As faithful readers of the Remezcla film section, you have all been hearing for years about the great cinema coming out of Mexico. From Cannes winners, to box office blockbusters and just about everything in between, Mexico is one of the shining lights of film production in Latin America, and we’ve been there since day one (okay maybe not day one) to keep you in the know.
But for anyone living more than 15 miles from Mexico City’s Cineteca Nacional, it’s pretty hard to follow up on the trailers we post week after week so that you, dear reader, can impress your friends with an encyclopedic knowledge of contemporary Latin American cinema. Quite simply, most of these world class films never make their way stateside after their initial festival runs, mostly because U.S. distributors still think in rather antiquated terms of “foreign” films vs everything else (and seem to have a rather unhealthy fixation with everything French.) But once in a while, we stateside Latino film fanatics get a chance to catch up on everything we’ve been missing out on in a one stop deal.
This is why our SoCal brothers and sisters need to start getting really pumped, because some of the biggest titles in Mexican cinema from the last year will be taking over the Regal Cinemas in Downtown Los Angeles as part of the Hola Mexico Film Festival from May 8 – 17. We’re talking about Gloria, La dictadura perfecta (The Perfect Dictatorship) and even family friendly animated fare like La leyenda de las momias de Guanajuato (The Legend of the Guanajuato Mummies). In total, the festival will feature eighteen feature films and documentaries that represent some of the more successful local productions to come out of “La tierra del nopal” of late.
Admittedly, this year’s selection falls more on the commercial side of the spectrum, but with over 150 films being produced in Mexico each year, 18 films is only the tip of the iceberg, and these ones will be sure to draw a crowd.
Here are some highlights…
Las Horas Contigo
Directed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta
El Mas Buscado
Directed by José Manuel Cravioto
For Those About to Rock: The story of Rodrigo y Gabriela
Directed by Alejandro Franco
East Side Sushi
Directed by Anthony Lucero
https://youtu.be/roazrLGUoO8
Gloria
Directed by Christian Keller