In a powerful, darkly comic new clip from Water & Power, available today via a variety of digital platforms, we get an insider's look at a police department bull pen, where the cops talk shop, and outsiders wonder what the hell they're talking about. By "outsiders," I mean "me," but, fortunately, subtitles are provided to explain some of the terms used by the plainclothes police officers as they discuss an upcoming mission. It's a very intriguing introduction to the movie, the debut feature from writer/director Richard Montoya; here's the official synopsis: Shot over 12 extraordinary nights in Los Angeles, the film tells the story of two brothers nicknamed Water & Power by their hard-working father who was an irrigation field man for the famed Department...
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- 1/14/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Under the same searing California sun that washes over Los Angeles almost every day of the year, one can find extravagant wealth and the picture of the Hollywood dreams where people are gorgeously tanned, almost too perfect to be mortal. Simultaneously, in the obscure neighborhoods that rarely appear on screens, the struggles are much more primal. There, on the East side, the goal is to survive, to make a living by any means necessary, to find a way to dignify the hardworking man who has been ridden of its value. Everyday the two realms coexist but rarely touch. Like parallel existences sharing the same land but governed by distinctly different moral codes.
Those on the wealthy side live within the parameters designated by the system. The rest, are a subculture hidden in plain sight - present but not acknowledged. Born as a product of this concoction of hope and despair, Mexican-America brothers Water (Enrique Murciano) and Power (Nicholas Gonzalez), are the eponymous protagonists in Richard Montoya’s film adaption of his own play.
Raised with a heavy dose of tough love by a single father, the brothers became figures that exist in a gray area between legality and self-righteous conviction. Sometimes the laws of the real world surpass those written on paper. Water is a senator, his wish to serve his underrepresented community is idealistic. Power is a cop full of bravado and untamed fury; he is to valiant for his own good. One wants to plant a million trees along the river, while the other interprets justice to his irrational convenience. Utilizing this premise, Montoya’s story takes place over the course of one night. One of those rare nights when it rains L.A, one of those defining nights that leave a trail of chaos behind by the time sunrise comes.
There is corruption, a murder, a central conflict that divides the brothers between what’s honorable and what it takes to stay alive. However, these elements are mere structure. The real artistry is in the peculiar folklore and the intricate social mechanics at play. The film is narrated using unpretentious prose by veteran, wheelchair bound gangster Norte/Sur (Emilio Rivera ), a nickname that implies his loyalties are varied. Like an ancient storyteller who knows the city and its dangers from first hand experience, he verbalizes the stories of those swallowed by the unforgiving streets. True to his text and the characters he crafted, Montoya has dissected and reinterpret reality in order to capture an idiosyncratic version of Los Angeles in which the Eastside culture is paramount.
Far beyond being a conceptual piece on ethnic identity, it is a unique poetic expression from a perspective often relegated from the mainstream. Being a fusion between experimental Neo Noir and darkly humorous crime saga, Water & Power plays with language in a cheeky and tonally perfect manner. Rapid-fire dialogue with a hundred local references per second and endless puns that allude to the brothers’ nicknames, all blend together to enhance the already strong sense of urban mysticism in the film.
Montoya elevates the barrio lifestyle to a sacred battleground in which brotherhood is the sole alliance allowed - redemption could only be obtained via sacrifice. The mythology surrounding this picture of the city is gritty, violent, hyper-masculine, and answers only to itself and its participants. Only underground legends and unsung heroes are created here.
Stylistically the film inevitably channels the conventions of staples like Chinatown or L.A. Confidential, but adorned with an indelible “raza” flavor. The mere idea of a film like this is intriguing, yet, Water & Power is admittedly a bit theatrical, a tad strange, heavily lyrical, and raw. But it’s the unfathomable interaction of all its imperfections that make it such a particular pleasure. The director knew how to choose his actors and how to carry them through his fictional City of Angels strongly colored in brown. Lost souls roaming around between the ephemeral virtues of power and the unstoppable fluidity of destiny. As one learns from the film, nothing is concrete in L.A except the river. In a town reigned by duality, everyone needs at least one unshakable thing.
Those on the wealthy side live within the parameters designated by the system. The rest, are a subculture hidden in plain sight - present but not acknowledged. Born as a product of this concoction of hope and despair, Mexican-America brothers Water (Enrique Murciano) and Power (Nicholas Gonzalez), are the eponymous protagonists in Richard Montoya’s film adaption of his own play.
Raised with a heavy dose of tough love by a single father, the brothers became figures that exist in a gray area between legality and self-righteous conviction. Sometimes the laws of the real world surpass those written on paper. Water is a senator, his wish to serve his underrepresented community is idealistic. Power is a cop full of bravado and untamed fury; he is to valiant for his own good. One wants to plant a million trees along the river, while the other interprets justice to his irrational convenience. Utilizing this premise, Montoya’s story takes place over the course of one night. One of those rare nights when it rains L.A, one of those defining nights that leave a trail of chaos behind by the time sunrise comes.
There is corruption, a murder, a central conflict that divides the brothers between what’s honorable and what it takes to stay alive. However, these elements are mere structure. The real artistry is in the peculiar folklore and the intricate social mechanics at play. The film is narrated using unpretentious prose by veteran, wheelchair bound gangster Norte/Sur (Emilio Rivera ), a nickname that implies his loyalties are varied. Like an ancient storyteller who knows the city and its dangers from first hand experience, he verbalizes the stories of those swallowed by the unforgiving streets. True to his text and the characters he crafted, Montoya has dissected and reinterpret reality in order to capture an idiosyncratic version of Los Angeles in which the Eastside culture is paramount.
Far beyond being a conceptual piece on ethnic identity, it is a unique poetic expression from a perspective often relegated from the mainstream. Being a fusion between experimental Neo Noir and darkly humorous crime saga, Water & Power plays with language in a cheeky and tonally perfect manner. Rapid-fire dialogue with a hundred local references per second and endless puns that allude to the brothers’ nicknames, all blend together to enhance the already strong sense of urban mysticism in the film.
