Mexican cinema continues to generate world-wide enthusiasm, and now we will be able to bring even more of it to the Tucson community! Cinema Tucsón will present films through an exciting format—monthly screenings (with some exceptions) throughout the year at the Fox Tucson Theatre, a new dedicated home for Mexican cinema. We will provide a mix of classic films, B movies, and new cinema with exceptional filmmakers and special guests from Mexico for dialogue with our audiences. And because there is plenty of seating in the historic Fox Tucson Theatre, you will not have to worry about getting a seat! We look forward to seeing you!
Presented by Cinema Tropical and the UA Center for Latin American Studies, in partnership with the Consulate General of Mexico in Tucson and the Fox Tucson Theatre.
Sponsored by Rio Nuevo, La Estrella Bakery, the Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery, the UA Spanish & Portuguese Department. the UA Southwestern Center, the Downtown Tucson Partnership and HSL Properties.
. Additional support by Film Tucson, Visit Tucson, Borderlands Brewery, Godat Design and The Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block.
All screenings (except as noted) at:
Fox Tucson Theatre
17 W. Congress St., Tucson, AZ
(520) 547-3040 / www.foxtucson.com
General Admission: $10 (except as noted)
For tickets and more information visit:
www.cinematucson.com
LATIDO / HEARTBEAT
A film by Katina Medina Mora
(Mexico, 2023, 93 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. En español con subtítulos en inglés)
*Q&A with director
From Katina Medina Mora, director of LuTo (2013), You Will Know What to Do with Me (2015), and the popular Netflix series Emily in Paris, Latido stars Oscar-nominated actress Marina de Tavira (Roma) as Leonor, a 45-year-old woman who has struggled to conceive, and Emilia, a 16-year-old ballet dancer with a promising career, face unexpected pregnancy news. In an unlikely arrangement, the two women come together to share the pregnancy journey. As they navigate the ups and downs of pregnancy, they develop an unexpected bond and find strength in each other.
VICTIMS OF SIN / VÍCTIMAS DEL PECADO
A film by Emilio Fernández
(Mexico, 1951, 84 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
*Q&A with film activist Viviana García-Besné
Rarely screened in the United States and long due for rediscovery, Victims of Sin is famed Mexican director Emilio Fernández’s unique blend of film noir, melodrama, and musical. Cuban-born acting-dancing sensation Ninón Sevilla plays Violeta, a cabaret performer who adopts the abandoned child of Rita (Rita Montaner) and Rodolfo (Rodolfo Acosta), her murderous pimp. Motherhood forces Violeta to give up her career, but the kindhearted club owner Santiago (Tito Junco) saves her from a life of poverty and prostitution—until Rodolfo, freed from prison, seeks to reclaim his son. Best known for the award-winning María Calendaria (1944) and The Pearl (1947), Fernández infuses Victims with impassioned songs and performances by Sevilla, an icon of Mexican cinema and a purveyor of African, Caribbean, and Cuban dance styles.
Victims of Sin was fully restored in 4K from the original 35mm nitrate camera negative, which had been damaged from mishandling over the decades, by Peter Conheim (Cinema Preservation Alliance/USA) and Viviana Garcia-Besné (Permanencia Voluntaria/Mexico). Permanencia Voluntaria and Cinema Preservation Alliance co-produced the preservation effort with further assistance from IMCINE and the Academy Film Archive, bringing Victims of Sin back to the screen with a clarity and depth not seen since its original release.
Past Screenings:
TÓTEM
A film by Lila Avilés
(Mexico/Denmark/France, 2023, 95 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
In a bustling Mexican household, seven-year-old Sol is swept up in a whirlwind of preparations for the birthday party for her father, Tona, led by her mother, aunts, and other relatives. As the day goes on, building to an event both anticipated and dreaded, Sol begins to understand the gravity of the celebration this year and watches as her family does the same.
This poignant and emotionally expansive film from Lila Aviles (The Chambermaid) cements her skill at directing dynamic, ensemble performances in her stunning sophomore effort. Acclaimed at numerous film festivals including Berlin, Telluride, San Sebastian, and BFI London, Tótem is Mexico’s official Academy Awards submission and received a Gotham Award nomination nominated for Best International Feature.
