Hola Mexico Film Festival 2009 Film List

• 9 contemporary feature films
• 2 Documentaries
• 2 Sexy/Comedias
• 2 Family Films
• 9 short films presented by IMCINE
• 5 JULIO BRACHO films A TRIBUTE TO MEXICO


OPENING NIGHT FILM:

SIN NOMBRE
DIR. CARY FUKUNAGA (MEXICO/USA 2009, 96MIN, 35MM)
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CAST: EDGAR FLORES, DIANA GARCIA, PAULINA GAITAN AND TENOCH HUERTA

Making its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Sin Nombre is an epic dramatic thriller from award-winning director Cary Fukunaga.

Seeking the promise of America, a beautiful young Honduran woman, Sayra (Paulina Gaytan), joins her father and uncle on an odyssey to cross the gauntlet of the Latin American countryside en route to the United States. Along the way she crosses paths with a teenaged Mexican gang member, El Casper (Edgar M. Flores), who is manoeuvring to outrun his violent past and elude his unforgiving former associates. Together they must rely on faith, trust and street smarts if they are to survive their increasingly perilous journey towards the hope of new lives.

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2009
BEST DIRECTOR AND BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

VOY A EXPLOTAR, I’M GONNA EXPLODE
DIR. GERARDO NARANJO (MEXICO 2008, 103MIN, 35MM)
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Voy a Explotar narrates the romantic escapades of Roman and Maru, two troubled teenagers who initiate an impossible rebellion against the adult world. Tortured by violent fantasies, and craving the attention of his father, Roman attempts suicide several times. His life is changed when he meets Maru, a solitary girl who is sexually harassed by her relentless ex-boyfriend. Roman and Maru are united in rebellion against all, and decide to disappear to a place where no one will find them; the roof of Roman's house. Their new life in common pushes them to discover their sexuality and an intense intimacy. Realizing they will soon be discovered and separated, the young pair looks to expand the limits of their recently formed paradise and departs for the real world, where the wounds are true and the actions have consequences.

NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL 2008
TORONTOFILM FESTIVAL 2008
VENEZIA FILM FESTIVAL 2008


AMAR A MORIR
DIR. FERNANDO LEBRIJA (MEXICO 2009, 90MIN, 35MM)
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CAST: JOSE MARIA DE TAVIRA, CRAIG MCLACHLAN

The young heir to a vast Mexico City banking empire runs away from the cold, corrupt, racist,
money-driven, super-elite, super-rich, classist world into which he was born, takes a wrong
turn down a wrong road, and finds himself stranded in a poor, remote, beach community
where he experiences a love at first sight with an exotically beautiful local girl—one that will
place him—and her—in grave danger at the hands of a ruthless drug lord.

EL ESTUDIANTE, THE STUDENT
DIR. ROBERTO GIRAULT FACHA (MEXICO 2009, 98MIN, 35MM)
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CAST: JORGE LAVAT, SIOUZANA MELIKIAN, PABLO CRUZ GUERRERO

Set against the colourful atmosphere and spectacular architecture of Guanajuato, this comedy captures the adventure of Chano, a retired 70-year-old man who decides, after mixed recommendations from his family, to enrol at the historic University of Guanajuato. His presence, initially quite surprising, has an impact on his classmates and breaches the generational gap. Chano gives his college classmates advice; at times even by force and in the process learns a few lessons along the way.

OVEJA NEGRA, BLACK SHEEP
DIR. HUMBERTO HINOJOS (MEXICO 2009, 85MIN, 35MM)
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Two friends that work on a ranch herding sheep are fed up with the mistreat given to them by their boss. They come up with a plan to steal the sheep and sell them at the Mexican-American border and with that being able to fulfill their dreams of a better future. What could possibly go wrong? That is the question on Jose's and Kumbia's mind. Jeronimo, the boss's son, will do anything in his power to catch them and not let them get away with anything that someday will rightfully be his. When the plan seemed like it could actually work, Maria, a young girl learning her ways with men, appears to shake things up even more between Jeronimo and Jose

