The 2012 Hola Mexico Film Festival (HMFF) returns for the fourth consecutive year to Los offering an impressive selection of nine narrative and four documentary feature films by Mexican directors and film production companies. Among them three USA premieres and eight LA premieres. Eight short films will also be showcased.
The 2012 Hola Mexico Film Festival takes place at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 24th to 30th. For more information see www.holamexicoff.com. Follow HMFF on www.facebook.com/holamexicoff and on Twitter @HolaMexicoFF.
¡Adiós Clichés! ¡Hola México! is the theme of the 2012 edition of the Hola Mexico Film Festival which celebrates the contrasting reality of Mexico. This year’s slate reflects those contrasts from the landscapes and history to the human experience in terms of class, economic status, sexual diversity, politics, age and dreams of a people that, at the crossroads of history, seeks to emerge from its own collective shortcomings.
Showcasing an array of important subjects explored by the best of today’s Mexican cinema, HMFF seeks to spark dialog and an introspective analysis of what it means to be Mexican in the 21st century.
Opening Night Celebration on May 24th will showcase the USA premiere of Everardo Gout’s acclaimed film “Días de gracia” (Days of Grace). Writer-director Gout’s rapid -fire stylized crime film, which intercuts three subplots, soccer and a violent revenge story has been compared to Japanese and Honk Kong Crime movies .Gout takes risks with flashy film techniques and multiple perspectives. An impressive aerial view of Mexico City and a 360 degree pan that encompasses four years of action are two reason why Rolling Stone Magazine named it the best Mexican film in the last 10 years.
The Opening Night red carpet of HMFF has become legendary with an A-list of celebrities, including Mexican actors working in Hollywood, Hollywood actors and Latin music stars coming together to celebrate the best works in Mexican cinema. In previous years Demian Bichir, Kate del Castillo, William Levy, Ana Claudia Talancón, among others have attended
The narrative feature films program includes a special screening of “Cristiada” (For Greater Glory) with an all-star cast that includes Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Peter O’toole, Ruben Blades and Eduardo Verástegui.
Closing night features the LA Premiere of “Adiós mundo cruel” (Good Bye Cruel World) by Dir. Jack Zagha.
The Documentary program showcases four films including Mexico’s recent top grossing films: Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Loret de Mola’s
“De Pan6a6o”, (Barely Passing) and the very controversial “Agnus Dei: Cordero de Dios” by the young director Alejandra Sánchez (winner of the José Rovirosa Award Best Documentary made in Mexico in 2011.) The film tackles head on the sex abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church in Mexico.
“Perhaps unorthodox by film festival standards, we bring a rich selection of films premieres and a couple of films that have enjoyed commercial success in Mexico but have not been released in the USA”, said Samuel Douek, founder and director of the Hola Mexico Film Festival. “Part of the unique experience that this film festival all about is that allows the Mexican community, that by choice or circumstance cannot return to their native country… to enjoy the same cultural and film experiences that their friends and relatives have had in their native land”.
Seeking to make a tangible difference in the Latino community of Southern California, HMFF continues its support for local non-profit organizations, selecting 10 organizations that will receive an allotment of festival tickets to fundraise or distribute among the community they serve.
The Hola Mexico Film Festival runs from May 24th to 30th of 2012. All screenings will take place at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre (1615 Vine Street, Los Angeles, CA 90028). The schedule and times of films and the festival website will be unveiled soon. See www.holamexicoff.com for more information.
THURSDAY, MAY 24
7:30 PM OPENING NIGHT FILM – PELĺCULA DE APERTURA
Días de gracia (Days of Grace)
Dir. Everardo Gout (México 2011, 132 min, 35mm)
USA Premiere – Estreno en Estados Unidos
Soccer World Cup, sacred times were everything is goes. The entire world on a paralyzing vertigo. A cop, a hostage, a family, vengeance… Thee ways to fight, in order to survive. Applauded and heralded at the Cannes Film Festival, a movie that will keep you and hold you from its first minute, and will not let go.
