VIDEOTECA
DEL SUR in NEW YORK 15TH
ANNIVERSARY
PROGRAM
April - June 2005
at MILLENNIUM FILM WORKSHOP
66 East 4th Street
Between 2nd Avenue & Bowery.
Train F, V, to 2nd Avenue or #6 to Blecker St. in Manhattan
Notes
from the Director
A trip through the Latin American imaginary
As usual and in tune with the melting of the Polar ice, Videoteca del Sur starts a new series of movies and videos. With our usual commitment we have asked ourselves over and over again what our program would be. Here is what we have concluded:
From the waistline of America we'll have the first works of Costa Rican filmmaker Mauricio Mendiola, "Marasmo" and "Almas de la Medianoche" by the new Honduran filmmaker Juan Carlos Falconi. The exclusiveness will be in charge of the Andean cinema with "El Huerfanito" by Flaviano Quispe, a Quechua filmmaker. The feminine talent will be represented by Lupita Miranda and her documentary "Relatos desde el encierro”, about women in prison in Mexico ; "Oggun: Un Eterno Presente" by Cuban Gloria Rolando; "Casita" by Nicaraguan director Ana Coyne Alonso, about child prostitution in Managua . Argentinean excellence will represent by “Pyme”, a revealing film by Alejandro Malowicki. Among the classics we will show "La frontera", by Ricardo Larraín, one of Chile 's most prized films. Also from Cuba, "Las noches de Constantinopla", by Orlando Rojas. From the land of Bolivar , we'll have "Oro negro" by José Ramón Novoa. The younger filmmakers will continue with the fictional film "Los días con Ana", by Uruguayan Marcelo Bertalmío; "Problemas personales" by Lisandra Rivera and Manolo Sarmiento about the Ecuadorian migration to Spain . Music will be represented by Andy Montañez in "Trastalleres, mi gente mi barrio" by Puerto Rican director Luis Rosario Albert. This cycle is closed by Brazilian short "Ilha da flores" by Jorge Furtado and "Guaqueros, en busca del oro sagrado", by Colombian Juan Carlos Rojas, among others.
As usual, you are all invited to enjoy this trip through the Latin American imaginary.
Pedro
Zurita
Director
TUESDAY, April 5 7pm
PYME (SITIADOS)
Dir.: Alejandro Malowicki ARGENTINA 96'
Cast: Gabriel Molinelli, Bernardo Forteza, Duilio Orso, Hugo Alvarez, Alejandro Canuch, Silvia Trawier, Ana Sancho, Ruly de Francesco, Victoria Aragón.
On one side usury, on the other the workers, on one side the past and on the other the future. Trapped in this crucible is Pablo, heading the factory founded by his father, trying to face the conflicts, which engulf the members of his small business in the Argentina of the 1990s. In an asphyxiating climate, beset by debt, they are driven to an economic crisis in which it's every man for him—a situation no one expected and no one wants. A neoliberal economic model, brutal and unjust besieges them. Perhaps Gustavo, Pablo's son, may be the only one capable of passing through that door, which opens and closes not letting us see the light from outside.
LOS TRABAJADORES/THE WORKERS
Dir.: Heather Courtney USA 48'
The immigrant day laborers in Austin and their contribution to its development. Through personal testimonies, this film features the American lives of immigrants living in a country where they are exposed to both dependence and abuse.
TRASTALLERES:
MI GENTE, MI BARRIO
Dir.: Luis Rosario Albert PUERTO RICO 47'
This film shows the story of one of Puerto Rican communities with the most musical tradition: Trastalleres. The artist and singer Andy Montañés narrates the documentary also know as "The Boy of Trastalleres". Andy presents the social atmosphere where he was born, the neighborhood's everyday life, its history, its people and social, cultural and economic event centers, the barbershop, the tavern, the recycling center and the coffee bar. In Spanish.
TUESDAY,
April 19 7pm
ORO DIABLO
Dir.: José Ramón Novoa VENEZUELA 90'
Cast: Rocío Miranda, Laureano Olivares, Armando Gota, Pedro Lander, Jenny Noguera, Alberto Rowinsky, Roberto Hernández, Jeannette Lehr, Jesús Seijas, José Gregorio Rivas.
