|
(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 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.
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. In the 1980s, at the height of the Cold War, a bloody civil war between the Soviet-friendly Sandinistas and U.S.-backed Contras ravaged Nicaragua. Despite the danger, thousands of Americans disobeyed White House warnings and descended upon the Central American nation, determined to lend their skills and labor to the social-democratic Sandinista cause. Using an eclectic mixture of rare archival footage, arresting still photography, and contemporary interviews, American/Sandinista tells the story of a small group of controversial U.S. engineers who partnered with local communities and went further than anyone expected, risking their lives in the process.
Artzainak: Shepherds and Sheep Jacob Griswold, Javi Zubizarreta USA, Documentary, 2010 15 min, DVCPro HD, Color Spanish, English, Basque with English subtitles
High up in the hills of Idaho, immigrants earn their wages in solitude as the quiet caretakers of thousands of serene sheep. This short documentary traces the history of Basque immigration to Idaho, while addressing the difficulty of life as a shepherd, as well as the current issue of immigration within the sheep herding industry.
World Premiere
Jacob Griswold, a Dominican-American filmmaker from western New York, developed a passion for creating films that provoke thought and create discussion about difficult topics such as struggle, despair, and faith. Javi Aitor Zubizarreta is a Basque-American filmmaker from Boise, Idaho. Throughout his filmmaking career, Javi has searched for new and innovative ways to bring the story of the Basque people into public attention. Javi and Jacob are completing their Bachelor of Arts in Film Production at the University of Notre Dame.
Producer: Jacob Griswold Cinematographer: Jacob Griswold, Javi Zubizarreta Editor: Jacob Griswold, Javi Zubizarreta Sound Design: Jacob Griswold
Regal Metropolitan - Fri. April 23 8:00PM (preceding Which Way Home) Directors Jacob Griswold and Javi Zubizarreta in attendance.
Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 6:00PM (preceding O Areal) Directors Jacob Griswold and Javi Zubizarreta in attendance. B1 Felipe Braga, Eduardo Hunter Moura Brazil, Sports Documentary, 2009 99 min, HDV, Color French, Portuguese, English with English subtitles
Antonio Tenorio is a B1: the classification used for a totally blind judoka. The documentary follows this professional judo player as he prepares to compete for a fourth Paralympic gold medal in Beijing. Filmed in Brazil, France and China, B1 is an international journey through the perspective of a blind judoka, one of the few in the world to compete both in Paralympic and regular championships. B1 unravels the man behind the high-performance athlete, while simultaneously investigating his sensibility.
North American Premiere
Felipe Braga and Eduardo Hunter Moura are both graduates of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, studying history and advertising, respectively. Subsequently, Braga studied film at New York University, while Moura studied at the London Film School. They have both worked on films by directors such as Jose Henrique Fonseca and Claudio Torres. B1 is their directorial debut.
Producer: Felipe Braga, Rodrigo Teixeira, Gustavo Gama Rodrigues Production Companies: RT Features Screenwriter: Felipe Braga, Eduardo Hunter Moura Cinematographer: Fabricio Lima Editor: Paulo de Barros, Taina Diniz Sound Design: Beto Ferraz Music: Nando Duarte Cast: Antonio Tenorio
Regal Metropolitan - Thurs. April 22 10:00 PMBuy Tickets
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
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.”
Nikki is a prostitute used to meeting unusual men in unusual situations. When she meets Devon, a high-ranking executive, she gets the impression he is a wealthy, secure man who has everything she needs. But a sinister game begins when she finds Susan, Devon’s ex-wife, locked down in his cellar and Devon’s twisted nature begins to emerge.
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. 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.
Ever since Brian Marquez was murdered on a San Francisco street corner in 2005, his father, Luis, has been on a quest to find the killers that took his son. During the traditional Mexican holiday of Day of the Dead, Close to Home portrays a father that has yet to deal with the death of his son, and a daughter who longs to reconnect with the father she once had.
