X500
A film by Juan Andrés Arango Garcia
This film was screened as a part of the 2017 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (CLAIFF20)
This film is co-presented with Austin Asian American Film Festival
[youtube Trailer Coming Soon]
Canada/Colombia/Mexico, Drama, 2016
104 min, Color
Spanish, English, Mazahua, Tagalog, French with English subtitles
After the death of her mother, Maria arrives in Montreal from the Philippines to live with her grandmother. She cannot relate to her new life and to her grandmother’s dream. Searching for meaning, she transforms into a “chola,” hoping to find a sense of purpose in a world where she doesn’t belong. Alex returned Buenaventura, Colombia, after being deported from the US. He tries to restart his life as a fisherman and support his family, but his actions catch the interest of a local gang. To survive and to protect his youngest brother, Alex decides to join them. David, a 16-year-old Mazahua native, leaves his indigenous village for Mexico City after his father’s death. He finds a job on a construction site and starts befriending a punk community that will help him find his true identity. This second feature by Juan Andrés Arango (LA PLAYA DC) follows these three teenagers living in different areas of the Americas yet going through the same experience of grief, migration, and transformation.
Austin Premiere
About the director
Juan Andrés Arango is a Colombian-Canadian director, screenwriter, and director of photography. His first feature LA PLAYA DC won post-production grants from Fond Sud Cinéma and the Huber Bals Fund, and had its world premiere at Un Certain Regard in Cannes, in 2012. It has since played in more than 80 festivals around the world and has won several awards. It was selected to represent Colombia at the Oscars in 2014. X500 is his second feature.
Credits
Producer: Yanick Létourneau, Jorge Andrés Botero, Edher Campos, Luis Salinas
Production Companies: Périphéria, Séptima Films, Machete
Screenwriter: Juan Andrés Arango
Cinematographer: Nicolas Canniccioni, Vincent Biron
Editor: Felipe Guerrero
Sound Design: Christian Rivest
Music: Paulina Márquez, Nancy Marcotte
Cast: Jembie Almazan, Bernardo Garnica Cruz, Jonathan Diaz Angulo
Print Source: Jerry Li, jl@visitfilms.com