FRIDAY MAY 25
7:00 PM
Cristiada, (For Greater Glory)
Dir. Dean Wright (México/USA, 135MIN,
Cast/Elenco: Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Peter O’toole, Ruben Blades, Eduardo Verástegui
What price would you pay for freedom? n the exhilarating action epic For Greater Glory an impassioned group of men and women each make the decision to risk it all for family, faith and the very future of their country, as the film’s adventure unfolds against the long-hidden, true story of the 1920s Cristero War – the daring people’s revolt that rocked 20th Century North America.
9:30 PM
El lenguaje de los machetes (Machete Language)
Dir. Kyzza Terrazas (México 2011, 82 min, HD)
Cast/Elenco: Andrés Almeida, Jessy Bulbo
Los Angeles Premiere – Estreno en Los Ángeles
Ray and Ramona are a young couple in their 30’s. They hate the social injustice they participate in. Each within their own niche – Ramona as a musician, Ray as an activist – want to fight for a more just world. Devoted to self-sabotage, Ray fails in his rebellion and drags Ramona into a downward spiral that culminates in an act of poetic terrorism.
SATURDAY MAY 26 Family Film
11:30 AM
Don Gato y su Pandilla (Top Cat)
Dir. Alberto Mar (México 2011, 90 Min, DIGITAL ANIMATION
Top Cat and the gang face a new police chief, who is not at all happy with officer Dibble’s performance in trying to prevent Top Cat’s scams. Strickland, the new police chief, will test Top Cat and his gang while proving to be the greatest foe Top Cat has ever faced.
2:00 PM
Cortometrajes (Short Films)
El trompetista (The Trompetist)
Dir. Victor Shuchleb (México, 16 min)
Mirar atrás (Looking Back)
Dir. Mafer Galindo Chico (México, 2012, 12 min)
Dame posada (Give Me Shelter)
Dir. Cecilio Vargas Torres (México, 2011, 5 min)
Lucha
Dir. Hernán Cázares (México, 2011, 15 min)
Bordando la frontera (Embroidering the Border)
Dir. Rene Rhl (México /USA, 2012, 27 min)
Silvestre Pantaleón
Dir. Roberto Olivares (México 2012, 65 min, HD)
4:30 PM
Félix: Autoficciones de un traficante (Felix: Self-Fictions of a Smuggler)
Dir. Adriana Trujillo (México 2011, 90 min, HD)
USA Premiere – Estreno en Estados Unidos
Felix is a home-movie actor and human trafficker in Tijuana. Felix has lived through the transformation of “the line” that divides these two countries and has managed to tell his story through multiple low budget films in which he reveals his actions, strategies and methods.
Felix: Self-Fictions of a Smuggler exposes, for the first time, the world of human trafficking from the eyes of a smuggle
7:00 PM
De Pan6a6o (Barely Passing)
Dir. Juan Carlos Rulfo, Carlos Loret de Mola (México 2012, 80 min, 35mm)
USA Premiere – Estreno en Estados Unidos
¡De Panzazo! (Barely Passing) is the true story of what happens behind the doors of schools in Mexico. It tells the stories of the students and what Mexico’s future will be if we don´t change our education system today.
9:30 PM
El Cielo En Tu Mirada (Heaven In Your Eyes)
Dir. Pedro Pablo Ybarra (México 2011, 96 min, 35mm)
Cast/Elenco: Aislinn Derbez, Mane de la Parra, Jaime Camil
USA Premiere – Estreno en Estados Unidos
After failing in his attempt to participate in the Festival of the Latin America song, José (Mane de la Parra) meets April (Aislinn Derbez), who is a few hours away from getting married. The same day José dies. On his way to heaven, he convinces his guardian Angel to return to life to meet his destiny, sure that his purpose in life is to participate in the festival and live happily next to April.
