Cinema Tropical and Ambulante present four Latin American films
Documentary Fortnight 2011: MoMA's International Festival of Nonfiction Film and Media
The Museum of Modern Art
February 16 – 28, 2011
Cinema Tropical and Ambulante, the celebrated nonprofit organization created by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz, have partnered with The Museum of Modern Art to present four films as part of the 10th edition of Documentary Fortnight, its annual showcase of recent nonfiction film and media. As centerpiece of this year's festival is Nostalgia for the Light (2010, France/Spain/Chile), from master filmmaker Patricio Guzmán, widely respected for his documentaries about Chile (The Battle of Chile, The Pinochet Case), and who will be making his first trip to New York in many years for this New York premiere of his new film.
The other Latin American films that form part of this year's festival selection are Criada (2009, Argentina) directed by Matías Herrera Córdoba an emotional portrait of an 53-year-old Mapuche indigenous woman who works as a criada (raised maid) as she goes about her everyday routine; Un día menos (One Day Less, 2009 Mexico), Dariela Ludlow's first feature documentary shot with beautiful cinematography is about an elderly couple in their 80s and 90s that live from day to day in anticipation of the next visit from their extended family; and El ambulante (The Peddler, 2009 Argentina), directed by Eduardo de la Serna, Lucas Marcheggiano, Adriana Yurcovich. A film about filmmaking, The Peddler follows a man as he travels to small towns throughout Argentina to make dramatic films with the local townspeople. Dariela Ludlow and Eduardo de la Serna will travel to New York to present their work.
CRIADA. 2009. Argentina. Directed by Matías Herrera Córdoba. 53-year-old Hortensia lives in El Puesto, a small town in the northwest of Argentina in a verdant region at the foot of a mountain range between two rivers. Born in Patagonia as a member of the Mapuche indigenous group, she was taken at the age of 13 to Catamarca to become a maid. Since that time she has been part of one family and, like many criadas (raised maids), is not free. This portrait builds in emotional power as she silently goes about her everyday routine. In Spanish; English subtitles. 75 min.
U.S. premiere.
Sunday, February 20, 5:30pm; Monday, February 21, 4:30pm
NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT | NOSTALGIA POR LA LUZ. 2010. France/Germany/Chile. Directed by Patricio Guzmán. Guzmán's portrait of Earth among the heavens was shot at 10,000 feet above sea level, in South America's Atacama Desert, where astronomers study the night sky and secrets are buried. The arid climate and salt deposits preserve pre-Columbian mummies alongside relics of the political prisoners of the Pinochet regime who were assassinated and buried there. As astronomers consider the night sky and relatives search for loved ones in the desert sands, this hauntingly beautiful film reveals that life here is both eternal and finite. In Spanish; English subtitles. 90 min. An Icarus Films Release.
New York premiere. Introduction and discussion with Patricio Guzmán.
Monday, February 21, 8pm
Un día menos (One Day Less). 2009. Mexico. Directed by Dariela Ludlow. In the home they built in Acapulco, Carmen and Emetrio, an elderly couple in their 80s and 90s, live from day to day in anticipation of the next visit from their extended family. This intimate story captures their resilience and frailty, and the meaning of existence near the end of life. Ludlow's first feature documentary, shot with beautiful cinematography, poignantly captures the love and tensions of a couple as well as the solitary struggles they must face. 76 min.
New York premiere. Introductions and discussions with Ludlow.
Wednesday, February 23, 4:30pm; Thursday, February 24, 8pm
EL AMBULANTE | THE PEDDLER. 2009. Argentina. Directed by Eduardo de la Serna, Lucas Marcheggiano, Adriana Yurcovich. A film about filmmaking, The Peddler follows a man as he travels to small towns throughout Argentina to make dramatic films with the local townspeople. For the price of meals and a month's accommodations, he works with local authorities, recruits actors, devises a plot, ingeniously creates set pieces, and shoots the film; the entire town becomes involved. Once the film is screened, he packs his bags and heads for another town. In Spanish; English subtitles. 84 min.
New York premiere. Introductions and discussions with Eduardo de la Serna.
Wednesday, Februrary 23, 8pm; Thursday, February 24, 4:30pm
All screenings at
The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019 / (212) 708-9400 / www.moma.org