CASSANDRO
A film by Roger Ross Williams
(USA/Mexico, 2023, 99 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles)
Free sneak preview!
Based on a true story, Cassandro stars renowned Mexican actor Gael García Bernal as Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, rises to international stardom after he creates the character Cassandro, the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world, but also his own life. A hit at the Sundance Film Festival, the film is directed by Academy Award winner Roger Ross Williams and features special appearances by El Hijo del Santo and Bad Bunny.
RADICAL
(Christopher Zalla, USA/Mexico, 2023, 127 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Q&A with director
In a Mexican border town plagued by neglect, corruption, and violence, a frustrated teacher tries a radical new method to break through his students’ apathy and unlock their curiosity, their potential… and maybe even their genius. Based on a true story and winner of the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Radical is an uplifting and heartfelt tale starring popular Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez in an unforgettable performance.
USERS
A film by Natalia Almada
(USA/Mexico, 2022, 88 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles)
*Q&A with director
The most recent film by acclaimed director Natalia Almada (El General), winner of the Documentary Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival, is a poignant and critical essay on technology and its effects on our everyday lives. The film begins with a mother’s question–will my children love the perfect machines more than they love me, their imperfect mother? She pushes the button, and a smart crib lulls her crying baby to sleep, flawlessly every time. This question guides her inquiry into the intimate relationship we have with technology that is increasingly driving all aspects of our society. With impeccable cinematography and a score performed by Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet, Users explores the unintended and often dehumanizing consequences of our society's embedded belief that technological progress will lead to the betterment of humanity.
Wednesday, February 22
LOVE & MATHEMATICS / AMOR Y MATEMÁTICAS
A film by Claudia Sainte-Luce
(Mexico, 2022, 85 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Starring Roberto Quijano, Diana Bovio, and Daniela Salinas, the fifth feature film from director Claudia Sainte-Luce (The Amazing Catfish) is a satirical and engaging comedy about the ambitions and aspirations of upper-middle-class Mexican society. Set in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, Love & Mathematics tells the story of Billy Lozano, who after teenage fame as part of a popular boy band, has found himself in his late thirties, and unhappily married. Billy’s suburban routine consists of taking care of his infant son and loathing his wife’s poorly behaved lap dog. His life changes when he meets Monica, a former mega-fan of the band, who moves into the house next door and inspires him to pick up the guitar again and find something worth living for.
Wednesday, January 25, 7pm
MIJA
A film by Isabel Castro
(Isabel Castro, USA/Mexico, 2022, 88 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles)
Mija is an immensely emotional and intimate portrait honoring the resilience of immigrants and their children. Director Isabel Castro’s debut feature constructs an ethereal love letter to their indomitable spirit in the face of constant instability, and heartily affirms that all humans have the right to shine and to dream. The film tells the story of Doris Muñoz, a young, ambitious music manager whose undocumented family depends on her ability to launch pop stars. When she loses her biggest client, Doris hustles to discover new talent and finds Jacks, another daughter of immigrants for whom "making it" isn't just a dream: it's a necessity.
Wednesday, November 30, 7pm
COMALA
A film by Gian Cassini
(Mexico, 2021, 98 min. In Spanish and English with English subtitles)
Buy Tickets
In his acclaimed debut feature, named after the town where Juan Rulfo’s landmark 1955 novel Pedro Páramo takes place, director Gian Cassini sets out to uncover the truths of his own broken family, while picking up the pieces of his absent father’s story as a failed hitman murdered in a Mexican border town. As he traverses the country in search of clues, the filmmaker uncovers a network of men stuck within deeply rooted patterns of machismo and offers unprecedented access into the personal ramifications of Mexico’s war on drugs.
Thursday, October 27, 7pm
HUESERA
A film by Michelle Garza Cervera
(Mexico/Peru, 2022, 93 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Q&A with director
Buy Tickets
Winner of the Best New Narrative Director and Nora Ephron awards at the Tribeca Film Festival, the supernatural horror film Huesera tells the story of Valeria (Natalia Solián in a breakthrough performance), whose joy at becoming pregnant with her first child is quickly taken away when she's cursed by a sinister entity. As danger closes in and relationships with her family become fractured, she's forced deeper into a chilling world of dark magic that threatens to consume her. A group of witches emerge that could be her only hope for safety and salvation, but not without grave risk. With a mostly female cast and crew, the remarkable debut feature by director Michelle Garza Cervera, uses Mexican folklore to tell a terrifying and unexpected story about motherhood.