FIPRESCI AWARD
AUDIENCE AWARD
GUADALAJARA FILM FESTIVAL 2009


AMOR, DOLOR Y VICEVERSA, LOVE, PAIN AND VICEVERSA
DIR. ALFONSO PINEDA-ULLOA (MEXICO 2008, 86MIN, 35MM)
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CAST: BARBARA MORI, IRENE AZUELA

This hypnotic sexual thriller, one of a new genre of commercially savvy Mexican productions, takes the audience on a dark journey through a psychological hall of mirrors. Upscale architect Chelo (Mori) has never met a flesh-and-blood man who could measure up to the dream lover she rendezvous with in vivid detail every night. Determined to bring him into the waking world, she devises the bizarre scheme of roughing herself up and claiming she has been raped in order to set the police on the trail of the man who visits her in her dreams.

CONOZCA LA CABEZA DE JUAN PEREZ, MEET THE HEAD OF JUAN PEREZ
DIR. EMILIO PORTES (MEXICO 2008, 87MIN, 35MM)
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One of the funniest comedies to come out of Mexico in recent years! The story is set on a not-so-typical Mexican circus, where Juan Perez The Magician, decides to bring the glory back to the dying circus by stealing a 16th century guillotine for a final act, but he doesn’t know that it also carries a deadly curse.

GUADALAJARA FILM FESTIVAL
BEST ACTRES and BEST FIRST WORK

ARRANCAME LA VIDA, TEAR THIS HEART OUT
DIR. ROBERTO SNEIDER (MEXICO 2008, 110MIN, 35MM)
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CAST: ANA CLAUDIA TALANCON, DANIEL GIMENEZ CACHO, JOSE MARIA DE TAVIRA

Based on the novel by Angeles Mastretta, and set in the backdrop of Mexico's post-revolution of the '30s and '40s. The film evokes the politics, love, murder and passion of the time. Story begins with the beautiful Catalina Guzmán (Ana Claudia Talancón) who at an early age, marries an older, charismatic and cunning General, Andrés Ascencio (Daniel Giménez Cacho). Dazzled by his world, Catalina escorts him on his political campaigns, observing at his side the intriguing political system in order for her to obtain social justice. She soon discovers, that by dedicating her life to the General, she might not attain her freedom. Tear This Heart Out was Mexico's official entry for the Academy Awards® consideration and one of the most expensive and successful films in Mexican cinema history.

LOS BASTARDOS, THE BASTARDS
DIR. AMAT ESCALANTE (MEXICO/FRANCE/USA 2008, 90MIN, 35MM)
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A 24 hour period in the lives of Fausto and Jesus, two undocumented Mexican day-labourers in L.A. Each day another task, each day the same pressure to find money. They go about their daily routine, standing on the corner at the Home Improvement Store waiting for work to come. Today, the job they are given is well paid compared to their poor usual wages. Today, Jesus carries a shotgun inside his backpack.

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2008

DOCUMANTARIES

LOS QUE SE QUEDAN, THOSE WHO REMAIN
DIR. JUAN CARLOS RULFO and CARLOS HAGERMAN (MEXICO 2009, 96MIN, 35MM)
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Those Who Remain is a film about the families of those who have crossed the border to the United States in search of better opportunities. A film that explores the melancholy, memories and identity of the families of those who have crossed the border to the United States in search of better opportunities. A film about absence, about the families whose lives are defined by the voids emigration has created.



LOS HEREDEROS, THE INHERITORS
DIR. EUGENIO POLGOVSKY (MEXICO 2009, DVCAM)
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At early age children begin to work in the Mexican countryside. “The Inheritors” is a portrait of theirs lives and their daily struggle for survival. These children work farming, sculpting and painting alebrijes, shepherding, making bricks, weaving cloth, looking after their little siblings, collecting water, harvesting tomato, chili, maize, and labouring in a myriad of other activities. They have inherited tools and techniques from their ancestors, but they have also inherited their day-by-day hardship. Generations pass, and child workers remain captive in a cycle of inherited poverty.

