New Order / Nuevo orden, the sixth feature film by Mexican director Michel Franco (Chronic), has been announced as the only Latin American entry in the official competition at the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival, while Tragic Jungle / Selva trágica by Mexican director Yulene Olaizola will be the only Latin American contender in the Orizzonti section of the Italian film festival, taking place September 2 to 12.
Starring Diego Boneta, Darío Yazbek Bernal, and Naian González Norvind, the near-future dystopia New Order delves into class disparities between the rich and poor in Mexico when a high-class wedding is interrupted by a legion of impoverished people that break into the reception. Franco was recently announced as recipient of this year’s Heart of Sarajevo honor and will receive a retrospective at the Sarajevo Film Festival, to take place August 14 to 21.
“A very harsh film, set in the near and harrowing future like that suffered by many countries ruled by totalitarian governments,” said Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice Film Festival on the Mexican film. Franco was one of the producers of the 2015 Golden Lion winner From Afar by Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas.
Olaizola’s Tragic Jungle is set in 1920 in the border between Mexico and Belize, deep in the Mayan rainforest, a lawless territory where myths abound. It follows a group of Mexican gum workers who cross paths with Agnes, a beautiful and mysterious Belizean woman. Her presence incites tension among the men, arousing their fantasies and desires. Filled with new vigor, they face their destiny, without knowing that they have woken up Xtabay, a legendary being that lurks in the heart of the rainforest.
Additionally, the Brazilian documentary film Narciso em Férias by Renata Terra and Ricardo Calil on the late 1960s imprisonment of renowned musician Caetano Veloso, will premiere out of competition. The Colombian short film Entre tú y milagros by Mariana Saffon has also be selected to play in the Orizzonti competition.
