Cinema Tropical:
Saturday Night Films on THIRTEEN
Don’t miss these broadcast-only films from Mexico and South America, airing Saturdays at 7 pm on THIRTEEN, the NYC metropolitan-region’s PBS station. Tune-in or livestream at thirteen.org/live for a commercial-free night of film that requires no subscription!
On the night of the premieres, THIRTEEN Members can use the benefit Passport to stream each film on-demand, on any device and via the PBS and THIRTEEN Explore apps.
THE AMAZING CATFISH / LOS INSÓLITOS PECES GATO
(Claudia Sainte-Luce, Mexico/France, 2013, 89 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
With Lisa Owen, Ximena Ayala, and Sonia Franco
What would you have to see in a person in order to trust them with your children? In The Amazing Catfish, two women bond while sharing a hospital room. After their stay, Martha (Lisa Owen), a single mother of four children, lets Claudia (Ximena Ayala) move into her home. Claudia bonds with the family, but Martha’s health slowly deteriorates. The award-winning dramatic film from Mexico kicks off our broadcast series of Cinema Tropical films on Saturday nights.
DUCK SEASON / TEMPORADA DE PATOS
(Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico, 2004, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
With Daniel Miranda, Diego Cataño, Danny Perea, and Enrique Arreola
What could possibly tear two teenage boys away from their video games? In this Mexican comedy, 14-year-olds Flama (Daniel Miranda) and Moko (Diego Catano) meet up for their video game routine on Sunday. But their neighbor Rita and the pizza delivery guy Ulises are going to redirect the course of their day. Duck Season cheekily explores the loneliness of childhood, the effects of divorce and the curious power of love and friendship. The black-and-white film is the winner of numerous awards, including an unprecedented 11 Ariel Awards.
Director Fernando Eimbcke released this film in 2004. Brad Pitt is among the executive producers of his upcoming film, Olmo, set in 1970s New Jersey. Olmo will have a theatrical release in February 2026.
MACHUCA
(Andrés Wood, Chile/Spain, 2004, 121 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
With Matías Quer, Ariel Mateluna, Manuela Martelli, Aline Küppenheim, and Federico Luppi
Machuca is set in Chile in 1973 during the final days of President Allende’s life and leading up to Augusto Pinochet’s bloody coup. Pedro (Ariel Mateluna), who comes from modest means, gets a free-ride scholarship to an elite Catholic boarding school run by the forward-thinking Father McEnroe (Ernesto Malbran). Gonzalo (Matías Quer), one of the wealthy boys at the school, quickly takes a shine to Pedro, and the two become fast friends. But as the boys spend more time with one another, their relationship is strained by the turbulent social and political upheaval in Chile.
WHISKY
(Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, Uruguay/Argentina/Germany/Spain, 2004, 94 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
With Andrés Pazos, Mirella Pascual, and Jorge Bolani
In this Cannes Film Festival award winner from Uruguay, a lonely sock factory owner pretends to be married to to his assistant when his successful younger brother visits—and soon, the couple finds their lives radically altered during a wickedly comical weekend. Whisky—the film title and the word used in place of “cheese!” to provoke smiles while the characters pose for photographs—is directed by Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll.
