CINE LAS AMERICAS ANNOUNCES AMBULANTE at
18th CINE LAS AMERICAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
AUSTIN, Texas (April 7, 2015) – Cine Las Americas announced today it is proudly partnering with Ambulante to present a special series of three documentary films at the 18th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, April 22–26, 2015.
The Ambulante Showcase screenings will take place at 8pm on three consecutive evenings, Thursday April 23rd, Friday April 24th and Saturday April 25th, in the Jones Auditorium at the Ragsdale Center, located on the campus of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. The screenings are free and open to the public.
Ambulante was founded in 2005 by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Pablo Cruz and Elena Fortes, and is a Mexico based non-profit organization that annually organizes an international documentary film festival, touring Mexico for three months. Through the presentation of films, workshops, talks, seminars, networking panels, and documentary theater, Ambulante opens up different ways of experiencing and understanding documentary film. The Ambulante festival is currently holding its 10th edition, which will be closing in the state of Oaxaca next May 3 after 92 days on tour.
“For Cine Las Americas, this partnership with Ambulante represents an opportunity to share with our festival audience a series of films in line with both organizations’ missions,” said Cine Las Americas Festival Director Jean Lauer. “Ambulante’s mission to ‘cultivate new forms of expression and encourage debate’ compliments Cine’s objective of ‘promote cross-cultural understanding … through film and media arts.’ We are confident that this is the beginning of a long-term collaboration in support of documentary films and discourse around important contemporary issues.”
The Ambulante showcase during the 18th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival will be hosted by special guest Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California.
The showcase consists of three documentary films from Mexico, exploring contemporary issues that resonate across the border. EL HOGAR AL REVÉS/UPSIDE DOWN HOME (2014), a moving portrait directed by Itzel Martínez del Cañizo, presents the lives of women looking forward and chasing their dreams, while working day and night, and shines a light on their children, who learn to survive without their mother’s available daily presence. RETRATOS DE UNA BÚSQUEDA/PORTRAITS OF A SEARCH (2014), directed by Alicia Calderón, is a window into the impact of the Mexican drug war and specifically how thousands of mothers search for their missing daughters and sons as a result of the war. H2OMX (2014), directed by José Cohen and Lorenzo Hagerman, examines the question of whether Mexico City, with over 20 million residents, can avert disaster and become water-sustainable.
Thursday April 23rd at 8:00pm, EL HOGAR AL REVÉS/UPSIDE DOWN HOME (2014)
Friday April 24th at 8:00pm, RETRATOS DE UNA BÚSQUEDA/PORTRAITS OF A SEARCH (2014)
Saturday April 25th at 8:00pm, H2OMX (2014)
Venue: Jones Auditorium at the Ragsdale Center, located on the campus of St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. The screenings are free and open to the public.
For the 18th consecutive year, Austin will serve as host to a wide range of international films and filmmakers as the festival creates networking opportunities for industry professionals, and provides a rich cultural experience for statewide audiences. The festival will showcase contemporary films from the US, Canada, Latin America, and the Iberian Peninsula. All films are presented in English and/or subtitled. For ticket and festival information, www.cinelasamericas.org.
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ABOUT CINE LAS AMERICAS: Cine Las Americas is a multi-cultural, 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Austin Texas, offering theatrical screenings of films made by or about Latinos or indigenous peoples of the Americas. Films from Spain and Portugal are also included, enhancing a truly Pan-American cinematic experience. The mission of Cine Las Americas is to promote cross-cultural understanding and growth by educating, entertaining and challenging the diverse Central Texas community through film and media arts.
ABOUT AMBULANTE: Ambulante is a non-profit organization that focuses on promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation. Founded in Mexico in 2005 by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Pablo Cruz and Elena Fortes, it brings documentary films and training programs to places where they are rarely available in order to create a participative and critical public, cultivate new forms of expression, and encourage debate in Mexico and abroad. For more information, please visit www.ambulante.com.mx.