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Event
31st Annual CineFestival en San Antonio Feb. 5-8, 2009
Festival Website: www.cinefestivalsa.org
The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center's CineFestival en San Antonio, the nation's longest-running Latino film festival, will celebrate its star-studded 31st incarnation from February 5-8 at the historic Guadalupe Theater. Hollywood star Wilmer Valderrama (That 70s Show, El Muerto) and accordion legend Flaco Jimenez will be on hand for the four-day cinema extravaganza, which showcases more than 60 of the best Latino features, documentaries and shorts from around the world. The theme for this year's festival, which includes films from Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Brazil, Colombia, Australia, Italy and the United States, is "The New World Onda: Building a Dynamic Media Society."
CineFestival kicks off on Thursday, February 5, with two free screenings. The classic 1934 Mexican film El Compadre Mendoza, which is presented in association with the Mexican Cultural Institute in San Antonio and WellMed, screens at 9 a.m. on Thursday, and the award-winning Mexican thriller La Zona, which stars Maribel Verdu (...y tu mama tambien) and Daniel Jimenez Cacho (La Mala Educacion), screens at 8 p.m. The screening of La Zona is part of Target Community Night. Free admission is generously sponsored by Target. Seating is limited and tickets are available at the Guadalupe Theater Box Office, starting at 6 p.m. on the day of the screening.
Highlights of the festival include the sensational Chilean drama All Inclusive starring Jesus Ochoa (Sangre de Mi Sangre, Beverly Hills Chihuahua), the Colombian family film El Angel del Acordeon and the Academy Award-nominated documentary The Garden. This year's CineFestival is also pleased to present the Texas Premiere of Days of Wrath, a gritty urban drama starring Valderrama, San Antonio native Ricardo Chavira (Desperate Housewives) and Mexican star Ana Claudia Talancon (Arrancame la Vida). Actor Wilmer Valderrama will be in attendance for the Days of Wrath screening, which takes place on Saturday, February 7 at 7 p.m.
San Antonio accordion legend Flaco Jimenez will participate in a free public discussion on La Onda Chicana: Tejano Music and Society, 1968-2008, which will be moderated by John J. Valadez, director of the new PBS documentary La Onda Chicana/The Chicano Wave. The discussion takes place on Saturday, February 7 at 11:30 a.m., and will be followed by a screening of Valadez's film, which features amazing performances, rare archival footage of such stars as Freddy Fender, Selena, Little Joe y la Familia, Flaco Jimenez, Linda Ronstadt, Ritchie Valens and Los Lobos.
"We are excited to be screening so many excellent feature films, documentaries and shorts that express the incredible range of the Latino experience. There is definitely something for everyone this year," says Sandra Pea Sarmiento, who co-directs the festival with Victor Payan.
CineFestival en San Antonio originated in 1978 as the Chicano Film Festival, which was organized by Adan Medrano and sponsored by Oblate Seminary. As the longest-running Latino film festival in the United States, CineFestival has played a significant role in the presentation and appreciation of Latino filmmakers from around the world.
The complete 31st Annual CineFestival lineup, which includes features, shorts, documentaries, workshops, student showcases and senior screenings, is available online at www.cinefestivalsa.org. The 31st Annual CineFestival en San Antonio takes place at the historic Guadalupe Theater, which is located at 1301 Guadalupe Street.
Tickets to individual films are $8 general and $6 for students, seniors and military. This year, CineFestival is excited to offer the affordable All-Movie Pass, which provides admission to all screenings, receptions, and workshops for $30. For tickets, festival passes and other information, please call the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center at 210-271-3151or visit the festival website at www.cinefestivalsa.org.
This years CineFestival, a program of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, is sponsored in part by the City of San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs, Film San Antonio/The San Antonio Film Commission, Texas Commission on the Arts, Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, Target, the St. Anthony Hotel, Alamo Travel Group, WellMed, The RK Group, San Antonio Express-News, La Prensa, Barefoot Wine, NALIP SA, and Humanities Texas - the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1980 to preserve, promote and develop the arts and culture of the Chicano/Latino/Native American peoples for all ages and backgrounds through public and educational programming in six disciplines: dance, literature, media arts, theater arts, visual arts and music. For more information, visit www.guadalupeculturalarts.org.