SUNDAY MAY 27
11:30 AM
FAMILY FUN Animation
La Leyenda De La Llorona (The Legend Of La Llorona)
Dir. Alberto Rodríguez (2011, 90 min, DIGITAL)
Leo San Juan, his friends, the Dragon Alebrije, the ghost Don Andres, and the Sugar Skulls form a fun and original team of supernatural investigators. Their mission is to catch La Llorona, a terrible ghost that is kidnapping the children from a Mexican village. Without being able to avoid it, our heroes go from being hunters, to being hunted! The team is defeated, friends separated, and La Llorona is more powerful than ever before. After several adventures on the Island of Dolls, Leo will have to look into his heart to seek the key to solve the terrible enigma of La Llorona.
2:00 PM
2 x 1 Historias en México (2 x 1 Stories From Mexico)
Meko Seyane – Un retrato de Pierre B. (Meko Seyane – A Portrait of Pierre B.)
Dir. Francois Mertens (México, Belgium 2012, 53 min, HD)
4:30PM
Aqui Entre Nos (Here Among Us)
Dir. Patricia Martinez de Velasco (México 2011, 95 min, 35mm)
Cast/Elenco: Jesús Ochoa, Carmen Beato, Diana García, Giovana Fuentes
Los Angeles Premiere – Estreno en Los Ángeles
Rodolfo Guerra, father of three daughters, wakes up one morning and decides not to go to work; tired of being mistreated by his wife. The family routine is broken that day and Rodolfo realizes that he is a perfect stranger in his own home. Rodolfo knows that he is risking his job, yet he still takes the time to put the puzzle pieces together to discover many unknown truths that are present among his daily life.
7:00 PM
La Otra Familia (The Other Family)
Dir. Gustavo Loza (México 2011, 135 min, 35mm)
Cast/Elenco: Luis Roberto Guzmán, Jorge Salinas, Bruno Loza, Carmen Salinas
Los Angeles Premiere – Estreno en Los Ángeles
After being abandoned for three days by his crack-addict mother Nina, Hendrix, a 7-year-old child is rescued by Nina’s best friend Ivana who leaves him to be cared for by a gay couple. La otra familia (The Other Family) is a story that confronts us with a moral dilemma about family, acceptance, discrimination, sexual diversity, human rights, but above all, make us think about who we really are.
9:30 PM
Ella Y El Candidato (The Candidate’s Wife)
Dir. Roberto Girault (México2011, 90 min, 35mm)
Cast/Elenco: Héctor Arredondo, Rocío Verdejo, Daniel Martinez
Los Angeles Premiere – Estreno en Los Ángeles
A presidential candidate sees how everything he treasures in his life is put at risk. He must decide between what he has always loved and what he has always desired, after all: Is there a greater enemy to love than power and ambition?
MONDAY MAY 28
2:00 PM
La Otra Familia (The Other Family) Repeat
Dir. Gustavo Loza (México 2011, 135 min, 35mm)
Cast/Elenco: Luis Roberto Guzmán, Jorge Salinas, Bruno Loza, Carmen Salinas
Los Angeles Premiere – Estreno en Los Ángeles
After being abandoned for three days by his crack-addict mother Nina, Hendrix, a 7-year-old child is rescued by Nina’s best friend Ivana who leaves him to be cared for by a gay couple. La otra familia (The Other Family) is a story that confronts us with a moral dilemma about family, acceptance, discrimination, sexual diversity, human rights, but above all, make us think about who we really are.
4:30 PM
¿Alguien Ha Visto A Lupita? (Have You Seen Lupita?)
Dir. Gonzalo Justiniano (México, Chile, Germany, Argentina 2011, 86 min, 35mm)
Cast/Elenco: Dulce María, Carmen Salinas, Cristian de la Fuente
Lupita, a young Mexican girl, runs away from her family who want to commit her into a hospital. She will start a journey that will take us into a world that seems crazier than she is. With her sensuality, innocence and romanticism, Lupita invites us to think that the world can be experience in another way.
7:00 PM
Agnus Dei, Cordero De Dios
Dir. Alejandra Sánchez (México, France 2011, 87 min, DIGITAL)
Los Angeles Premiere – Estreno en Los Ángeles
Jesus was sexually abused by a priest when he was 11 years old. As an adult, he decides not only to denounce his aggressor but also to find him and confront him. This story reveals the impunity of the Catholic Church toward acts of pederasty committed by some of its members.
