The 15th annual Tucson Cine Mexico film festival, a co-presentation of the University of Arizona’s Hanson Film Institute and New York-based Cinema Tropical, showcases the people of Mexican cinema, serving as an international exhibit for audiences to view and enjoy Mexican films.
Tucson Cine Mexico, which runs from March 21-25, presents films in Spanish with English subtitles and is free and open to the public.This year’s line-up includes an array of films from documentaries to thrillers to romantic comedies.
Kicking off the festival is “Etiqueta No Rigurosa/No Dress Code Required,” which will premiere at 6:15 p.m. March 21 at the Center for Creative Photography.
Presented with support from the UA Institute for LGBT Studies, this heartwarming and touching documentary follows same-sex couple Víctor and Fernando as they fight for the right to be married in their hometown of Mexicali, Baja California.
Their battle becomes more complex and their case is made public, garnering both support and criticism. However, with love on their side, it is demonstrated that nothing is impossible and change is achievable. Director Cristina Herrera Bórquez will be in attendance at the event.
“Santo Contra Cerebro Del Mal/Santo Vs. The Evil Brain” will follow with its premiere March 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fox Tucson Theatre.
Originally filmed in Cuba in 1961, the film was rediscovered by producer Jorge Garcia Besné’s granddaughter, a filmaker and archivist, Viviana Garcia Besné, who saved the deteriorating original camera negatives which eventually led to the “stunning new digital restoration” of a cult favorite.
Santo, played by Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, is the most iconic of all Mexican luchadores. In this film, he foils the evil plot of a mad scientist to create a zombie army by zapping his unknowing victims with electric shocks. This film sparked many sequels in which El Santo defeated supernatural creatures, wily criminals and other forms of evil.
Doors open at 5:45 p.m. for a pre-show celebration with DJ Dirtyverbs and Adam Cooper-Terán of Verbobala. Viviana will be in attendance at the event.
“Los Adioses/The Eternal Feminine” premieres March 23 at 6:30 p.m. at Harkins Tucson Spectrum 18.
This unconventional biopic about the life of the late Rosario Castellanos is tenacious and inspiring.The film picks up her life in the 1950s when Castellanos is a young university student in Mexico City, struggling to make her voice heard over a society dominated by men.
Castellanos was one of Mexico’s top literary voices of the twentieth century, and Director Natalia Beristáin, who will attend the event, allows us to hear Castellanos’ voice again in her second feature-film.
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“El Vigilante/The Nightguard” premieres at 9:00 p.m. March 23 at Harkins Tucson Spectrum 18.
This thriller follows a security guard’s harrowing night on the job at a construction site as he is lured from one misadventure to the next, preventing him from leaving to attend an important event. While the rest of the country celebrates the holiday, Salvador, played by Leonardo Alonso, tries to leave before the night gets any more bizarre. Director Diego Ros will be in attendance at the event.
“Me Gusta Pero Me Asusta/I Like It, But It Scares Me” premieres at Harkins Tucson Spectrum 18 on March 24 at 4:00 p.m.
This ‘screwball’ romantic comedy, a box office hit from Mexico, follows the unlikely love story between Brayan and Claudia. Love transpires between these two opposites as their worlds collide, with some hipster culture and narco aesthetics thrown in for good measure.Director Beto Gómez will be in attendance at the event.
“Todo Lo Demás/Everything Else” will premiere on March 24 at 7:00 p.m. at Harkins Tucson Spectrum 18.
The film follows Doña Flor, a 63-year-old bureaucrat living in Mexico City who has worked in the same government office for 35 years. When her cat, the only living creature she cares for, passes away, she goes into crisis.
Inspired by Hannah Arendt’s idea that bureaucracy is one of the worst forms of violence, the film offers a cumbersome reflection on solitude. There will be a post-screening discussion with Ana Martínez, PhD, an independent scholar and scenographer.
A talk, “The Silent Giant – Latin America, A Modern-Day Epicenter of Film”, will take place at 11:30 a.m. on March 25 in the lobby of the Tucson Museum of Art.
Carlos Gutiérrez, the director of Cinema Tropical, and the leading presenter of Latin American cinema in the United States, will lead the discussion and review the emergence of the ‘New Argentine Cinema.’ He will explore its inspiration and effect on Latin American films, which are still largely overlooked by the United States despite having had a few breakthrough films.
Gutiérrez will identify the exceptional contemporary cinema coming from Latin America, as well as share exclusive trailers of upcoming films.
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Lastly, “Tempestad” will conclude the film festival at 2:00 p.m. March 25 at Harkins Tucson Spectrum 18.
This documentary, the second to come from acclaimed filmmaker Tatiana Huezo, follows the stories of two struggling but courageous women, Miriam and Adela.
Through a subjective and emotional journey, “Tempestad” delivers the audience a striking story with stunning cinematography to boot. There will be a post-screening discussion with Ana Cornide, an assistant professor of the UA Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
For more information about the film festival and to access free tickets, please visit Tucson Cine Mexico’s website: www.tucsoncinemexico.org.
