Cine Mexico Now

Director: Fernanda Valadez Run Time: 95 min. Rating: Not Rated

Middle-aged Magdalena (Mercedes Hernandez) has lost contact with her son after he took off with a friend from their town of Guanajuato to cross the border into the U.S., hopeful to find work. Desperate to find out what happened to him—and to know whether or not he’s even alive—she embarks on an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous journey to discover the truth. At the same time, a young man named Miguel (David Illescas) has returned to Mexico after being deported from the U.S., and eventually, his path converges with Magdalena’s. From this simple but urgent premise, director Fernanda Valadez has crafted a lyrical, suspenseful slow burn, equally constructed of moments of beauty and horror, and which leads to a startling, shattering conclusion. Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Audience and Screenplay Awards at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Run Time: 65 min.

STARDUST [Polvo de estrellas]
DIR Aldo Sotelo Lázaro | Mexico | 2017 | 14 min

Adan lives day-to-day helping his father Hilario to collect garbage. An unexpected visit to the school will reconfigure Adan’s whole universe.

ELENA AND THE SHADOWS [Elena y las sombras]
DIR Cepeda Sánchez, César Gabriel | Mexico | 2016 | 7 min

In an old Mexican neighborhood, Elena is alone in her world. Felix miraculously comes into her life and shows her how to access other universes. He shares secret spaces with her that will make her recognize that her world can be deeper than previously thought, and also that there is much more to a blind child, like Felix, than just his visual impairment.

POLIANGULAR
DIR Alexandra Castellanos Solís | Mexico | 2017 | 8 min

Searchers pursue mysterious objects that seem to be unreachable. They want to find out what those secrets form and what will happen once they catch them.

THE TRUMPET PLAYER [El trompetista]
DIR Robin Morales | Mexico | 2014 | 10 min

Despite obstacles, a trumpet player finds his inner voice. In doing so, he creates a wild, colorful freedom for his fellow musicians.

CARNITAS
DIR Bárbara Balsategui | Mexico | 2014 | 15 min

With the last of their savings, Valentina’s family buys a small tea cup pig from China. With the intention of fattening it up for Christmas, only a miracle can save the pig from its doom.

TINTICO’S AFTERNOON [Las tardes del Tintico]
DIR Alejandro García Caballero | Mexico | 2012 | 11 min

Under the beautiful Quebrada cliff in Acapulco, a group of mosquitoes crazy for tropical music desperately tries to bring happiness back into a rumba director’s life.

Director: Julio Hernández Cordón Run Time: 70 min. Rating: Not Rated

Acclaimed filmmaker Julio Hernández Cordón (BUY ME A GUN, Cine Mexico Now 2018) has crafted a highly personal, experimental documentary, exploring the city of his youth through the eyes of his teenage daughter. Playing himself alongside his actual daughter Fabiana, he guides her through the city of Texcoco, looking for a vanished lake with diversions along the way to meet Aztec Kings and werewolves. THE HOWLS is a double self-portrait that finds the filmmaker playful, subversive, and utterly free of genre conventions.

Director: Rodrigo Ruiz Patterson Run Time: 85 min.

13-year-old Rodrigo is a solitary teenager who finds solace in his intimate relationship with his mother, Valeria. She is his best friend, his protector, and his entire world. When her new boyfriend comes to live in their small house on the outskirts of Mexico City, however, Rodrigo finds his domain completely disrupted. He must decide if he should accept his new family or fight back and hurt the person he loves the most. Official Selection, 2020 Sundance Film Festival.