9:30 PM
De Panzazo (Barely Passing) Repeat
Dir. Juan Carlos Rulfo, Carlos Loret de Mola (México 2012, 80 min, 35mm)
USA Premiere – Estreno en Estados Unidos
¡De Panzazo! (Barely Passing) is the true story of what happens behind the doors of schools in Mexico. It tells the stories of the students and what Mexico’s future will be if we don´t change our education system today.
TUESDAY MAY 29
11:30 AM
School’s Screening: De Panzazo
Dir. Juan Carlos Rulfo, Carlos Loret de Mola (México 2012, 80 min, 35mm)
USA Premiere – Estreno en Estados Unidos
¡De Panzazo! (Barely Passing) is the true story of what happens behind the doors of schools in Mexico. It tells the stories of the students and what Mexico’s future will be if we don´t change our education system today.
5:00 PM
Ella Y El Candidato (The Candidate’s Wife) Repeat
Dir. Roberto Girault (México2011, 90 min, 35mm)
Cast/Elenco: Héctor Arredondo, Rocío Verdejo, Daniel Martinez
Los Angeles Premiere – Estreno en Los Ángeles
A presidential candidate sees how everything he treasures in his life is put at risk. He must decide between what he has always loved and what he has always desired, after all: Is there a greater enemy to love than power and ambition?
7:00 PM
¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita? (Have You Seen Lupita?) Repeat
Dir. Gonzalo Justiniano (México, Chile, Germany, Argentina 2011, 86 min, 35mm)
Cast/Elenco: Dulce María, Carmen Salinas, Cristian de la Fuente
Lupita, a young Mexican girl, runs away from her family who want to commit her into a hospital. She will start a journey that will take us into a world that seems crazier than she is. With her sensuality, innocence and romanticism, Lupita invites us to think that the world can be experience in another way.
9:30 PM
El Cielo Abierto (The Open Sky)
Dir. Everardo González (México, 2011, 100 min, 35mm)
Los Angeles Premiere – Estreno en Los Ángeles
First came the order, then a bullet, then silence. This documentary about Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the voice of the voiceless in El Salvador, portrays the inevitable destiny of an announced crime and the beginning of the civil war. The film received the Journalist’s Prize at the Guadalajara International Film Festival 2011.
WEDNESDAY MAY 30
7:30 PM
Aqui Entre Nos (Between Us) Repeat
Aqui Entre Nos (Here Among Us)
Dir. Patricia Martinez de Velasco (México 2011, 95 min, 35mm)
Cast/Elenco: Jesús Ochoa, Carmen Beato, Diana García, Giovana Fuentes
Los Angeles Premiere – Estreno en Los Ángeles
Rodolfo Guerra, father of three daughters, wakes up one morning and decides not to go to work; tired of being mistreated by his wife. The family routine is broken that day and Rodolfo realizes that he is a perfect stranger in his own home. Rodolfo knows that he is risking his job, yet he still takes the time to put the puzzle pieces together to discover many unknown truths that are present among his daily life.
9:30 PM
Adiós mundo cruel (Good Bye Cruel World)
Dir. Jack Zagha (México 2011, 90 min, Digital)
Cast/Elenco: Carlos Alberto Orozco, Mónica Bejerano
CLOSING NIGHT FILM – PELĺCULA DE CIERRE
Los Angeles Premiere – Estreno en Los Ángeles
Angel is a hard working accountant who really cares about his family, although his wife pays more attention to telenovelas than him. When Angel is fired from the job because of the economic slump, he must find a new way to earn a living. Angel, innocent and desperate, becomes unintentionally a member of a criminal gang. But, if his foray into the criminal underworld doesn’t help his family, Angel will have to find another way to survive. Adiós mundo cruel, (Good Bye Cruel World) is a creative comedy from Mexico that finds humor in a series of unfortunate events.