Cinema Tropical will be co-presenting three Latin American films as part of the inaugural season of the Queens Drive-in, presented by Rooftop Films and Museum of the Moving Image and the New York Hall of Science and that is taking place from August to October on the grounds of the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The three films are The Last Out by Sami Khan and Michael Gassert, Summer White / Blanco de verano by Rodrigo Ruiz Patterson, and Landfall by Cecilia Aldarondo.
Screening on Friday, August 14, The Last Out is a documentary feature that follows three young Cuban baseball players who leave their families and risk exile to train in Central America and chase their dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. Filmed over more than four years, The Last Out tells the very human story of people caught between countries who want nothing more than to make a better life for their families.
Having its New York premiere on Thursday, August 20, Summer White, the debut feature by Mexican director Ruiz Patterson tells the story of 13-year-old Rodrigo, 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.
And screening on Friday, August 28, Aldarondo’s poignant documentary feature Landfall is a cautionary tale for our times, through shard-like glimpses of everyday life in post-Hurricane María Puerto Rico. Set against the backdrop of protests that toppled the US colony’s governor in 2019, the film offers a prismatic portrait of collective trauma and resistance. While the devastation of María attracted a great deal of media coverage, the world has paid far less attention to the storm that preceded it: a 72-billion-dollar debt crisis crippling Puerto Rico well before the winds and waters hit.
Landfall examines the kinship of these two storms—one environmental, the other economic—juxtaposing competing utopian visions of recovery. Featuring intimate encounters with Puerto Ricans as well as the newcomers flooding the island, Landfall reflects on a question of contemporary global relevance: when the world falls apart, who do we become?
Cinema Tropical also offers a special ticket discount for its friends and readers, use discount code AUTOCINEMA for a 50% discount on the $35 regular priced ticket per car. For more information and tickets visit: https://rooftopfilms.com/drivein/queens/