Wednesday, September 21, 7:30pm
DOS ESTACIONES
A film by Juan Pablo González
(Mexico, 2022, 97 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Q&A with director
Director Juan Pablo González offers a welcome twist to the traditional films set in the idyllic haciendas of yesteryear’s Mexican cinema to tell the story of María García, an iron-willed businesswoman who fights the impending collapse of her tequila factory in an increasingly globalized industry. Set in the Jalisco highlands and anchored by a brilliant performance by Teresa Sánchez—winner of a Special Jury Prize for Acting at Sundance—Dos Estaciones is a love letter to the director’s homeland, as well as a potent tale of resilience.
Thursday, May 19, 7pm
CIUDAD
A film by Carlos Rossini, in collaboration with Maya Goded, Julio Hernández Cordón, and Nuria Ibáñez
(Mexico, 2021, 98 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
*Q&A with director / Free Admission
Rather than composing a portrait of a city, this documentary gives rise to a reunion with the elements that appear in it. Carlos Rossini invites Maya Goded, Julio Hernández Cordón, and Nuria Ibáñez to codirect “a glance” that poses a search and the discovery of the gestures of this sprawling city. They choose where they explore from, where they delve, and where they share this experience: a series of mirages in a monumental metropolis.
MAIZE IN THE TIMES OF WAR / EL MAÍZ EN TIEMPOS DE GUERRA
A film by Alberto Cortés
(Mexico, 2016, 88 min. In Tseltal, Ayuujk, Wixárika and Spanish with English subtitles)
*Q&A with producer Carlos Rossini
An indigenous Wixárika (Huichol) family in northern Jalisco, an Ayuuk (Mixe) family in Oaxaca, and two Tzeltal families in the jungles of Chiapas discuss their cornfields, their roads, and their homes. They reflect on the importance of their crops, and the practical knowhow that enables the everyday epic tale of corn, as well as the dangers faced by this crop and the need to preserve the land used by countless indigenous Mexican communities and farmers to grow their cornfields.
Thursday, May 5, 7pm
LA MAMI
A film by Laura Herrero Garvín
(Mexico/Spain, 79 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Winner of the Cinema Tropical Award for Best Film, the second feature documentary by Laura Herrero Garvín follows Doña Olga, also known as La Mami, who having worked more than 40 years in nightlife is the caretaker of the women’s restroom at the mythical Cabaret Barba Azul in Mexico City. Night after night, she attends to the dancers who perform there to live music. A beautiful friendship gradually develops between her and newcomer Priscilla, as the two exchange intimate details during their shifts, sharing glances in the mirror. Textural, empathetic, and shot completely from the female perspective, Herrero Garvín crafts an exquisite look into a world of women doing what they have to in order to provide for their families and carve a path for themselves and their loved ones under unforgiving circumstances.
Thursday, April 21, 7pm
THIS IS NOT BERLIN / ESTO NO ES BERLIN
A film by Hari Sama
(Mexico, 2019, 115 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
A compelling semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale set in Mexico in 1986, as the country gets ready for the World Cup. This Is Not Berlin follows 17-year-old Carlos, an introverted kid who doesn’t fit in: not in his family nor at school. Everything changes when he’s invited to the Aztec, a legendary Mexico City nightclub where he discovers the underground nightlife scene – post-punk, sexually fluid, and fueled by drugs. Carlos’s awakening will challenge his relationship with his best friend, Gera, the brother of his crush, Rita, while helping him discover his passion for experimental art and leading him into adulthood. With impeccable art direction, a pulsing soundtrack, and a knock-out ensemble cast headed by Xabiani Ponce de León and José Antonio Toledano, along with Academy Award nominee and Roma star Marina de Tavira, the film offers a revealing portrait of Mexico City in the eighties – an era of deep political, social, and cultural change that shaped today’s Mexico.