Crude tells the epic story of one of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet. An inside look at the infamous $27 billion “Amazon Chernobyl” case, Crude is a real-life, high stakes, legal drama set against the backdrop of the environmental movement, global politics, celebrity activism, human rights advocacy, the media, multinational corporate power, and rapidly disappearing indigenous cultures. Presenting a complex situation from multiple viewpoints, the film brings an important story of environmental peril and human suffering into focus.
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.
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 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.
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.
Dzi Croquettes Tatiana Issa, Raphael Alvarez Brazil, Documentary, 2009 98 min, MiniDV, Color/Black & White Portuguese, French and English with English subtitles
Dzi Croquettes was a theater group that, through talent, irony and humor, confronted the Brazilian government and its violent dictatorship during the 1970s and 1980s. They were banned and censored by the military regime and yet revolutionized theater and dance language. Their history embraces Brazilian pop culture of the time, the sexual revolution, the beginning of the AIDS era and, above all, the enormous legacy they inspired in every single person that had the opportunity to see their work. They were admired by luminaries such as Liza Minnelli, who became a personal friend and played a major role in bringing them to Paris and subsequently to fame. This documentary received the Jury Award for Best Documentary at Rio International Film Festival and the Audience Award at São Paulo International Film Festival.
Regional Premiere
Tatiana Issa was born in São Paulo, Brazil but spent most of her childhood years in Europe. To date, Issa's credits include 18 successful theatrical productions and numerous leading roles in major motion pictures. Raphael Alvarez grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As a teen, Alvarez moved to New York to further pursue his love of acting. He enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where he studied acting, theater and on-camera production. Dzi Croquettes is their first feature film.
Producer: Tatiana Issa, Raphael Alvarez, Bob Cline Production Companies: TRIA Productions, CANAL BRASIL Screenwriter: Tatiana Issa Cinematographer: Jorge Galo Editor: Raphael Alvarez Sound Design: Aurelio Dias Music: Claudio Lins Cast: Liza Minnelli, Ron Lewis, Gilberto Gil, Nelson Motta, Marília Pêra, Ney Matogrosso, Betty Faria, José Possi Neto, Miéle, Jorge Fernando, César Camargo Mariano, Cláudia Raia, Miguel Falabella, Pedro Cardoso, Norma Bengell. Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 10:00 PMBuy Tickets
El informe Toledo The Toledo Report Albino Álvarez G Mexico, Documentary, 2008 85 min, S16mm/HD/HDV, Color/Black & White Spanish, English, Zapoteca with English subtitles
Francisco Toledo made a series of fifteen prints relating to Franz Kafka’s A Report for An Academy. These self-portraits make up the narrative line of this documentary film that searches for the face of the Juchiteco artist. Toledo’s journey takes us from 1960’s Paris to the 2006 teacher's conflict in Oaxaca, Mexico, and interweaves a plot where the passion and mastery of this Mexican artist is inseparable from the chisel in which a man takes part in historical and social matters and struggles against corruption.
US Premiere
Albino Álvarez Gomez is originally from Zacatecas, Mexico. He studied at the University Center of Film Studies and has taught film and television studies at numerous institutions, including at the Casa del Lago in the Mexican Institute of Educational Communication. He was founder and general coordinator of the Workshop on Audiovisual Experimentation at TV UNAM. In 2005 he founded his own production company, Lo Otro Producciones, which has completed fourteen documentaries thus far.
Producer: Martin Burillo Production Companies: Pegaso Films, Lo Otro Producciones Screenwriter: Albino Álvarez G. Cinematographer: Martin Boege Editor: Omar Guzmán Sound Design: Samuel Larson Music: Steven Brown Cast: Francisco Toledo, Carlos Monsiváis, Elisa Ramírez, Elena Poniatowska Regal Metropolitan - Thurs. April 22 8:00 PM Buy TicketsRegal Metropolitan - Fri. April 23 4:00 PMBuy Tickets
Exiled In America is a film that explores immigration issues in the United States related to detention and deportation from the point of view of those most affected: children. Over 1.5 million immigrants have been deported since 1996—a policy that has torn families apart and led to human rights violations. Exiled In America tells the story of five siblings who struggle to live in America after their mother was deported to Mexico.
