Puro Mexicano: Tucson Film Festival Announces Initial Slate of Boutique Venue Premieres and Screenings for the First U.S. Festival Honoring Mexican and Mexican American Filmmakers November 4-6, 2005

Business Wire, Oct 11, 2005

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Puro Mexicano: Tucson Film Festival:

--FESTIVAL'S FRIDAY OPENING NIGHT TO FOCUS ON WOMEN'S ISSUES AND WOMEN FILMMAKERS

--SATURDAY FESTIVAL CONTINUES WITH A SERIES OF CHALLENGING AND THOUGHTFUL FILMS WHICH LOOK AT THE COMPLEX BORDER ISSUES

--Tickets go on sale Thursday, October 13

Puro Mexicano: Tucson Film Festival, the first U.S. festival honoring Mexican and Mexican American filmmakers, announced today its opening slate of premieres and screenings for the event, to be held Friday, November 4 thru Sunday, November 6, in the newly revitalized Downtown corridor of Tucson.

These films, part of a boutique group of works to debut at the festival, will be shown in the Leo Rich Theatre at the Tucson Convention Center. General activities and workshops featuring directors and artists are in their final stages of planning and will be announced on October 24th. A list of films already selected follows.

The festival, a program of the Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation, will offer filmgoers a rare glimpse into the projects of established and rising directors and writers, designed to give audiences a new understanding of the cultures and issues of Mexicans and Mexican Americans.

In making the announcement, Ms. Shelli Hall, Festival Chair noted: "We are extremely excited at this initial list of programs, which will expose some wonderful filmographic features and shorts to a new crop of fans and a hugely loyal base of existing enthusiasts."

Ms. Hall added: "Among the festival's offerings are films directed by and featuring some of the most talented women working in the industry today, as well as a series of films dealing with the complex border issues, displayed in a challenging and poignant style. The social and political ramifications of the films shown will bring light to issues that are on the minds of everyone today, straddling our two countries and their diverse cultures and communities."

Final arrangements for the feature-length fiction films, including a restored classic from the Golden Age of Mexican filmmaking, are being made at press time.

Tickets for the festival can be purchased at www.tucsonfilmfestival.org starting 10/13/2005 or by calling 520-624-1817 ext 138.

Press registration for the festival begins on Tuesday, October 11. Please contact Barry Kluger, Kluger Media Group, 480-703-8135 or barry@barrykluger.com to secure your credentials or register at the web site. www.tucsonfilmfestival.org.

The Festival needs volunteers to perform a variety of tasks on November 3-6 in Tucson. Applicants should have an interest in film and be able to work on such duties as guest check in, ticket sales, event set up, theatre management, parking control, media relations, and more. Please visit www.tucsonfilmfestival.org or call 520-546-6975.

Salon Program for Puro Mexicano
                      Friday and Saturday nights

FRIDAY, Nov. 4

Deep Focus: Women/
En Foque Profundo: Mujeres

7.30 LEO RICH SALON

La pasion de Maria Elena/ The Passion of Maria Elena
Mercedes Moncada Rodriguez
(76m/color/2003)

In a remote and traditional corner of Chihuahua, a nontraditional
Raramuri mother confronts the death of her young son and the reactions
of her community. A documentary that captures the soft-spoken grief of
a people entrenched in an ancient world of transcendence and a modern
world of judgment.

About the director: Mercedes Moncada Rodriguez's debut film was La
pasion de Maria Elena. Her latest work is El inmortal (2005), a
documentary about religion, poverty, and gender roles in the
Nicaraguan struggle.


9.30 LEO RICH SALON
Las caras de la luna/Faces of the Moon
Guita Schifter
(112m/color/2000)

"The story of five women from different countries who meet in Mexico
City as the jury for a Latin American Women's Film Festival. In five
days they compare their experiences, dreams, and expectations. Their
revelations to each other expose the recent history of Latin America
and the struggle of women to work creatively. Las caras de la luna is
a film about women, about love and loyalty, about political
compromise, about life in our times." