Hola Mexico Film Festival proudly presents the first-ever:
HOLA MEXICO VIRTUAL THEATER
Providing cinephiles the opportunity to watch the best in Mexican cinema while staying safe at home.
12th edition of Hola Mexico Film Festival to be postponed to September 2020.
Hola Mexico Film Festival proudly presents the Hola Mexico Virtual Theater online film series starting May 21. The festival, which has been postponed until September 2020, wants to help give viewers a chance to see some of the best films that have come out of Mexico in recent years and serve as a reminder of how much Mexican cinema has grown in the past two decades. The films have been specially curated for this online theater event experience.
Due to the COVID-19 health crisis, organizers of the Hola Mexico Film Festival will practice social distancing by offering this virtual theater experience before the 12th edition of Hola Mexico Film Festival presented in the fall. Viewers will have the opportunity to watch the best in recent Mexican cinema while staying safe at home.
Thursday, May 21
Los Parecidos
Dir. Isaac Ezban
Los Parecidos (The Similars)
Dir. Isaac Ezban
Q & A video after the film
Cast: Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Fernando Becerril, Humberto Busto, Carmen Beato, Santiago Torres, Maria Elena Olivares, Catalina Salas, Alberto Estrella, Luis Alberti.
On the rainy night of October 2, 1968, eight characters waiting on a remote bus station in the middle of the nowhere for a bus heading to Mexico City start experiencing a strange phenomenon.
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En la lluviosa madrugada del 2 de octubre de 1968, ocho personajes que esperan un camión en una remota estación en el medio de la nada para dirigirse a la Ciudad de México comienzan a ser víctimas de un extraño fenómeno.
Friday, May 22
El Estudiante
Dir. Roberto Girault
El Estudiante (The Student)
Dir. Roberto Girault
Cast: Jorge Lavat, Siouzana Melikian, Pablo Cruz Guerrero
After retiring to the beautiful Mexican town of Guanajuato, a 70 year old decides to follow his dreams and enroll at the university where he stumbles upon a new generation and they are bound together by the novel Don Quijote de la Mancha.
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Esta es la aventura de Chano, un hombre de 70 años de edad, quien acaba de inscribirse en la universidad para estudiar Literatura. Así, se encuentra con el mundo de los jóvenes, de costumbres y tradiciones muy diferentes a las suyas.
Saturday, May 23
Revolución
Revolución
Made up of 10 short films, ‘Revolución’ analyzes through the eyes of the directors what is the revolution today and what it means to the young minds of Mexico.
Mariana Chenillo – “La tienda de raya”
Fernando Eimbcke – “La bienvenida”
Amat Escalante – “El cura Nicolas colgado”
Gael García Bernal – “Lucio”
Rodrigo García – “La Séptima y Alvarado”
Diego Luna – “Pacífico”
Gerardo Naranjo – “R-100”
Rodrigo Pla – “30/30”
Carlos Reygadas – “Este es mi reino”
Patricia Riggen – “Lindo y querido”
Sunday, May 24
Oso Polar
Dir. Marcelo Tobar
Oso Polar (Polar Bear)
Dir. Marcelo Tobar
Cast: Humberto Busto, Verónica Toussaint, Cristian Magaloni
On a Saturday morning, 38-year-old Heriberto, a closeted gay man, takes his former elementary school friends, Flor and Trujillo, on a ride across Mexico City to attend a class reunion. On the road, the three of them recall good old times until gradually Flor and Trujillo start becoming the bullies they once were with Heriberto as kids. Yet today, 25-years later, Heriberto will strike back, or won’t he?
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Heriberto da un aventón a dos amigos (Flor y Trujillo) a la reunión de generación escolar del otro lado de la ciudad. En el camino nos enteramos que ellos fueron sus peores bullies en la primaria.
Thursday, May 28
El Los Ojos Del Mar
(The Gaze Of The Sea)
DIR. JOSE ÁLVAREZ
Los Ojos Del Mar (The Gaze Of The Sea)
Dir. Jose Álvarez
Documentary
Hortencia, a woman native of Tuxpan with a troubling past, begins a journey by sea and land to recover the testimonies and memories of a fishing boat’s crew, shipwrecked five years before in the seas of Veracruz. Little by little, the journey becomes a sort of introspection about the meaning of life and death, constructed by the most profound mythologies and desires of the people she comes across with.