Montoya elevates the barrio lifestyle to a sacred battleground in which brotherhood is the sole alliance allowed - redemption could only be obtained via sacrifice. The mythology surrounding this picture of the city is gritty, violent, hyper-masculine, and answers only to itself and its participants. Only underground legends and unsung heroes are created here.
Stylistically the film inevitably channels the conventions of staples like Chinatown or L.A. Confidential, but adorned with an indelible “raza” flavor. The mere idea of a film like this is intriguing, yet, Water & Power is admittedly a bit theatrical, a tad strange, heavily lyrical, and raw. But it’s the unfathomable interaction of all its imperfections that make it such a particular pleasure. The director knew how to choose his actors and how to carry them through his fictional City of Angels strongly colored in brown. Lost souls roaming around between the ephemeral virtues of power and the unstoppable fluidity of destiny. As one learns from the film, nothing is concrete in L.A except the river. In a town reigned by duality, everyone needs at least one unshakable thing.
- 5/2/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
We asked a few LatinoBuzz amigos to get their Robinson Crusoe on and pick a film, an album, a book and a companion from the movies to join them in their shenanigans were they to be stuck on a deserted island (and before anyone nitpicks, filmmakers are resourceful, so of course they built solar powered entertainment centers made from bamboos, coconuts and grass to watch movies and listen to baby making slow jams). We figured we'd start with the narrative filmmakers since they probably sit around thinking about this kinda stuff anyway.
Film: Choosing desert island items may mean sacrificing taste and/or reason, thinking about those items that you wouldn’t forgive yourself for not bringing them as your company, it´s like choosing the woman of your life. Here it goes: Hiroshima Mon Amour; there might be others I fancy as much as or more than (La Dolce Vita, Vertigo, M , some Lubitsch or Preminger), but I can think of no other as unique. I wouldn’t be able to choose any other without feeling Hiroshima’s absence - the best love film, the best movie about war, the best motion picture regarding the memory and its consequences. I can spend my whole life learning about film and the world because of Hiroshima...'.
Album: “Los Preludios de Debussy” by Claudio Arrau. These were so important to my life (I'm referring to my childhood of course) and I think no one does it better than Arrau. Same thing: it is endless. I think I could never tire of this and I could still wake up each and every morning amazed by it.
Book: “Sentimental Education”, by Flaubert. Similar to “Hiroshima”, a book that changed my outlook on literature and the world and I am certain it will keep transforming it forever.
Companion: Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer in 'The fabulous Baker Boys'). Since I saw the film (which I liked very much!) in the provincial movie theater of my childhood, I felt as Jack Baker´s relative and I loved Susie. If we had a piano, it would all be all be perfect. - Santiago Palavecino (Algunas chicas/Some Girls)
Film: This is a tricky question. I've always said that on a deserted island you should bring some porn. You could use that more than regular movies. But since I've got to pick a film I guess it'd be Jaws. Why? Because it's one of my favorites (I could also go with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). But being on a deserted island, Jaws will remind me all the time what'll happen to me for sure if I try to get away!
Album: “ Appetite for Destruction” (Guns N' Roses). Hey, I was 13 when this came out. I listen to it every day while I work, anyways. My favorite, by far.
A Book: I'm going to cheat on this one: 'The Complete Works' by Jorge Luis Borges. The best writer, and enough labyrinths to get lost on endless nights.
Companion: Sherlock Holmes. He's always been my favorite, and also, since my guess is he'll be pretty useless in a deserted island, every time we fail to get out because of him I can get to tell him "Is that the best you can do, Sherlock? - Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead)
Film: Los Olvidados- this is punk rock and Pachuco. Mexico City style before the bombed out bunkers of Sid & Nancy. Bunuel is a hero and I wanna buy Jaibo a beer and milk for the old poetic man!
Album: The Blade Runner album. I can play it over and over, get cranked up or mellow with Blade Runner Blues and the constant rain.
Book: '20 years of Joda' - poems of Jose Montoya, my pop. Epic stuff! 'Ran with Miguel Pinero in the Lower Eastside!”
Companion: Michael Corleone cause he's Mack in my book! Jaibo gets an honorable mention. - Richard Montoya (Water & Power )
Film: I´d choose Misery because a year can go by and I can watch it again eagerly. It's simple and the director (Rob Reiner) and Stephen King are both masters of suspense.
Album: I know this may be considered cheating but it would have to be 'The Best of David Bowie'. That way I have 2 CD's with nearly 40 songs!
Companion: There's many great people who I would to live with but on a deserted Island? It would have to be Mary Poppins for obvious reasons.
Book: And finally the book would be 'Blood Meridian' by Cormac McCarthy because it's one I haven't read yet. Analeine Cal y Mayor - (The Boy Who Smells Like Fish)
Film: I would say White Chicks. I’m going to need some humor! White Chicks is the movie that I put on when I need a good laugh. It does it for me every time. I grew up with characters like that; and admittedly, I can regress back to a few of them myself when no one is looking.
Album: ' Songs From the Capeman' - Paul Simon. I can’t get enough of that album. It instantly takes me to that world and electrifies that side of me that’s determined to make a change for Latinos. I want to keep that feeling with me alive eternally…wherever I’m at.”
Book: There are many but 'Anatomy of the Spirit' by Caroline Myss has been my compass. It taught me how to take control of my destiny by listening to my intuition and body. I stand by her quote: “Your biography becomes your biology.
Companion: The first person that came to mind when I read the question was silly Clarence from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I guess I’m going to need an angel with me, and he’s perfect. He has a pure childlike spirit that would help me find gratitude in the most unlikely moments… even on a deserted island! That right there is the meaning of life. - Carmen Marron (Endgame)
Film: There are so many brilliant, groundbreaking favorite films that have influenced me (The 400 Blows; Jules and Jim ; Law of Desire; et al) but I wouldn't bring any of them. If I'm stuck on a deserted island, I'm bringing Neil Simon's Murder by Death so I can laugh my ass off. Not a great film at all, it's true, but it's a classic comedy.
Album: Oh, this is easy: Madonna's "Ray of Light." I am no Madonna fanatic, but "deserted island, " means beach + summer weather + Fire Island-like atmosphere. So somewhere nearby there's got to be gay guys partying and I will use Madonna to lure them to me so I can be rescued.