VENEZIA FILM FESTIVAL 2009
BEST DOCUMENTARY ARIEL AWARDS 2009

FAMILY FILMS

OTRA PELICULA DE HUEVOS Y UN POLLO, ANOTHER EGG MOVIE AND A CHICKEN
DIR. RODOLPHO Y GABRIEL RIVAS PALACIO (MEXICO, 2009, 90 MIN, 35MM)
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Follow Toto, Willy and Bibi into their new adventure full of old and new friends alike! Toto, now a chicken, tries to live as such, but when an egg witch from the desert needs a chicken’s heart to cast a spell, he sends out his vulture, ostrich and scorpion egg cohorts to kidnap Toto. Willy and Bibi set out across the dangerous desert to rescue their chicken friend and find themselves swept up in wild adventures, meeting an old hawk egg and ground roe along the way. This film is full of double entendres in Spanish making this a cartoon for big kids. ¡Qué huevos!

NAVIDAD S.A., XMAS, INC.
DIR. FERNANDO ROVZAR, (MEXICO 2008, 110 MIN, 35MM)
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With Christmas approaching, Santa Claus has to contend with the fact that the North Pole is melting and find a way to rid the holiday of its capitalist nature.

A TRIBUTE TO MEXICO: SEXY/COMEDIAS

SEXO, PUDOR Y LAGRIMAS, SEX, SHAME AND TEARS:
DIR. ANTONIO CERRANO (MEXICO, 1999, 109 MIN, 35MM)
CAST: DEMIAN BICHIR, SUSANA ZABALETA, CECILIA SUAREZ

One of the films responsible to bring back glory to the Mexican film industry. The film is based on the successful play of the same name, which ran for two consecutive years and was written by Serrano himself. After the film was released it broke box-office records in Mexico, it was shown for more than twenty-seven weeks, and was seen by more than eight million people in Mexico alone.

Winner of six major festival awards, this Mexican blockbuster is an outrageous comedy that explores the battle of the sexes-and the exes! Sex-deprived Ana is nearly out of her mind with longing, until her wild ex-boyfriend, Thomas, shows up to visit Ana and her husband. And the last person Andrea needs for a houseguest is her womanising boyfriend Miguel's ex-girlfriend! Filled with outrageous humour and penetrating drama, Sexo, Pudor & Lágrimas is tantalizing from start to finish!

ASESINO EN SERIO, MURDER SERIOUSLY
DIR. ANTONIO URRUTIA (MEXICO/SPAIN, 2002, 84 MIN, 35MM)
CAST: DANIEL GIMENEZ CACHO, JESUS OCHOA

A Mexican entry into the "hip crime" genre popularised by Quentin Tarantino. Jesus Ochoa stars as Detective Martinez, who has been assigned to investigate a series of very unusual murders. It appears to the detective that a serial killer has been eliminating women by pleasuring them to death. His investigation thereafter takes a very unusual turn, as he must try to understand the technique by which the women were killed and discover who might know of such a method. But in doing so, he learns too much, and the question then becomes whether Martinez can resist using the dangerous knowledge for his own ends. ASESINO EN SERIO is a sexy crime thriller with a heavily comic slant.

IMCINE SHORTS

Niño de mis ojos / Light of my Eyes: A young woman lives in an apartment with a little man as her only companion. He takes care of her, loves her and seduces her with his song; they have fun together. But the peace is disrupted when a new neighbour has a noisy party. The space of the little man reduces, despite his small size.

Beyond the Mexique Bay: Maria sells collars. One day, a foreign man as her to lead him into the desert. The journey turns into a contemplative ritual that emerges the loneliness and emotion of two persons, although the age difference, language and culture

La curiosa conquista del ampere / The Curious Conquest of the Amp: The fantastic story of young Chincoya, who accidentally loses his life working as an electrician for the Federal Electrical Commission. The extraordinary part comes when the same electrical discharge that kills him is stored in his body as if it were a battery, giving him a few more days “alive”.