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Hortencia, una mujer oriunda de Tuxpan con un pasado tormentoso, emprende un viaje por mar y tierra para recuperar testimonios y recuerdos de la tripulación de un barco pesquero que naufragó hace cinco años en los mares veracruzanos. Poco a poco, el viaje se convierte en una reflexión sobre el sentido de la vida y de la muerte, construida a partir de las mitologías y anhelos más íntimos de las personas con las que se cruza.
Friday, May 29
Historias Del Desencanto
Dir. Alejandro Valle
Historias Del Desencanto (Stories of Disenchantment)
Director: Alejandro Valle
Cast: Fabiana Perzabal, Mario Oliver, Jimena Ayala, Jorge Zárate, Teresa Rábago, Alfonso Figueroa
This film is a little gem; rarely do we see experimental movies combining sci-fi and fantasy from Mexico. This film has circulated the globe and has screened at over 15 international festivals. Taking ten years from conception to its theatrical release, the first film by Alejandro Valle and Felipe Gómez has been described as ‘Intensely Innovative’, and as a ‘Contemporary Fairy Tale’. Demons and schoolgirls collide in this outrageous and innovative phantasmagoria from director Alejandro Valle. Using CGI and live action, this film tells the story of two children who stumble into a world filled with demons and drugs that doesn’t resemble anything ever seen before on screen. Filled with unbelievable and gorgeous images, this film is reminiscent of the insane cinematic visions of Alejandro Jodorowsky. Mixing Catholic iconography with Mexican cinematic surrealism, this daring work of art is something that simply could not get made in America right now. Alejandro Valle has captured such an intensely innovative story that it must be seen to be believed.
Saturday, May 30
El Cielo Abierto
Dir Everardo Gonzalez
El Cielo Abierto (The Open Sky)
Dir. Everardo Gonzalez
Documental
First came the word, then the assassin’s bullet, then the silence. This strong documentary by Everardo González about Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the voice of the voiceless in El Salvador, killed march 24th, 1980.
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Primero fue la palabra, luego la bala asesina y a continuación el silencio. Este vigoroso documental de Everardo González sobre Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, la voz de los sin voz en El Salvador asesinado el 24 de marzo de 1980, retrata como destino inevitable un crímen largamente anunciado y los inicios de una guerra civil.
Sunday, May 31
Tiempos Felices
Dir- Luis Javier H.
Tiempos Felices (Happy Times)
Dir. Luis Javier M. Henanie
Cast: Luis Arrieta Cassandra Ciangherotti Humberto Busto Iván Arana Bárbara de Regil & Miguel Rodarte
A young man who is unable to break up with his girlfriend decides to hire an agency that specializes in ending relationships.
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Un joven que no sabe cómo terminar con su novia decide contratar los servicios de una agencia especializada en terminar relaciones.
*More films to be announced soon! With weekly screenings from Thursdays to Sundays.
Each one of the curated films will play for only twenty-four hours, and will include a pre-recorded Q&A session.
The price of “tickets,” aka the cost to screen each film, is only $4.99 and the proceeds of each “ticket” will be shared with the filmmaker. Support the festival, support the filmmaker!
“We’re talking about some of the best films to have come out of Mexico yet were never released in the United States, or if they did screen in the U.S., it was for a limited time, and they are certainly not currently available to view anywhere else,” says Samuel Douek, Founder & Director of the Hola Mexico Film Festival.
PLEASE NOTE: The traditional Hola Mexico Film Festival 2020 has not been cancelled, and the festival’s organizers hope to help keep viewers safe at home during this time of required social distancing. We’ll hopefully see everyone in September. In the meantime, please enjoy the Hola Mexico Virtual Theater!
ABOUT HOLA MEXICO FILM FESTIVAL
Founded in 2008, Hola Mexico Film Festival, the largest Mexican Film Festival outside of Mexico, strives to highlight the best and brightest talents in Mexican cinematography. Spanning comedies, dramas, horror films and documentaries, the festival showcases high quality films in a festive atmosphere in conjunction with exclusive parties and outdoor concerts. Celebrating its 12th edition, Hola Mexico Film Festival returns to Los Angeles in September 2020, offering film enthusiasts a chance to screen many beloved Mexican films and interact with the filmmakers and talent through special events. Sponsors include: Cinelatino, Corolla, HBO, Delta Aeromexico, Herradura, and UNAM LA.
The Largest Mexican Film Festival outside of Mexico, celebrating our 12th year.