One Book: Varga Llosa's "Feast of the Goat" ("La Fiesta del Chivo") -- it's action-packed historical fiction. It will keep me occupied. One of my favorite novels.
Companion: Huckleberry Finn. He will be a great companion: not only will he tell great stories, but undoubtedly, the ever-resourceful Huck Finn will figure out how to build a raft and get us out off that island! - Terracino (Elliot Loves )
Film: Whenever anyone asks me this I always think of what use these items would serve practically on a deserted island, so I answered this in that respect. Tokyo Story - Yasujiro Ozu. This would be a great film to take on a deserted island because it's really about the unavoidable suffering of the cycle of life, which I'm sure you'd relate to if you were stuck on an island. I really could watch this film a million times over and notice something new every time. Watching most Ozu films is not unlike participating in a Zen meditation practice. It's patience and slowness and trying to empty your mind of thought until your left with the basics of existence. Kind of like sitting on a deserted island alone. I can watch the scene where Kyoto says “Life is disappointing, isn't it?” and Noriko smiles and says “Yes it is.” I can watch that endlessly and cry every time. It's so true.
Album: ' Tusk' - Fleetwood Mac. I could also deal with 'Rumours' but I picked 'Tusk' because it's longer and denser; probably better for an island. 'Sara' is maybe my favorite song in the world and so it would be nice to have that with me. I think channeling the powerful witchy energy of Stevie Nicks would be a real asset on an island. This album has so much strange material on - you wouldn't get bored too easily with it. It's also got a range of emotions so if you get too depressed on the island you can just put on 'Never Forget' and feel better. And 'Sisters of the Moon' would be good around a fire at night. Even though you're stuck on an island, it's good to create an ambiance to remind you that life is worth living.
Book: ' In Search of Lost Time' - Marcel Proust. I've only read 'Swann's Way' which is first part of this. My analyst recommend it to me when I was totally heartbroken after someone broke up with me. It really did the trick. This would be a good long epic read that has enough complex ideas in it to keep you occupied for a life time. Probably a good book (or set of books) to get back to nature with.
Companion: I'll say Terry Malloy from “On the Waterfront”. He'd be strong and good to have around to cut down trees and hunt and stuff. He's also easy on the eyes and someone that could do with a little lonely contemplation away from the loading docks. That doesn't sound half bad...stuck on like a tropical island with a young, cute Marlon Brando, watching Ozu, reading Proust and listening to Fleetwood Mac all day. Sign me up! - Joshua Sanchez (Four)
Film: My film would have to be Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados. I have been a movie watcher since I was a child. Raised on mainstream American films and Wuxia flicks, it wasn't until I was a late teen that I took my first film class and was introduced to the work of Buñuel. Los Olvidados literally changed my perception of the world, both socially and visually. It was also the gateway for me to progress from movie watcher to film student.
Album: Music is my religion and I belong to the church of Robert Nesta Marley. I would prefer the whole anthology, but if I had to choose one album it would be “Exodus”. When on an island listen to island music.
Book: Right around the time I discovered the work of Buñuel, I was gifted Jose Montoya's 'In Formation: 20 years of Joda'. The book is a treasure of epic poems, sketches, and corridos. All testaments to the beauty and strength of Chicana/o culture. 20 years later I pay homage to both of these Maestros in my debut feature film, “Cry Now”. The film's protagonist is nicknamed 'Ojitos' during the course of the narrative, a reference to one of the characters in Los Olvidados. The late great Lupe Ontiveros playing the role of a sage loosely recites Montoya's mantra 'La Locura Cura' (In madness you find truth) while she councils our protagonist.
Companion: To bring it all full circle my fictitious character would have to be a Wuxia hero. As a child I was awe inspired by these bigger than life martial artists. As an adult, Ang Lee's “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” did the same. I know all would be as it should if Yu Shu Lien was on that island with me. - Alberto Barboza (Cry Now )
Film: Nothing But a Man (1964) It's a film that does an incredible job balancing a character-driven story within a politically charged context. It's a film I'm finding myself inspired by as I continue to write Los Valientes.
Album: I'm not a fan of albums, but if I had to choose one I guess I would have to go with any of Prince's albums. His music always puts me in a trance.
Book: My dream journal so I can look back look for signs of what is to become of my future.
Companion: Who better than TV's MacGyver. I'd put his ass to work on getting me off the island! -Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari)
Film: Hell in the Pacific so that I can be reminded that even in paradise there is a duality.
Album: “La Scala: Concert” by Ludovico Einaudi – I've listened to it a thousand times and each time I feel or discover something new.
Book: “ Voces Reunidas” by Antonio Porchia. Each time I read one of his poems I learn something new and I'm deeply moved.
Companion: Barbarella, so I could never be lonely and I could enjoy this planet-island – Diego Quemada-Díez (La jaula de oro/The Golden Dream)
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
Film: Choosing desert island items may mean sacrificing taste and/or reason, thinking about those items that you wouldn’t forgive yourself for not bringing them as your company, it´s like choosing the woman of your life. Here it goes: Hiroshima Mon Amour; there might be others I fancy as much as or more than (La Dolce Vita, Vertigo, M , some Lubitsch or Preminger), but I can think of no other as unique. I wouldn’t be able to choose any other without feeling Hiroshima’s absence - the best love film, the best movie about war, the best motion picture regarding the memory and its consequences. I can spend my whole life learning about film and the world because of Hiroshima...'.
Album: “Los Preludios de Debussy” by Claudio Arrau. These were so important to my life (I'm referring to my childhood of course) and I think no one does it better than Arrau. Same thing: it is endless. I think I could never tire of this and I could still wake up each and every morning amazed by it.
Book: “Sentimental Education”, by Flaubert. Similar to “Hiroshima”, a book that changed my outlook on literature and the world and I am certain it will keep transforming it forever.
Companion: Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer in 'The fabulous Baker Boys'). Since I saw the film (which I liked very much!) in the provincial movie theater of my childhood, I felt as Jack Baker´s relative and I loved Susie. If we had a piano, it would all be all be perfect. - Santiago Palavecino (Algunas chicas/Some Girls)
Film: This is a tricky question. I've always said that on a deserted island you should bring some porn. You could use that more than regular movies. But since I've got to pick a film I guess it'd be Jaws. Why? Because it's one of my favorites (I could also go with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). But being on a deserted island, Jaws will remind me all the time what'll happen to me for sure if I try to get away!
