtitles
¿Dónde están sus historias? is the story of a young farmer’s journey to Mexico City in a search for justice. It has screened in festivals around the world and won the Best Feature Film Award at the Morelia International Film Festival and the French Critics Discovery Award at the Rencontres Cinemas d’Amérique Latine de Toulouse.
Texas Premiere
Nicolás Pereda was born in Mexico City in 1982. His short films Cycle and This Film is not a Thriller have screened in many festivals in Europe, North America and South America. He has made films and videos for several hybrid plays and operas, which have been presented in Mexico and Europe. In 2007 he earned a Masters in Fine Arts from York University in Toronto, Canada. His award-winning first feature film ¿Dónde están sus historias? has screened at festivals around the world, and his subsequent films have all garnered critical acclaim.
Producer: Nicolás Pereda Production Companies: En Chinga Films Screenwriter: Nicolás Pereda Cinematographer: Alejandro Coronado Editor: Nicolás Pereda Sound Design: Nicolás Pereda Cast: Gabino Rodríguez, Teresa Sánchez, Juana Rodríguez
Regal Metropolitan - Wed. April 28 10:00PM |
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