Finding D-QU: The Lonely Struggle of California's Only Tribal College Christopher Newman USA, Documentary, 2009 27 min, MiniDV, Color English
In 2005, D-Q University, California’s only tribal college, was shut down after a 35-year struggle. Since then, the school’s board of trustees, past students, and community members have tried to reopen the school against all odds. Finding D-QU looks at the often-conflictive relationship between the board and the property’s illegal occupants. This current struggle frames the history of the school, beginning with its establishment in the midst of 1960s civil rights activism and outlines its original vision as a space for self-determined higher education. The film provides a lens in which we can critically examine the wider American Indian movement toward self-determination and sovereignty in its historical context and as it exists today.
Texas Premiere Christopher Newman is a recent graduate of the Social Documentation M.A. program at UC-Santa Cruz where he produced his first film, Finding D-QU. Before graduate school he worked for the Emmy-nominated outdoor television show, FLW Outdoors. He has also produced action sports videos for the web and cable television. He currently resides in San Francisco, California.
Producer: Christopher Newman Production Companies: Pacific Line Productions Cinematographer: Christopher Newman Editor: Christopher Newman, Patricia Alvarez Astacio Sound Design: Christopher Newman, Patricia Alvarez Astacio Music: The Dirty Three, Floyd “Redcrow” Westerman
Documentary Shorts Competition Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 4:00PM
Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 6:00PM (preceding El poder de la palabra) Jonathan French, a little white orphan boy, was adopted as a baby by his Mexican Nanny and Gardener in Beverly Hills. On his 10th birthday, he was miraculously blessed by the Virgin of Guadalupe with the gift of music. While Juan rises from the half-empty soccer bars and Mexican restaurants of East L.A. to international stardom, he changes for the worse, under the influence of a wanna-be Puerto Rican movie star and Cuban talent manager. And when the dark truth about his history is revealed, he must choose between the American-Mexican man he feels he is in his heart, and the 33 year-old bald white guy he sees in the mirror. This irreverant musical mockumentary finds the humor in one man’s search for ethnic identity against the backdrop of a celebrity obesessed culture.
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.
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.
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.
Luca is the story of Luca Prodan, a young Italian man educated in Great Britain caught in the frenzy of London’s punk rock scene in the late 1970s, who takes a leap of faith by traveling to Argentina during the military dictatorship just before the war in the Falkland Islands. Here he formed SUMO, a rock band that left its mark on three generations and that, still to this day, remains a legend and an inescapable reference for Latin American musicians.
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.Memorias 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
Mnemosyne Rising Miguel Alvarez USA, Sci-Fi, 2010 20 min, 35mm, Color English
A deep-space transmitter pilot begins to experience unusual flashbacks on his ship when he learns he is being sent back to Earth.
Miguel Alvarez has received awards from the Directors Guild of America, Panavision's Emerging Filmmaker program, the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, the Hamptons International Film Festival, and the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund for his previous films, Tadpoles, Veterans, and Kid. He resides in Austin and is currently writing his first feature, Atlantic City.
Producer: Soham Mehta Production Companies: Estebandido Films Screenwriter: Miguel Alvarez Cinematographer: Naiti Gámez Editor: Estemiko Bashi Sound Design: Glenn Eanes, Karlo Motano Music: Brian Ramos Cast: Marc Pouhé, Karina Dominguez, Dan Braverman
Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 8:00PM (preceding Tercer mundo) Director Miguel Alvarez in attendance.
Narrative Shorts Competition Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 4:00PM Director Miguel Alvarez in attendance. 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 FREERed 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 Six months after Bob Mader passed away in 2005, his son, Austin filmmaker Berndt Mader, discovers his father’s camera loaded with a last roll of film. In an attempt to deal with his grief, Berndt decides to finish this final roll in the small Mexican village of Tlacotepec—a town his father had visited and photographed 40 years before. On his journey to this obscure Mexican village, Berndt is diverted to the country of Belize where his sister has run into legal trouble in her adoption of a Belizian baby. After this detour and other misadventures, Berndt finally makes it to the town in Mexico. There he discovers there are possible connections to the past and answers to the questions of his own memory.