Album: “ Appetite for Destruction” (Guns N' Roses). Hey, I was 13 when this came out. I listen to it every day while I work, anyways. My favorite, by far.
A Book: I'm going to cheat on this one: 'The Complete Works' by Jorge Luis Borges. The best writer, and enough labyrinths to get lost on endless nights.
Companion: Sherlock Holmes. He's always been my favorite, and also, since my guess is he'll be pretty useless in a deserted island, every time we fail to get out because of him I can get to tell him "Is that the best you can do, Sherlock? - Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead)
Film: Los Olvidados- this is punk rock and Pachuco. Mexico City style before the bombed out bunkers of Sid & Nancy. Bunuel is a hero and I wanna buy Jaibo a beer and milk for the old poetic man!
Album: The Blade Runner album. I can play it over and over, get cranked up or mellow with Blade Runner Blues and the constant rain.
Book: '20 years of Joda' - poems of Jose Montoya, my pop. Epic stuff! 'Ran with Miguel Pinero in the Lower Eastside!”
Companion: Michael Corleone cause he's Mack in my book! Jaibo gets an honorable mention. - Richard Montoya (Water & Power )
Film: I´d choose Misery because a year can go by and I can watch it again eagerly. It's simple and the director (Rob Reiner) and Stephen King are both masters of suspense.
Album: I know this may be considered cheating but it would have to be 'The Best of David Bowie'. That way I have 2 CD's with nearly 40 songs!
Companion: There's many great people who I would to live with but on a deserted Island? It would have to be Mary Poppins for obvious reasons.
Book: And finally the book would be 'Blood Meridian' by Cormac McCarthy because it's one I haven't read yet. Analeine Cal y Mayor - (The Boy Who Smells Like Fish)
Film: I would say White Chicks. I’m going to need some humor! White Chicks is the movie that I put on when I need a good laugh. It does it for me every time. I grew up with characters like that; and admittedly, I can regress back to a few of them myself when no one is looking.
Album: ' Songs From the Capeman' - Paul Simon. I can’t get enough of that album. It instantly takes me to that world and electrifies that side of me that’s determined to make a change for Latinos. I want to keep that feeling with me alive eternally…wherever I’m at.”
Book: There are many but 'Anatomy of the Spirit' by Caroline Myss has been my compass. It taught me how to take control of my destiny by listening to my intuition and body. I stand by her quote: “Your biography becomes your biology.
Companion: The first person that came to mind when I read the question was silly Clarence from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I guess I’m going to need an angel with me, and he’s perfect. He has a pure childlike spirit that would help me find gratitude in the most unlikely moments… even on a deserted island! That right there is the meaning of life. - Carmen Marron (Endgame)
Film: There are so many brilliant, groundbreaking favorite films that have influenced me (The 400 Blows; Jules and Jim ; Law of Desire; et al) but I wouldn't bring any of them. If I'm stuck on a deserted island, I'm bringing Neil Simon's Murder by Death so I can laugh my ass off. Not a great film at all, it's true, but it's a classic comedy.
Album: Oh, this is easy: Madonna's "Ray of Light." I am no Madonna fanatic, but "deserted island, " means beach + summer weather + Fire Island-like atmosphere. So somewhere nearby there's got to be gay guys partying and I will use Madonna to lure them to me so I can be rescued.
One Book: Varga Llosa's "Feast of the Goat" ("La Fiesta del Chivo") -- it's action-packed historical fiction. It will keep me occupied. One of my favorite novels.
Companion: Huckleberry Finn. He will be a great companion: not only will he tell great stories, but undoubtedly, the ever-resourceful Huck Finn will figure out how to build a raft and get us out off that island! - Terracino (Elliot Loves )
Film: Whenever anyone asks me this I always think of what use these items would serve practically on a deserted island, so I answered this in that respect. Tokyo Story - Yasujiro Ozu. This would be a great film to take on a deserted island because it's really about the unavoidable suffering of the cycle of life, which I'm sure you'd relate to if you were stuck on an island. I really could watch this film a million times over and notice something new every time. Watching most Ozu films is not unlike participating in a Zen meditation practice. It's patience and slowness and trying to empty your mind of thought until your left with the basics of existence. Kind of like sitting on a deserted island alone. I can watch the scene where Kyoto says “Life is disappointing, isn't it?” and Noriko smiles and says “Yes it is.” I can watch that endlessly and cry every time. It's so true.
Album: ' Tusk' - Fleetwood Mac. I could also deal with 'Rumours' but I picked 'Tusk' because it's longer and denser; probably better for an island. 'Sara' is maybe my favorite song in the world and so it would be nice to have that with me. I think channeling the powerful witchy energy of Stevie Nicks would be a real asset on an island. This album has so much strange material on - you wouldn't get bored too easily with it. It's also got a range of emotions so if you get too depressed on the island you can just put on 'Never Forget' and feel better. And 'Sisters of the Moon' would be good around a fire at night. Even though you're stuck on an island, it's good to create an ambiance to remind you that life is worth living.
Book: ' In Search of Lost Time' - Marcel Proust. I've only read 'Swann's Way' which is first part of this. My analyst recommend it to me when I was totally heartbroken after someone broke up with me. It really did the trick. This would be a good long epic read that has enough complex ideas in it to keep you occupied for a life time. Probably a good book (or set of books) to get back to nature with.
Companion: I'll say Terry Malloy from “On the Waterfront”. He'd be strong and good to have around to cut down trees and hunt and stuff. He's also easy on the eyes and someone that could do with a little lonely contemplation away from the loading docks. That doesn't sound half bad...stuck on like a tropical island with a young, cute Marlon Brando, watching Ozu, reading Proust and listening to Fleetwood Mac all day. Sign me up! - Joshua Sanchez (Four)
Film: My film would have to be Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados. I have been a movie watcher since I was a child. Raised on mainstream American films and Wuxia flicks, it wasn't until I was a late teen that I took my first film class and was introduced to the work of Buñuel. Los Olvidados literally changed my perception of the world, both socially and visually. It was also the gateway for me to progress from movie watcher to film student.
