Anthology Film Archives, is thrilled to co-present, with Cinema Tropical, the U.S. theatrical premiere run of Tatiana Huezo's Tempestad. Utilizing the direct testimony of two women whose lives have been torn apart by the cartel-fueled terror racking Mexico in the 21st century, Tempestad is an impressionistic portrait – at once lyrical and shattering – of the human cost of the country’s lawlessness.
Huezo's second feature film—after her acclaimed 2011 debut feature The Tiniest Place—will have a one week exclusive engagement starting Friday, October 20 at Anthology Film Archives in New York City.
Tempestad has been selected as Mexico's official entry to the 90th Academy Awards in the foreign-language film category, and was also recently nominated for an International Emmy Award for Best Documentary. Huezo's film was also the winner of the Best Documentary at the last edition of the Cinema Tropical Awards, and its DP Ernesto Pardo was nominated for an American Society of Cinematographers Award.
The first of the film’s protagonists, Miriam, remains haunted by the experience of finding herself arrested at her workplace and accused, without proof, of “people trafficking.” The violence she suffered and was exposed to during her imprisonment has left a profound gap in her life. Her story is counterpointed with that of Adela, who today works as a clown in a travelling circus. Ten years ago, her life too was irreversibly transformed; every night during the show, she evokes her missing daughter, Monica.
Mirror-like, Tempestad reflects the impact of the violence and impunity that afflict Mexico. Through these women’s voices, we are drawn into the heart of their feelings, steeped in loss and pain, but also love, dignity, and resistance. Though the two women’s stories have no direct connection to each other, Huezo’s exquisite visual style and the profound empathy of her approach weaves them together into a whole through which they resonate with and amplify each other.