Shades of the Border Patrick William Smith Dominican Republic/Haiti/USA, Documentary, 2009 12 min, HDCAM, Color Spanish, Creole, English with English subtitles
Co-sponsored by Austin Film Society Located on the same small island but divided by class, wealth, and skin color, Haiti and the Dominican Republic face heated immigration issues. Through the eyes of a Dominican newspaper's editor-in-chief and through the lives of several Haitians crossing the Dominican border, this film explores the disconnections between the Dominican media and the reality of violence and racism against Haitians within the Dominican Republic.
Producer: Patrick William Smith Cinematographer: Patrick William Smith Editor: Patrick William Smith Sound Design: Patrick William Smith Music: Patrick William Smith
Hecho en Tejas Shorts Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 12:00PM Director Patrick William Smith and cinematographer Roshan Murthy in attendance. A ten-year-old girl awakes alone in the middle of a ravaged and abandoned territory. She begins to wander around the contaminated land in search of food and people, but she discovers that she is caught in the middle of a war where military officials, patrolling the land covered in gas masks, execute people in horrible ways. The girl realizes that the only people who survive the mass executions show severe infections on their bodies so she finds her only company in other small children who share with her the recurrent dream of going to the ocean. In search of their common objective the group of children embarks on a journey to the ocean, crossing a city in ruins followed by the dangerous armed military.
Son & Moon (Diario de un astronauta) Son & Moon (The Astronaut Diary) Manuel Huerga Spain, Documentary, 2009 90 min, HD/DVCAM/DigiBeta/Web Cam, Color English, French, Spanish, and Russian with English subtitles
A human story, narrated in the first person by its protagonist, Commander Michael López-Alegría, about the difficulties a father faces in maintaining family ties with his seven year-old son during Expedition 14, a period of seven months and at a distance of 400 kilometers from the Earth. Son and Moon’ approaches the space world from an unusual point of view, combining spectacular images with others, private conversations between father and son via a simple webcam. The figures of space heroes bring them closer to us terrestrial beings by having them share the same difficulties. While we are celebrating 40 years since a man first walked on the moon, this film raises an original idea that struggles between compromise and the survival of the species.
Regional Premiere
Manuel Huerga has, since 1975, alternated studies in history at the University of Barcelona with the conduct of experimental work in Super 8, 16mm and video (a pioneer in the use of magnetic laptops) that presents and participates in numerous exhibitions and demonstrations of cutting-edge art: Caracas (1979), São Paulo Biennal (1981) and Montbéliard (1981) among others. In 2006 his second feature film Salvador, about the life, trial and execution of the Catalan anarchist Salvador Puig Antich, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival section “Un Certain Regard” in 2006.
Producer: Loris Omedes, Jaume Roures Production Companies: Bausan Films, Mediapro, Pentragrama Films Screenwriter: Quique Barberá, Manuel Huerga, Jordi Gasull Cinematographer: Jordi Abusada, Xavier Gil, Michael López-Alegría, Loris Omedes Editor: Manuel Huerga Sound Design: Dani Zacarías Music: Micka Luna Cast: Nico and Michael López-Alegría
Regal Metropolitan - Sun. April 25 2:00PM
Sowing 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. Taco! Taco! Taco! John Estrada USA, Comedy, 2009 8 min, RED, Color English
What starts as a normal day slowly becomes the craziest for two taco salesmen as they match wits with their new rival for the customers’ business. Taco! Taco! Taco! was the winner of HBO’s New York International Latino Film Festival Short Film Competition.
Austin Premiere John Estrada is a Radio-Television-Film graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. Taco! Taco! Taco! is currently being showcased on HBO.