Album: Music is my religion and I belong to the church of Robert Nesta Marley. I would prefer the whole anthology, but if I had to choose one album it would be “Exodus”. When on an island listen to island music.
Book: Right around the time I discovered the work of Buñuel, I was gifted Jose Montoya's 'In Formation: 20 years of Joda'. The book is a treasure of epic poems, sketches, and corridos. All testaments to the beauty and strength of Chicana/o culture. 20 years later I pay homage to both of these Maestros in my debut feature film, “Cry Now”. The film's protagonist is nicknamed 'Ojitos' during the course of the narrative, a reference to one of the characters in Los Olvidados. The late great Lupe Ontiveros playing the role of a sage loosely recites Montoya's mantra 'La Locura Cura' (In madness you find truth) while she councils our protagonist.
Companion: To bring it all full circle my fictitious character would have to be a Wuxia hero. As a child I was awe inspired by these bigger than life martial artists. As an adult, Ang Lee's “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” did the same. I know all would be as it should if Yu Shu Lien was on that island with me. - Alberto Barboza (Cry Now )
Film: Nothing But a Man (1964) It's a film that does an incredible job balancing a character-driven story within a politically charged context. It's a film I'm finding myself inspired by as I continue to write Los Valientes.
Album: I'm not a fan of albums, but if I had to choose one I guess I would have to go with any of Prince's albums. His music always puts me in a trance.
Book: My dream journal so I can look back look for signs of what is to become of my future.
Companion: Who better than TV's MacGyver. I'd put his ass to work on getting me off the island! -Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari)
Film: Hell in the Pacific so that I can be reminded that even in paradise there is a duality.
Album: “La Scala: Concert” by Ludovico Einaudi – I've listened to it a thousand times and each time I feel or discover something new.
Book: “ Voces Reunidas” by Antonio Porchia. Each time I read one of his poems I learn something new and I'm deeply moved.
Companion: Barbarella, so I could never be lonely and I could enjoy this planet-island – Diego Quemada-Díez (La jaula de oro/The Golden Dream)
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
- 3/5/2014
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Now that a new year is upon us let's reflect back on 2013. Something like a year in Latino film. Latin American filmmakers continued to kill it on the international film festival circuit. Chile, in particular, has been conquering the world one film festival award at a time.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 1/1/2014
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
During the last Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (Laliff) director, producer and Nalip member Kimberly Bautista (2012 HBO/Nalip Documentary Filmmaker Award Winner, Lpa 2010) won Best Documentary with Justice For My Sister. The feature documentary deals with domestic violence, murder, and one Guatemalan woman's determination to hold her sister's killer accountable.
The film was presented to a packed house, it received a standing ovation, and was followed by a lively Q&A, where Kimberly was joined on stage by her editor Michael X. Flores and the film's advocacy team, the Justice for my Sister Collective. Attendees included funders Latino Public Broadcasting (Lpb), sponsors National Association of Latino Independent Producers (Nalip), community partners Peace Over Violence, and East Los Angeles Women's Center promotoras (health promoters) - who were sponsored by Supervisor Gloria Molina's Office to attend. Special guests included representatives from the Mexican Consulate, Un Women, and Chime for Change.
Justice for my Sister was unanimously chosen as the winner by the jury, as it shows the strength and resilience of the human spirit, and touched each of the jury members personally.
Affected herself by the issue of gender-based violence and inspired by the fearlessness of her main character Rebeca, Kimberly decided to launch a nationwide violence prevention campaign in Guatemala with the support of an advocacy team. The campaign consists of community screenings, violence prevention and healthy relationships workshops, and a text messaging campaign - launched with Freedom Connect - to connect audiences to services. These initiatives and more are being replicated in Los Angeles, and soon throughout Latin America and target cities in the U.S., with the support of Embassies, Movies That Matter Foundation, Un Women, and others.
This is the third jury prize that Justice For My Sister has won at a festival, the others being: - Movies That Matter Festival, Holland, “Camera Justitia” Jury Prize, March 2013 - Festival Internacional de Cine de los Derechos Humanos de Sucre, Bolivia- "Pukañawi 2013/Ojo Latinoamericano”Jury Prize, July 2013
Other awards for the film: - Inaugural Young Alumni Achievement Award for Commitment to Promoting International Domestic Violence Prevention Through Use of Media, Pitzer College, 2013 - Winner of the 2012 HBO/Nalip Documentary Filmmaker Award - 2012 Cornelian Award “Alumna of the Year” from Mayfield Senior School - First Place Winner, Cuban Hat Transmedia Pitch, Sunny Side of the Doc, France, 2012
Currently Justice For My Sister is being considered for the prestigious Japan Prize with Japan\'s Public television network, Nhk.
For more information about the film visit Here
Sydney Levine of SydneysBuzz also interviewed Kimberly Bautista Here.
Here is the complete list winners of the 16th Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival:
Best Feature Film (Rita Award): Esther en Alguna Parte, Director: Gerardo Chijona, Country: Cuba
Best Documentary: Justice For My Sister, Director: Kimberly Bautista, Country: U.S./ Guatemala
Best Opera Prima: Princesas Rojas, Director: Laura Astorga, Country: Costa Rica / Venezuela / Nicaragua
Honorable Mention: Water & Power, Director: Richard Montoya, Country: U.S.
Best Short Film: El Cocodrilo, Director: Steve Acevedo, Country: U.S.
Audience Choice Award: Ponchao, Director: Josh Crook, Country: Dominican Republic
Best Director: Miriam Kruishoop for Greencard Warriors, Country: U.S.
Best Script: Esther en Alguna Parte, Director: Gerardo Chijona, Country: Cuba
Honorable Mention: Amor Cronico, Director: Jorge Perugorria, Country: Cuba
Visit www.latinofilm.org for more information.
