Intro The screening on Sat 12 March will be introduced by Andy Willis, Reader in Film Studies at the University of Salford.
Screening
To celebrate the hundred-year anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, this collection of ten short films narrates the impact of history on contemporary society. Ten different voices from the forefront of Mexican cinema each approach the project in their own distinct style.
Eimbcke’s La Bienvenida portrays a village awaiting the arrival of a special guest. Riggen’s Lindo y querido is a heart-warming comedy about an American-born woman who returns her embalmed father’s body to Mexico for a traditional burial. In García Bernal’s Lucio, two young cousins discuss alternative interpretations of traditional religious and patriotic symbols. In Escalanate’s El Cura Nicolás colgado two youngsters on a donkey rescue a priest hanging from a tree. Reygadas’ Este es mi reino portrays a raucous real-life party scene as a group of Mexicans invite their foreign friends to a rural celebration. Chenillo’s La Tienda de raya highlights the fact that the pre-revolutionary practice to pay employees in coupons still exists. In Naranjo’s R-100 two workers run away from their violent past towards the highway. Plá’s 30/30 portrays the political hijacking of revolutionary commemorations by contemporary politicians. In Luna’s Pacífico a man goes in search of his lost dream at the beach, but comes to the painful realization that they are home with the family he has left behind. Finally, in García’s La 7 y Alvarado ghosts of ‘revolucionarios’ visit downtown LA.