Producer: Kai Ferguson Production Companies: Blue Bird Pictures Screenwriter: John Estrada Cinematographer: EllieAnn Fenton Editor: Kai Ferguson Sound Design: Gopal Bidari, Gio Locatelli Music: Josh Robins and the Invincible Czars Cast: Joseph Thomas Campos, Sesar Sandoval, Dimitrius Pulido, McLean Smith, Aide Rodriguez, Rocio Carza, Zoe Rendon, Adriana Orpinela Hecho en Tejas Shorts Showcase Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 12:00PM Buy Tickets Director John Estrada in attendance.On May 20th, 1997, the team leader of a four-man US Marine unit conducting a counter-narcotics mission near border-town of Redford, Texas shot and killed 18-year-old Esequiel Hernández, Jr. within sight of the Hernández home. It was the first time an American citizen had been killed on US soil by the military or National Guard since 1970. None of the marines was ever charged with a crime. Compelled by the current political climate on the US-Mexico Border, the marines agreed to be interviewed for the first time for The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández. The film contrasts their frustration and guilt at having killed one of the citizens they were pledged to protect, with the anger and grief of a family whose son died at the hands of their own military. Narrated by Texas’ own Tommy Lee Jones.
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.
This is the story of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, a Native American tribe indigenous to the state. Though they have been present in Texas and the surrounding areas for hundreds of years, their story is hardly taught and their existence is not recognized. In October 2008, members of the Lipan Apache Tribe opened the first museum for the continuation and preservation of their culture. This documentary aims to bring awareness to one Native American group that has become endangered through centuries of oppression and assimilation. As Lipan Tom Castillo expressed, “Hopefully now we can tell our story. Without fear.”
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.
Emmett Deemus, a semi-delusional 70 year-old Outlaw Biker wannabe has just helped a friend escape an assisted living facility when, in mid-flight, his motorcycle breaks down and neither has enough money to fix it. Seeing several motorcycles parked outside a suburban garage, Emmett stops to ask for help. When he discovers that a gang of young outlaw bikers are holding a voluptuous young lady captive inside, the “Outlaw Emmett Deemus” decides to single-handedly save her in order to collect the reward money, which would allow him to fix his cycle. The Red Queen David Carren USA, Action, 2009 105 min, HDCAM, Color English
Gabby Salinas has spent her entire life yearning for a connection with her mother, who died during childbirth at the remote St. Amelia’s Mission on the muddy banks of the Rio Grande. Desperate to know where she came from, Gabby has been pressing her father for details all her life. But the man refuses to tell his daughter anything more than her mother was a poor immigrant from Nicaragua and that he’s a foster kid from Santa Fe. Despite many trials and obstacles, and determined, dangerous opponents, Gabby finally gains the connection with her mother that she has always desired. The film has earned an Honorable Mention in the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival and Second Place in the University Film and Video Association’s Screenwriting Competition.
World Premiere David Bennet Carren has written and/or produced more than 200 films and television shows in almost every genre or media, from syndicated animation and independent features to CD-ROM and primetime television. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Journalism at the University of Texas and his Master in Fine Arts at Spalding University. An instructor of film production and screenwriting at the University of Texas-Pan American, he lives with his wife and two children in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
Producer: David Carren Production Companies: Green Queen Productions Screenwriter: David Carren Cinematographer: Mike Salazar Editor: Steve Escobar Sound Design: Nickie Altamirano Music: Joshua Becerra Cast: Valente Rodriguez, Estephania LeBaron, Harley Kozak
Regal Metropolitan - Sat. April 24 2:00PM Director David Carren and actor Valente Rodriguez in attendance. Set in a small mining town in Northern New Mexico, Things We Do For Love is a short film about how far one family is willing to go to show their love for one another. When Mom's brother dies unexpectedly he is buried in a town too far from home, so the family decides to go get him and bring him home. An unexpected complication during the trip home leads to a strange but touching solution.
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. |
Search, View and Navigation
Join Our Mailing List
Search