About Laliff: The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (Laliff) was founded in 1997 by producer, director, actor and activist Edward James Olmos and independent producer Marlene Dermer. Laliff is a non-profit 501c (3) organization with the mission to support the development and exhibition of diverse visions by Latino filmmakers. To serve as a springboard and catalyst for the promotion of Latin films and filmmakers in the industry locally, nationally & internationally. To develop audiences for such films and in the process bring awareness of the richness and diversity of Latin cultures, artistry and countries through film, the most powerful medium in the world. A competitive festival with prizes, Laliff serves as a venue where Latino filmmakers come together with industry buyers and distributors. Laliff also offers industry workshops, panels, labs, networking receptions, educational programs, and hosts some of the best Galas in tinsel town.
The film was presented to a packed house, it received a standing ovation, and was followed by a lively Q&A, where Kimberly was joined on stage by her editor Michael X. Flores and the film's advocacy team, the Justice for my Sister Collective. Attendees included funders Latino Public Broadcasting (Lpb), sponsors National Association of Latino Independent Producers (Nalip), community partners Peace Over Violence, and East Los Angeles Women's Center promotoras (health promoters) - who were sponsored by Supervisor Gloria Molina's Office to attend. Special guests included representatives from the Mexican Consulate, Un Women, and Chime for Change.
Justice for my Sister was unanimously chosen as the winner by the jury, as it shows the strength and resilience of the human spirit, and touched each of the jury members personally.
Affected herself by the issue of gender-based violence and inspired by the fearlessness of her main character Rebeca, Kimberly decided to launch a nationwide violence prevention campaign in Guatemala with the support of an advocacy team. The campaign consists of community screenings, violence prevention and healthy relationships workshops, and a text messaging campaign - launched with Freedom Connect - to connect audiences to services. These initiatives and more are being replicated in Los Angeles, and soon throughout Latin America and target cities in the U.S., with the support of Embassies, Movies That Matter Foundation, Un Women, and others.
This is the third jury prize that Justice For My Sister has won at a festival, the others being: - Movies That Matter Festival, Holland, “Camera Justitia” Jury Prize, March 2013 - Festival Internacional de Cine de los Derechos Humanos de Sucre, Bolivia- "Pukañawi 2013/Ojo Latinoamericano”Jury Prize, July 2013
Other awards for the film: - Inaugural Young Alumni Achievement Award for Commitment to Promoting International Domestic Violence Prevention Through Use of Media, Pitzer College, 2013 - Winner of the 2012 HBO/Nalip Documentary Filmmaker Award - 2012 Cornelian Award “Alumna of the Year” from Mayfield Senior School - First Place Winner, Cuban Hat Transmedia Pitch, Sunny Side of the Doc, France, 2012
Currently Justice For My Sister is being considered for the prestigious Japan Prize with Japan\'s Public television network, Nhk.
For more information about the film visit Here
Sydney Levine of SydneysBuzz also interviewed Kimberly Bautista Here.
Here is the complete list winners of the 16th Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival:
Best Feature Film (Rita Award): Esther en Alguna Parte, Director: Gerardo Chijona, Country: Cuba
Best Documentary: Justice For My Sister, Director: Kimberly Bautista, Country: U.S./ Guatemala
Best Opera Prima: Princesas Rojas, Director: Laura Astorga, Country: Costa Rica / Venezuela / Nicaragua
Honorable Mention: Water & Power, Director: Richard Montoya, Country: U.S.
Best Short Film: El Cocodrilo, Director: Steve Acevedo, Country: U.S.
Audience Choice Award: Ponchao, Director: Josh Crook, Country: Dominican Republic
Best Director: Miriam Kruishoop for Greencard Warriors, Country: U.S.
Best Script: Esther en Alguna Parte, Director: Gerardo Chijona, Country: Cuba
Honorable Mention: Amor Cronico, Director: Jorge Perugorria, Country: Cuba
Visit www.latinofilm.org for more information.
About Laliff: The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (Laliff) was founded in 1997 by producer, director, actor and activist Edward James Olmos and independent producer Marlene Dermer. Laliff is a non-profit 501c (3) organization with the mission to support the development and exhibition of diverse visions by Latino filmmakers. To serve as a springboard and catalyst for the promotion of Latin films and filmmakers in the industry locally, nationally & internationally. To develop audiences for such films and in the process bring awareness of the richness and diversity of Latin cultures, artistry and countries through film, the most powerful medium in the world. A competitive festival with prizes, Laliff serves as a venue where Latino filmmakers come together with industry buyers and distributors. Laliff also offers industry workshops, panels, labs, networking receptions, educational programs, and hosts some of the best Galas in tinsel town.
- 11/20/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
After being cancelled last year, sadly, for lack of funding, the Latino International Film Festival (Laliff) returns stronger than ever to treat audiences to some of the best cinematic works, of all lengths and genres, created by Latino American filmmakers in their native countries or by Latino creators here in the U.S. This 16th edition of the festival will run from Thursday October 10th to Monday October 14th, and showcases a varied compilation of films from 14 Latin filmmaking countries.
"We are very excited and honored to have this record breaking number of Premieres presented at Laliff," said Marlene Dermer, Co-founder/Executive Director/Programmer of Laliff. "16 years and it keeps getting better because of the films." added co-founder Edward James Olmos.
This year's diverse selection of 62 works includes 28 features, 11 documentaries, and 23 shorts, which represent an eclectic mosaic of styles, subject matters, and experiences. The festival will close with the special presentation of the Mexican box-office smash hit Nosotros los Nobles, directed by Gary Alazraki, followed by an after party sponsored by Cine Latino. The list of films include the Guatemalan feature Polvo by Julio Hernandez or the Argentinian La Paz by Santiago Loza Directorial debuts like Water & Power by Richard Montoya, based off his acclaimed play by the same name, compelling documentaries like Narco Cultura and Gimme the Power, among many others.
For more information, single tickets, and festival passes click Here
This year's Laliff films are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Amor Cronico , Jorge Perugorria, 83 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: West Coast
A Puerta FRÍA , Xavi Puebla, 80 min
Country: Spain
Premiere: USA
A Truth In Silence , Jonathan Salemi, 4:23 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Bordando La Frontera (Embroidering The Border) , Rene Rhi, 27 min
Country: Mexico/ USA
Captive Radio , Lauren Rosenfeld, 23 min
Country: USA/ Colombia
Premiere: Los Angeles
Carne De Perro (Dog's Flesh) , Fernando Guzzoni, 81min
Country: Chile
Premiere: Los Angeles
Catch , David Henrie, 10 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Cement Suitcase , Rick Castañeda, 94 min
Country: USA
Close Your Eyes , Sonia Malfa, 14:32 min
Country: USA
Con La Pata Quebrada (Barefoot In The Kitchen) , Diego Galán, 83 min
Country: Spain
Premiere: U.S.