Sunday, March 20, 4pm
IDENTIFYING FEATURES / SIN SEÑAS PARTICULARES
A film by Fernanda Valadez
(Mexico, 2020, 94 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
With Mercedes Hernández, David Illescas, Juan Jesús Varela
The most lauded Mexican film of the year, winner of the Gotham Award or Best International Film, the Audience Award and Best Screenplay prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and nine Ariel Awards, Identifying Features tells the story of middle-aged Magdalena, who 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 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 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.
Sunday, February 13, 4pm
LOS LOBOS
A film by Samuel Kishi Leopo
(Mexico, 2019, 94 min. In Spanish, English and Cantonese with English subtitles)
Q&A with director
Winner of the Generation Best Feature Film Award at the Berlin Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Guadalajara Film Festival, Los Lobos follows eight-year-old Max and his younger brother Leo, who emigrate to Albuquerque from Mexico with their mother, Lucía. She tries to make a living doing odd jobs, and while waiting for her mother to return from work, the kids listen to tales, rules of conduct and English lessons recorded on an old tape recorder. They also build an imaginary universe with their drawings and dream about mom’s promise of going to Disneyland. The second feature film by director Samuel Kishi Leopo (We Are Mari Pepa) is a semi-autobiographical tale that “thrives as an intimate window into what it means to confront immigrant life in piecemeal” (IndieWire).
Thursday, January 20, 7pm
PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN / NOCHE DE FUEGO
A film by Tatiana Huezo
(Mexico, 2021, 110 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
In a solitary town nestled in the Mexican mountains, the girls wear boyish haircuts and have hiding places underground. Ana and her two best friends take over the houses of those who have fled and dress up as women when no one is watching. In their own impenetrable universe, magic and joy abound; meanwhile, their mothers train them to flee from those who turn them into slaves or ghosts. But one day, one of the girls doesn't make it to her hideout in time. Liberally adapted from Jennifer Clement's eponymous 2014 novel, the debut fiction by acclaimed director Tatiana Huezo (The Tiniest Place, Tempestad) was the winner of a Special Mention in the Un Certain Regard competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Best Latin American Film Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival. A Netflix release.
Thursday, November 18, 7pm
THE BATWOMAN / LA MUJER MURCIÉLAGO — New Digital Restoration!
A film by René Cardona
(Mexico, 1968, 80 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Starring Maura Monti, Roberto Cañedo, Héctor Godoy, David Silva, Crox Alvarado, Armando Silvestre, Manuel Capetillo, Ofelia Chávez, and Carlos Suárez.
The Mexican Batwoman is a fascinating and fairly unknown addition to the already overwhelmingly superb Batman franchise. Taking advantage of Batman’s increased popularity director Rene Cardona, known later for his luchador (masked wrestler) adventure movies, began working upon a new movie that would showcase the talent of actress Maura Monti by splicing elements of ‘Batmania’ with the popular lucha libre style of Mexico. Under her cape, cowl, boots and bikini the gorgeous Maura takes on the lead role of Batwoman in this 1968 Mexican version. With stunning beauty and crime-fighting finesse she is called to investigate an evil and whacked out scientist who is capturing wrestlers and using their spinal fluid to create a Gill Man.
Costume Contest! Come dressed as your creative version of The Batwoman! All ages and genders welcome to come in costume. Prizes awarded after the screening! Contest sponsored by La Estrella Bakery.
Sunday, October 17, 4pm
POLVO / POWDER
A film by José María Yazpik
(Mexico, 2019, 88 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
With José María Jazpik, Mariana Treviño, Adrián Vázquez, Angélica Aragón, Jesús Ochoa, and Joaquín Cosio
Nominated for 10 Ariel Awards, the directorial debut by renowned actor José María Yazpik (Narcos, I’m So Excited) is an engrossing comedy set in the early eighties in the Baja Peninsula and tells the story of El Chato, a man who had left his idyllic and remote hometown of San Ignacio in hopes of becoming a Hollywood star. Ten years later, a shipment of cocaine is mistakenly dumped in the village. The Tijuana mafia enlists El Chato to retrieve the supply; if he doesn’t, the entire community will be in danger. Upon his return home, he is faced with the possibility of reuniting with his family, and the love of his life, and the son he didn’t know he had.
*Screening followed by an afterparty at Borderlands Brewery (119 E. Toole) with special guests and film series organizers for half off in-house beers from 6:30pm to close.
Sunday, September 19, 4pm