Isabel has a hard life in her small, Amazonian mining village. The town provides little entertainment apart from a bar, brothel, and occasional film. The monotonous calm breaks one night when Aroldo breaks into the hotel safe, which holds gold extracted from the mine. He escapes with Carmen, leaving Isabel to pay the price. Forced into service at the local brothel, Isabel's life changes once again when she falls in love with Cae, a young man brought to work the mines, who reveals to her an important secret.
TUESDAY,
April 26 7pm
DESDE EL ALTIPLANO
Dir.:Silvestre y Gonzalo Jacobi BOLIVIA 20'
Three Bolivian musicians decide to travel to Chile for a better life. But, they must get their transportation and food by playing their music.
RELATOS DESDE EL ENCIERRO
Dir.: Guadalupe Miranda MEXICO 78'
(Tales from the Inside) Women inmates of Puente Grande Federal Prison in the state of Jalisco give testimonies of their lives and convey the emotional experience of their confinement. Speaking from their own experience, they reflect upon the human condition, survival, and the concept of freedom.
TUESDAY, May 3 7pm
LAS NOCHES DE CONSTANTINOPLA
Dir.: Orlando Rojas CUBA 114'
Cast: Liberto Rabal, Verónica Lynn, Francisco Rabal, María Isabel Díaz, Zulema
Hernández, Vladimir Villar, Jorge Alí, Verónica López, Natacha Díaz, Hilario Peña, Ruben
Breña.
Hernan is the favorite grandson of an authoritarian grandmother. One day, his sister manipulates events unveiling one terrible secret as his grandmother falls into a coma. Doctors have different opinions about her diagnosis and medical future while Hernan, who feels guilt and pain takes over the mansion. After decades of fanciful years there comes the time for freedom. The elegant Villa Florida turns into a sunny and crowded place against Hernan's will. To him every morning will be a surprise in a journey where Villa Florida 's guardian gets in touch with his soul.
TUESDAY, May 10 7pm
LA
OFRENDA
Dir.: Alejandro Fernández NEW YORK 16'
A Mexican illegal immigrant who works under semi-slavery with two fellow countrymen in remodeling of Brooklyn commercial sites finds out his son has one day left to be unplugged from the artificial respirator that keeps him alive while he is thousand miles away. Unable to do anything, he channels his energy through the task of building a wall.
LOS DIAS CON ANA
Dir.: Marcelo Bertalmío URUGUAY 75'
Con: Virginia Wallace, Guillermo Vicéns, Leonardo Steinfeld, Verónica Skerl, Virginia Sgorlo, Silvia Ruffinelli, Santiago Rivas, Cristina Platero, Natalia Muñoz, William Moreno, Diego Martínez, Pablo Marrero, Lucía Margenat, Federico Lecumberry, Agustina Kurkerup.
Five teenagers spend every moment together, visiting the same parks, bars, clubs, etc. on a weekly basis. Then comes the ultimate change - Anna is moving to Europe in just one week's time; their dilemma to convince Anna to stay or to make the best of the last week they all have to spend together.
TUESDAY, May 17 7pm
GUAQUEROS.
EN BUSCA DEL ORO SAGRADO.
Dir.: Juan Carlos Rojas COLOMBIA 28'
In the Valle del Cauca, Colombia , men came to the region from all walks of life to become guaqueros as they look for pottery and gold artifacts in the guacas or Indian tombs.
ILHA DA FLORES
Dir.: Jorge Furtado BRAZIL 13'
A tomato is planted, harvested and sold at a supermarket, but it rots and ends up in the trash. Island of Flowers follows it up until its real end.
CASITA
Dir.: Ana Coyne Alonso NICARAGUA 59'
After made a video for UNICEF on adolescent prostitutes in Managua , Nicaragua , the director followed the lives of these girls as they have grown up and wanted to make a follow-up program.
TUESDAY, May 24 7pm
LA FRONTERA
Dir.: Ricardo Larrain CHILE 118'
Cast: Patricio Contreras, Gloria Laso, Héctor Noguera, Alonso Venegas, Aldo Bernales, Sergio Schmied, Patricio Bunster, Aníbal Reyna, Sergio Hernández, Elsa Poblete.