Defectuosos (Defective) , Gabriela Martínez Garza & Jon Fernández López, 8 min
Country: Mexico
Dentro De Uno (Inside Oneself) , Salvador Aguirre, 8 min
Country: Mexico
Desert Road Kill , Michael Carreño, 16:57 min
Country: USA
Detained In The Desert , Iliana Sosa, 80 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Dragon Day , Jeffrey Travis, 95 min
Country:usa/Mexico
Premiere: World
Dreamer , Jesse Salmeron, 93 min
Country: USA
El Alcalde (The Mayor) , Emiliano Altuna, 80 min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: Los Angeles
El Cocodrillo , Steve Acevedo, 15 min
Country: USA
El Doctor , Heather de Michele, 11:24 min
Country: USA
El Jazz (Jazz) , Andrés Peralta, 10:30 min
Country: Mexico
Esther En Alguna Parte (Esther Somewhere) , Gerardo Chijona, 95 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: World
Gimme The Power , Olallo Rubio, 101min
Country: Mexico
Greencard Warriors , Miriam Kruishoop, 91min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Homebound , Fanny Veliz, 105 min
Country: USA
¡Huelga! (Strike) , Skeets McGrew, 57:32 min
Country: USA
Interstate , Camille Stochitch, 19:56 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
JARDĺN De Amapolas (Field Of Amapolas) , Juan Carlos Melo Guevara, 86min
Country: Colombia
Premiere: World
Justice For My Sister , Kimberly Bautista, 69 min
Country: USA
Premiere: Los Angeles
Kill The Dictator (El Teniente Amado) , Félix Limardo, 90 min
Country: Dominican Republic
Premiere: West Coast
La Calle Estereo (The Stereo Street) , Santiago León Cuellar, 30min
Country: Colombia
La Paz , Santiago Loza, 73 min
Country: Argentina
Premiere: Los Angeles
La Piscina (The Swimming Pool) , Carlos Machado Quintela, 66 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: Los Angeles
Las Tardes De Tintico (Tintico's Afternoons) , Alejandro García Caballero, 8:30 min
Country: Mexico
Llegar A Ti (To Reach You) , Alejandro Torres Rezzio, 8 min
Country: USA
Lo Azul Del Cielo , Juan Alfredo Uribe, 112min La
Country: Colombia
Premiere: Los Angeles
Maestra , Catherine Murphy, 33 min
Country: USA/ Cuba
Meu Pais (My Country) , André Ristum, 84min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Miradas MÚLTIPLES (La MÁQUINA Loca) / (Multiple Perspectives (The Crazy Machine) , Emilio Maillé, 90 min
Country: France/ Mexico
Muerte De Una Ama De Casa (Death Of A Housewife) , Marisé Samitier, 27 min
Country: Spain
Narco Cultura , Shaul Schwarz, 102 min
Country: USA
Premiere: West Coast
Ni Un Hombre MÁS (Iguana Stew) , Martin Salinas, 83 min
Country: Argentina
Premiere: West Coast
Nosotros Los Nobles (The Noble Family) , Gaz Alazraki, 95 min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: Los Angeles
O Afinador (The Tuner) , Fernando Camargo & Matheus Parizi, 15 min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Our Boys , Leonardo Ricagni, 88 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Pablo , Richard Goldgewicht, 93 min
Country: USA / Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Phoenix , Stefano Capuzzi Lapietra, 13 min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: West Coast
Polvo (Dust) , Julio Hernández Cordón, 80 min
Country: Guatemala/Spain/Chile/Germany
Premiere: Los Angeles
Ponchao , Josh Crook, 85 min
Country: Dominican Republic
Premiere: World
POTOSÍ , Alfredo Castruita, 120min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: USA
Princesas Rojas (Red Princesses) , Laura Astorga Carrera, 100 min
Country: Costa Ria/ Venezuela/ Nicaragua
Premiere: Los Angeles
Rebel , Maria Agui Carter, 75 min
Country: USA
Premiere: Los Angeles
Sleeping With The Fishes , Nicole Gómez Fisher, 101 min
Country: USA
Stand & Deliver , Ramón Menéndez, 102 min Special Screening - 25Th Anniversary
Tanta Agua , Ana Guevara & Leticia Jorge, 102 min
Country: Urugua/ Mexico/ Netherlands/ Germany
Premiere: West Coast
Tierra De Sangre , James Katz, 106 min
Country: Chile
Premiere: North American
The Graduates (Los Graduados) , Bernardo Ruiz, 60 minYOUTH Program
Country: USA
The Price We Pay , Jesse Garcia, 7:24 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World Premiere
The Shooting Star Salesman , Kico Velarde, 20 min
Country: USA
Water & Power , Richard Montoya, 87 minOpera Prima
Country: USA
We Women Warriors (Tejiendo Sabiduria) , Nicole Karsin, 82 min
Country:usa/Colombia
Your Father's Daughter , Carlos Bernard, 15:20 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Zero Hour , Dan Carillo Levy, 7:20 min
Country: USA/Mexico...
"We are very excited and honored to have this record breaking number of Premieres presented at Laliff," said Marlene Dermer, Co-founder/Executive Director/Programmer of Laliff. "16 years and it keeps getting better because of the films." added co-founder Edward James Olmos.
This year's diverse selection of 62 works includes 28 features, 11 documentaries, and 23 shorts, which represent an eclectic mosaic of styles, subject matters, and experiences. The festival will close with the special presentation of the Mexican box-office smash hit Nosotros los Nobles, directed by Gary Alazraki, followed by an after party sponsored by Cine Latino. The list of films include the Guatemalan feature Polvo by Julio Hernandez or the Argentinian La Paz by Santiago Loza Directorial debuts like Water & Power by Richard Montoya, based off his acclaimed play by the same name, compelling documentaries like Narco Cultura and Gimme the Power, among many others.
