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 Entertainment | November 2007 
Get Ready for the Vallarta Film Festival
 PVNN
Puerto Vallarta - The Vallarta Film Festival is pleased to announce the films representing the Latin American Section of its fourth annual edition, to take place from December 5th to 9th at the facilities of Cinemark Plaza Caracol.
This year's Film Fest will showcase a selection of six feature films representing the current trends in Latin American cinema, including Hector Babenco's The Past - the most recent production starring Mexican heartthrob Gael Garcia Bernal - and XXY, the award-winning movie debut of Argentinean filmmaker Lucia Puenzo. One Long Night, Under the Same Moon, Dream Havana, and Posada complete the program.
The Past, helmed by Argentinean director Hector Babenco (Carandiru, The Kiss of the Spider Woman,) and starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Analía Couceyro, tells the story of Rimini and Sofía; a young couple that in spite of their constant splits and fights, manages to stay together - united only by an unbeatable affection that refuses to finish. Based on the novel of the same name by Alan Pauls, the film focuses on the dependency of love and the need to understand the past that's necessary to carry on with our lives.
Another remarkable film to be presented in the Vallarta Film Festival is XXY, the cinematographic debut of scriptwriter and director Lucia Puenzo, starring Ricardo Darín, Valeria Bertuccelli, and Martín Piroyansky. The movie narrates the story of Alex - an intersex teenager played by 23-year-old Mexican actress Ines Efron - the way her family copes with her condition, and the ultimate decision she must eventually make as she explores her sexuality. The film's title is a reference to Klinefelter's Syndrome, also known as XXY Syndrome; a condition in which males have an extra X sex chromosome. The movie won the Critics' Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Dream Havana is based on the real-life drama of two Cuban writers whose friendship is fractured due to the severe economic crisis that the Caribbean nation suffered in the mid-nineties, which forced thousands of Cuban citizens to escape from the island.
Gary Mark's documentary film is narrated by interviewing the protagonists of the story - Ernesto Santana and Jorge Mota - through letters between the two friends, and concludes almost a decade later with an encounter between the writer and the journalist in Jalisco, Mexico.
Mexico will be also represented by One Long Night and Under the Same Moon, directed by David Siqueiros and Patricia Riggen, respectively. Both films approach the subject of the bilateral relations between Mexico and the United States.
Siqueiros' film is a comedy in co-production with the USA, featuring the stellar performances of Mexican actors Itati Cantoral and Pedro Armendáriz Jr., who alternate with the talents of Jon Seda and Paul Rodriguez. The movie narrates the eventful journey of Mexican-American Richard Macedo, who is kidnapped during a business trip to chaotic Mexico City just days before his wedding. As Richard tries desperately to get back to what he calls civilization, he learns amazing things about his character, about his own Mexican heritage and about the father he's never known; all in one long night.
On the other hand, and in a more dramatic tone, Under the Same Moon offers a subtle commentary on illegal immigration to the United States through the story of a young Mexican who, after his grandmother passes away, illegally crosses the border to meet with his mother. The film stars Mexican cinema and TV personalities such as Kate del Castillo, Eugenio Derbez, Carmen Salinas and Maria Rojo and is the latest film of Patricia Riggen. Under the Same Moon was a huge success at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
Last but not least, Posada is a documentary that explores the journeys that tens of thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children take to find shelter in the U.S. The documentary tells the hardships and hopes of Johny, Densi and Wilber. It relates their stories with that of "Las Posadas," a traditional Mexican Christmas procession that reenacts the story of Joseph and Mary's search for a place to stay.
Shortly, the Vallarta Film Festival will present the complete details of this year's schedule, as well as the celebrities and filmmakers invited to this year's event. For more information and updates please visit VallartaFilmFestival.com. |
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