2009 CineFestival Highlights
Thursday, February 5 - Target Community Night
8 p.m. La Zona, Dir. Rodrigo Pla, 97 min., Mexico, 2007
When a group of disadvantaged teenagers sneak into the high-security Mexico City gated community known as La Zona, they get more than they bargained for in this action-packed thriller by Rodrigo Pla. When a bungled robbery results in death, the residents of La Zona form a posse and seek to hunt down the intruders before the police can stop them. Will young Miguel (Alan Chavez) escape the mob's vigilante justice or will he be a casualty of the class divide and a victim of a community living in a perpetual state of fear? Winner of 16 awards including the Golden Ariel, the Cinema for Peace Award from the Venice Film Festival and awards from the Cartagena Film Festival, Montreal Festival of New Cinema and the San Francisco International Film Festival. Starring: Daniel Jimenez Cacho, Maribel Verdu, Carlos Bardem, and Daniel Tovar.
Free admission to this screening is generously sponsored by Target. Seating is limited. Tickets will be distributed at the Guadalupe Theater box office on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 6 p.m. on the day of the screening.
Friday, February 6
6 p.m. Los Soneros del Tesechoacan, Dir. Inti Cordera, 76 min., Mexico, 2006
This beautifully-shot documentary traces the popular Son Jarocho music to its roots in small villages in Veracruz, where the music creates a timeless bond between generations, communities and families. This musical tradition is examined through the words and music of Son Jarocho masters living near the Tesechoacan River and trying to pass on the tradition of the fandango to the next generation.
7:30 p.m. XXY, Dir. Lucia Puenzo, 84 min., Argentina, France, Spain, 2007
Lucia Puenza's moving XXY examines the turmoil, humanity and compassion in an Argentine family with a hermaphroditic teenage child, Alex. When threats and social alienation force the family to move to Uruguay, Alex and his/her parents Kraken (Ricardo Darin) and Suli (Valeria Bertuchelli) try to restart their lives. But just as violence and intolerance in their new community threaten them, some family friends arrive for a visit with their son, Alvaro. This gripping film has won more than 20 major awards from the Cannes Film Festival, Mexico's Ariel Awards, the Argentinian Film Critics Association, Spain's Goya Awards and the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. Sponsored by the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center. For mature audiences.
9:30 p.m. Yo Soy Otro, Dir. Oscar Campo, 90 min., Colombia, 2008
In this harrowing cyberpunk thriller from Colombia, office worker Jose Gonzalez contracts a mysterious disease that causes him to believe that he is being cloned. When one of his clones begins to hunt him down, Jose realizes that there is something far more sinister taking place on the decadent streets of Cali. Starring: Hector Garcia, Jennifer Nava and Patricia Castaneda.
Saturday, February 7
11:30 a.m. Free Public Discussion - La Onda Chicana: Tejano - Music And Society, 1968-2008
This free public discussion will examine the important role Tejano musicians have played in providing the soundtrack for the social and political movements of the U.S. Latino community over the last 40 years through the stories and observations of special guest, San Antonio accordion legend Flaco Jimenez. This discussion will provide a unique, first-person view of the Chicano movement as seen through the eyes of a beloved Tejano musician whose tours have taken him to rural and urban communities around the world. This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities.
1:15 p.m. La Onda Chicana/The Chicano Wave, Dir. John J. Valadez, 60 min., USA, 2008
La Onda Chicana/The Chicano Wave explores the evolution of Mexican-American music as Chicano artists struggle against discrimination and move from the fringes of American society to the national stage. La Onda Chicana/The Chicano Wave charts the development of Chicano music from the birth of Conjunto through the musical innovations that would galvanize the Chicano movement first in the Sixties and again in the present. Featuring rare interviews and performance footage from Santiago Jimenez, Ritchie Valens, Freddy Fender, Selena, Los Lobos and Linda Ronstadt. This documentary is the third hour of a four-hour PBS series entitled Latin Music USA, which is scheduled for a prime time national broadcast in 2009.