Ramiro Orellana, teacher, is relegate from the border, territory that was from the mapuches and is marked with natural catastrophes. Ramiro, submitted to the control of the provincial authority, revives the scars of the exile that separated him from his son. He will receive a lesson from the tearing up solidarity of the people of the Frontier, shipwrecks of the history, that live their dreams and frustrations in the limit of reality. Filmed in1991.
TUESDAY, May 31 7pm
LA
HORA CERO : EL SALVADOR DESPUES DE LA GUERRA
Dir.: A. Tibblin, B. Johansson - D. Machado EL SALVADOR 33'
Filmed in 1991, this video shows the situation in El Salvador through the eyes of "ordinary people"; their daily life, what the peace agreement means to them, what kind of reforms are happening, the hopes, life experiences, memories of the war, etc.
MUJERES
DE LA PLUMA
Dir.: Luiz Augusto Tigu DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 10'
A group of women from the La Pluma neighborhood tell us about their work to develop their community through singing. In Spanish.
OGGÚN: UN ETERNO PRESENTE
Dir.: Gloria Rolando CUBA 55'
This documentary relates the patakin or mythical story of Oggun, the tireless warrior who, enamored of his mother, decided as punishment to imprison himself in the mountains. Only Ochun, goddess of love, succeeded in captivating him when she let fall a few drops of honey on the lips of the god of metal, war, progress, and civilization. Also, pays homage to the singer Lazaro Ros, one of the most important living personalities in Afro Cuban culture.
TUESDAY, June 7 7pm
EL
HUERFANITO
Dir.: Flaviano Quispe Chaiña PERU 105'
Cast: Vladimir Estofanera, Kenji Hilsaca, Laureano Mamani, Asunción Uscamayta, Elizabeth Borda, Julian Miranda, Percy Paco..
This Andean film narrates the life of two kids, Juanito and Luchito, who confront the hard reality imposed by destiny. Juanito's life change after his mother's death. He meets Luchito in town. Bandits deceive both kids and Luchito is kidnapped. This fact changes Luchito's parent attitude. When Juanito returns to his community he is surprised when his sister tells him unexpected news. In Quechua and Spanish.
TUESDAY, June 14 7pm
MARASMO
Dir.: Mauricio Mendiola COSTA RICA 86'
Cast: Henríquez, Carolina Solano, Marcela Ugalde, César Meléndez, Bernal García, Bismark Méndez, Vinicio Rojas.
Controversial film inspired by short story "My children's father" by Colombian filmmaker Antonio Caballero. The current political affairs in Colombia are background to coexisting stories of love, hatred and revenge. This movie analyzes the guerrilla warfare's standpoint, which keeps a hold of an important sector of the Colombian territory. It also shows the police forces standpoint: men who are many times paid by drug dealers, a social group that, besides playing an important role in Colombia's social decay, controls an extensive sector of the armed forces. First work made in 2003.
TUESDAY, June 21 7pm
DE
CARENERO A NUEVA ORLEANS
Dir.: Gerardo Maloney PANAMA 27'
Documentary that tells Luis Russell's history, a Panamanian residing in New Orleans , one of the most important characters in Jazz that with Louis Armstrong revolutionized music in the twenties. In Spanish.
PROBLEMAS PERSONALES
Dir.: Lisandra Rivera - Manolo Sarmiento ECUADOR 72'
Anthony,
George and Geovany are Ecuadorians who have recently arrived in Madrid
in search of employment. Anthony opens a lucrative weekend business, George
awaits employment in the small apartment he shares with other fellow Ecuadorians
and Geovany wanders throughout the city with no luck finding a job. The
passage of time brings to light their individual dilemmas.
TUESDAY,
June 28 7pm
ALMAS DE LA MEDIANOCHE
Dir.: Juan Carlos Fanconi HONDURAS 125'
Cast: Juan Fernando Lobo, Reynaldo Melara, Lourdes Pineda, Víctor Manuel Pineda, Maritza Perdomo, Pascal Weiss, Mario Jaen, Felipe Acosta.
A journalist, who was investigating the mysterious vanishing of people in a village named "Cruz Blanca de Yojoa", is murdered on a road leading to Tegucigalpa , Honduras . Alex and his five friends, all college mates, begin an investigation on the murder and they embark on a journey between life and death that opens the doors of hell, and reveals the truth that the Lenca Indians hid for 200 years.
NEXT PROGRAM: August 2005
