Revolución y Fantasía:
Recent Mexican cinema from AFS, Cine las Americas, and SXSW
By Belinda Acosta, Fri., March 12, 2004
Just when you thought your SXSW Film 04 schedule was firm, the Austin Film Society and Cine las Americas, in conjunction with SXSW, come up with another slate of not-to-be-missed films, these from south of the border, made within the past five years.
The following films will be screened at the Arbor (9828 Great Hills Trail) as part of the Festival:
El Cometa (The Comet), 1999: Diego Luna, Ana Claudia Talancón, and Carmen Maura star in this story set during the Mexican Revolution. A young man falls in love with a pro-revolutionary woman, who joins his family's traveling carpa to avoid arrest by Díaz loyalists. Screens Saturday, March 13, 2:30pm.
Su Alteza Seren´isma (His Most Serene Highness), 2000: The Alamo and Gen. Santa Anna's story from the Mexican perspective. Directed by Felipe Cazals, an icon of Mexican film, starring Alejandro Parodi. Screens Sunday, March 14, 2pm.
Del Olvido al No Me Acuerdo (From Forgetting to Not Remembering), 1999: Juan Carlos Rulfo, son of the master of Mexican literature, Juan Rulfo, directed this lyrical, highly personal documentary of Juan Carlos in search of his enigmatic father. Screens Monday, March 15, 5:30pm.
The following films will be screened at the Alamo Drafthouse Village (2700 W. Anderson) after the Festival:
Cuento de Hadas Para Dormir Cocodrilos (Bedtime Fairy Tales for Crocodiles), 2002: A father tries to save his son from a curse cast upon his family during the French occupation of Mexico. Screens Tuesday, March 23, 7pm.
Vera, 2003: Subtitled "a road movie for the soul," this film explores alternate meanings of reality using Mayan cosmology as a guide. Screens Tuesday, March 30, 7pm.
Segundo Siglo (Second Century), 1999: A group of directors give thanks for the first 100 years of cinema, traveling across Scotland, Ireland, and New York, collecting thoughts and images that reflect the spiritual, intellectual, and artistic journey in pursuit of making films. Screens Tuesday, April 6, 7pm.
Admission to Revolución y Fantasía films at the Arbor Cinema is free to holders of SXSW badges and passes. Austin Film Society members pay $5 with current membership cards. Admission is $7 for all others.
Alamo Drafthouse Village screenings require reservations. Admission is free to Austin Film Society members with current membership cards. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by calling 322-0145 no later than 4pm on the day of each screening. Remaining tickets will be sold for $4 inside the Alamo Drafthouse 10 minutes before screenings.
For more information, call 322-0145 or visit www.cinelasamericas.org or www.austinfilm.org.