For more information, single tickets, and festival passes click Here
This year's Laliff films are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Amor Cronico , Jorge Perugorria, 83 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: West Coast
A Puerta FRÍA , Xavi Puebla, 80 min
Country: Spain
Premiere: USA
A Truth In Silence , Jonathan Salemi, 4:23 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Bordando La Frontera (Embroidering The Border) , Rene Rhi, 27 min
Country: Mexico/ USA
Captive Radio , Lauren Rosenfeld, 23 min
Country: USA/ Colombia
Premiere: Los Angeles
Carne De Perro (Dog's Flesh) , Fernando Guzzoni, 81min
Country: Chile
Premiere: Los Angeles
Catch , David Henrie, 10 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Cement Suitcase , Rick Castañeda, 94 min
Country: USA
Close Your Eyes , Sonia Malfa, 14:32 min
Country: USA
Con La Pata Quebrada (Barefoot In The Kitchen) , Diego Galán, 83 min
Country: Spain
Premiere: U.S.
Defectuosos (Defective) , Gabriela Martínez Garza & Jon Fernández López, 8 min
Country: Mexico
Dentro De Uno (Inside Oneself) , Salvador Aguirre, 8 min
Country: Mexico
Desert Road Kill , Michael Carreño, 16:57 min
Country: USA
Detained In The Desert , Iliana Sosa, 80 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Dragon Day , Jeffrey Travis, 95 min
Country:usa/Mexico
Premiere: World
Dreamer , Jesse Salmeron, 93 min
Country: USA
El Alcalde (The Mayor) , Emiliano Altuna, 80 min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: Los Angeles
El Cocodrillo , Steve Acevedo, 15 min
Country: USA
El Doctor , Heather de Michele, 11:24 min
Country: USA
El Jazz (Jazz) , Andrés Peralta, 10:30 min
Country: Mexico
Esther En Alguna Parte (Esther Somewhere) , Gerardo Chijona, 95 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: World
Gimme The Power , Olallo Rubio, 101min
Country: Mexico
Greencard Warriors , Miriam Kruishoop, 91min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Homebound , Fanny Veliz, 105 min
Country: USA
¡Huelga! (Strike) , Skeets McGrew, 57:32 min
Country: USA
Interstate , Camille Stochitch, 19:56 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
JARDĺN De Amapolas (Field Of Amapolas) , Juan Carlos Melo Guevara, 86min
Country: Colombia
Premiere: World
Justice For My Sister , Kimberly Bautista, 69 min
Country: USA
Premiere: Los Angeles
Kill The Dictator (El Teniente Amado) , Félix Limardo, 90 min
Country: Dominican Republic
Premiere: West Coast
La Calle Estereo (The Stereo Street) , Santiago León Cuellar, 30min
Country: Colombia
La Paz , Santiago Loza, 73 min
Country: Argentina
Premiere: Los Angeles
La Piscina (The Swimming Pool) , Carlos Machado Quintela, 66 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: Los Angeles
Las Tardes De Tintico (Tintico's Afternoons) , Alejandro García Caballero, 8:30 min
Country: Mexico
Llegar A Ti (To Reach You) , Alejandro Torres Rezzio, 8 min
Country: USA
Lo Azul Del Cielo , Juan Alfredo Uribe, 112min La
Country: Colombia
Premiere: Los Angeles
Maestra , Catherine Murphy, 33 min
Country: USA/ Cuba
Meu Pais (My Country) , André Ristum, 84min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Miradas MÚLTIPLES (La MÁQUINA Loca) / (Multiple Perspectives (The Crazy Machine) , Emilio Maillé, 90 min
Country: France/ Mexico
Muerte De Una Ama De Casa (Death Of A Housewife) , Marisé Samitier, 27 min
Country: Spain
Narco Cultura , Shaul Schwarz, 102 min
Country: USA
Premiere: West Coast
Ni Un Hombre MÁS (Iguana Stew) , Martin Salinas, 83 min
Country: Argentina
Premiere: West Coast
Nosotros Los Nobles (The Noble Family) , Gaz Alazraki, 95 min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: Los Angeles
O Afinador (The Tuner) , Fernando Camargo & Matheus Parizi, 15 min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Our Boys , Leonardo Ricagni, 88 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Pablo , Richard Goldgewicht, 93 min
Country: USA / Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Phoenix , Stefano Capuzzi Lapietra, 13 min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: West Coast
Polvo (Dust) , Julio Hernández Cordón, 80 min
Country: Guatemala/Spain/Chile/Germany
Premiere: Los Angeles
Ponchao , Josh Crook, 85 min
Country: Dominican Republic
Premiere: World
POTOSÍ , Alfredo Castruita, 120min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: USA
Princesas Rojas (Red Princesses) , Laura Astorga Carrera, 100 min
Country: Costa Ria/ Venezuela/ Nicaragua
Premiere: Los Angeles
Rebel , Maria Agui Carter, 75 min
Country: USA
Premiere: Los Angeles
Sleeping With The Fishes , Nicole Gómez Fisher, 101 min
Country: USA
Stand & Deliver , Ramón Menéndez, 102 min Special Screening - 25Th Anniversary
Tanta Agua , Ana Guevara & Leticia Jorge, 102 min
Country: Urugua/ Mexico/ Netherlands/ Germany
Premiere: West Coast
Tierra De Sangre , James Katz, 106 min
Country: Chile
Premiere: North American
The Graduates (Los Graduados) , Bernardo Ruiz, 60 minYOUTH Program
Country: USA
The Price We Pay , Jesse Garcia, 7:24 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World Premiere
The Shooting Star Salesman , Kico Velarde, 20 min
Country: USA
Water & Power , Richard Montoya, 87 minOpera Prima
Country: USA
We Women Warriors (Tejiendo Sabiduria) , Nicole Karsin, 82 min
Country:usa/Colombia
Your Father's Daughter , Carlos Bernard, 15:20 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Zero Hour , Dan Carillo Levy, 7:20 min
Country: USA/Mexico...
- 10/10/2013
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
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