Jacinta: When nothing is left but memories, surrounded by loneliness in an old people’s home, an elderly woman decides to go on weaving her fate.

Fuera de control / Out of Control: Incomplete and isolated, several characters share the solitude inside a labyrinthine house. They will desperately look to complement each other.

Fin del Trayecto / End of the Line: A couple of lovers who know nothing about one another begin to change the nature of their relationship when she starts to arrive with bruises on her body.

Señas particulares / Distinguishing features: Ramona loses her tranquility when her son Osvaldo disappears. And so, she begins a search that leads her to the coroner, and to acceptance of the possibility that he has died. Finally, she concludes that her son is alive.

Sirenas de fondo / Background Sirens: The hysterical singing of a siren, repetitive as a Mantra. A prayer that asks for a miracle: to regain faith.

Ver Llover / Watching It Rain: The Palme d’Or for best short film by Mexican filmmaker Elisa Miller. Ver llover revolves around two teenagers who must decide if they’ll leave their small Mexican town together or if their relationship will have to come to an end

Golden Palm
Cannes Film Festival

A TRIBUTE TO MEXICO
JULIO BRACHO

¡AY QUE TIEMPOS SEÑOR DON SIMÓN! (1941)
The young widow Ines and her friend Beatriz de Alpuche decide to go to a theatre play just for men. There, Ines finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her. To make matters worst she is unaware that while entering the theatre she was seen by the spinster sisters Mendez, who now want to expel her from the “Committee for the Defence of Good Manners”. Things change when Beatriz and Ines see the Committees president Don Simon hiding behind a curtain to avoid being seen. During a committees meeting, the Mendez sisters ask Don Simon to expel Ines, but he’s reluctant to do it because he’s in love with her and he has a few secrets of his own to hide. When, surrounded by tears and laughter, the truth finally comes out, the love bonds, envy and confusion are cleared up and everyone is happy again.

LA VIRGEN QUE FORJÓ UNA PATRIA (1942)
1810 is the year of Mexico’s independence. At the Mayors house in Querétaro the conspiracy to overthrow the government is being plotted under the disguise of a social event. The priest Miguel Hidalgo speaks of the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe as a national symbol and proposes her image as the banner that should represent the Independence Movement. The Spanish government discovers the plans and orders the priest Hidalgo and Allende’s arrest. Hidalgo tells Allende the story about the apparition of the virgin at the Tepeyac hill. The priest Miguel Hidalgo starts the independence movement in his hometown Dolores and he uses the image of the virgin as the movement’s banner.

HISTORIA DE UN GRAN AMOR (1942)
In XIX Century Mexico Manuel Venegas, an impoverished young man, and Soledad’s impossible love story takes place. She is the daughter of the man that robed Manuel of his fortune. Set on becoming a rich man, Manuel leaves town, leaving Soledad in a profound state of sadness. After several years of absence, the young man comes back only to find Soledad married to Antonio. None-the-less Soledad is still in love with him and they are set on consummating their love.

DISTINTO AMANECER (1943)
A Union Leader is killed by order of the corrupt governor Vidal. Octavio, the union leader’s companion, searches for some documents that implicate the killer. Chased by the governor’s henchmen, Octavio encounters Julieta, with whom he used to be in love during their school years. Julietas helps him search for these documents, while she debates between the love she feels for him and the responsibility she has towards her family.

LA COBARDE (1952)
A girl is rescued from a shipwreck by the art collector Arturo and his nephews. Mara grows up with the brothers Julio and Roberto who are both in love with her. When Julio goes of to study Mara marries Arturo out of spite. When Julio comes back he tells Mara that they should commit suicide together, but she lacks the courage to do it so it’s only Julio who does it. During the following year she starts to have hallucinations about him reproaching her for not having honoured their pact, and it’s not until Roberto comes back from his stay in the jungle as a doctor that he discovers that Julio had a cardiac problem that caused his death.