3 p.m. El Angel del Acordeon, Dir. Maria Camila Lizarazo, 90 min., Colombia, 2008
This heartwarming tale of love and music tells the story of Poncho, a ten-year-old boy who has two dreams in life: win Sara Mara, his childhood sweetheart, and become "Jr.King" of the Vallenato Legend Festival. His family's difficult economic conditions make it impossible for him to buy an accordion to learn how to play. When his arrogant friend Pepe makes a play for Maria, this sets off a lifelong feud to see who will emerge as the Angel of the Accordion. Filled with amazing accordion playing, this beautiful film takes place in the exotic landscape of Csar and Guajira, a region in northern Colombia where the music known as vallenato runs so deep in the heart of its people and it is said has a certain magic. Starring: Cesar Novarro, Carlos Buelvas and Stephanie Borge.
7 p.m. Days of Wrath, Dir. Celia Fox, 98 min., USA, 2008
First-time filmmaker Celia Fox directs Wilmer Valderrama in a cinematic and action-packed tour de force about an angry gang member named Daniel (Valderrama) who will stop at nothing to rule the streets. When Daniel carjacks a rap star and accidentally kills his own leader's mother, the stage is set for a brutal gang war. In his path to infamy, Daniel taunts a Latina news anchor (played by Ana Claudia Talancon) and a seedy cop (played by Ricardo Chavira). Set in Los Angeles' gritty underworld, this is Wilmer Valderrama like you've never seen him. Starring: Wilmer Valderrama, Ricardo Chavira, Laurence Fishburne, Ana Claudia Talancon, and Lupe Ontiveros. Note: Actor Wilmer Valderrama will be present for the screening.
Sunday, February 8
1 p.m. The Garden, Dir. Scott Hamilton Kennedy, 80 min., USA, 2006
This amazing Academy Award-nominated documentary chronicles the birth and untimely destruction of the South Central Farm, a 14 acre green space and community garden that was created by the City of Los Angeles after the LA Riots. Showcasing the vibrant immigrant community that transformed the garden into a global symbol of community-supported agriculture, the documentary provides profound insight into the L.A. City Council's machinations and possible illegal sale of the land, which was leveled in 2006 to make way for warehouses.
3:30 p.m. Yveete, Dir. Rogelio Almeida Marquez, 104 min., USA. 2008 - Free Screening
When young Texas Chicana Yveete is sent to live with her grandmother Chema in Mexico after a misunderstanding involving a local drug dealer, she finds that all is not what it seems in this heartwarming story of identity and acceptance set in a small Mexican town. Written by and starring Nora Contreras-Almeida, this wonderful family film finds Yveete struggling with both her Mexican and American identities while fighting off a clique of local mean girls afraid that this feisty Nortea will walk away with the town's most eligible caballero. And when Yveete's grandmother's house is about to be foreclosed, will this independent Chicana trade her identity for a chance to win the local talent show and save her grandmother's home? Starring: Nora Contreras-Almeida, Pipo Barajas, and Socorro Cervantes. This screening is free an open to the public.
7:30 p.m. La Milagrosa, Dir. Rafael Lara, 97 min., Colombia, 2007
In this riveting and action-packed film, Eduardo, a young upper-class Colombian man, is kidnapped by a guerrilla group and becomes trapped in the middle of the crossfire between the military, paramilitary and guerrilla groups. His outlook on life and his own country will change radically after the traumatic experience that spans several months during which constant transfers to different camps, armed clashes and extreme loneliness put him on the brink of madness. Texas Premiere. Starring: Antonio Merlano, Monica Gomez, and Guillermo Ivan.
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LocationGuadalupe Theater
1301 Guadalupe St.
San Antonio, TX 78207
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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