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| Marcela Fernandez, director of the film “Violante,” poses during the annual International Film Festival which highlighted Mexican women directors. |
| Rebecca Straughmatt Mesa Legend |
Mexican directors educate through film
Jennifer McRae
Mesa Legend
Directoras Mexicanas: A Festival Celebrating Mexican Women Directors, highlighted MCC’s second annual International Film Festival.
The festival opened Sunday, April 3, and ran through Thursday, April 14, showing seven films in total.
With free admission to each movie, the theater was open to the public.
The films were all in Spanish, however English subtitles were used to translate.
Six Mexican renowned directors were showcased this year including: Maria Novaro, Ana Cruz Navarro, Eva Lupe Sanchez, Marcela Fernandez Violante, Jose Buil, and Marisa Sistach.
Mesa Community College sponsored this festival in cooperation with the Mexican Chapter of Women in Film and Television (WIFT), The Mexican Film Institute and the Cineteca Nacional de Mexico, which was devoted to promoting and preserving Mexican cinema.
Ana Cruz Navarro, contact director, was part of a Mexican Government program that supports these directors by helping them showcase the films.
Festival Director Don Castro, had this to say of Navarro, “It is hard to find someone who is willing to help and in a position to help, but Navarro was very helpful in contacting the directors and organizing this event.”
Last years film festival highlighted Iranian Women directors and one Swedish director who was famous in many Iranian films.
Throughout the six nights of this festival, the films drew in more than 1,800 people.
These low budget films are done on 35mm film, so there is truly a theater.
“We hope to attract even more film aficionados based on the reputations and powerful work of these Mexican directors,” said Castro.
Castro continued to explain that this festival may never become a Sundance Film Festival, but there is a vision of it becoming something special.
There was a full house for the April 7 showing of Eva Lopez Sanchez’s “Francisca.”
In addition to showing films, the directors participate in a question-and-answer portion after each film.
Sanchez spoke about her film and how she tried to keep the focus on realism.
Sanchez said, “It represented the whole issues of humanity and understanding.”
This film was designed to educate the audience about Mexico City in 1968.
It was based on students from Paris to Mexico City that were rising up against politics.
Sanchez used original footage from students in that time to bring in the atmosphere of the story.
Maria Novaro presented her film “Sin Dejar Huella” on April 3.
Novaro is considered one of the most successful directors in Mexican cinema and earned critical acclaim for this film.
The April 10 showing of Marcela Fernandez Violante’s “Acosada” is also available in the Museum of Modern Art.
She has also won two Ariels, which is the equivalent of the Oscars.
Directors Marisa Sistach and Jose Buil are a husband and wife duo that took a documentary style approach to their film using home movie clips to show the traditions and customs of a family in the 1920s.
Each of these films revolved around women and the troubles that face them.
They had a specific idea but all captured the endearing theme of friendships and family relations.
Castro further explained that the International Film Festival is planned to continue and will play within the first two weeks of April each year at the Pollack Theatre Cinemas in Tempe.
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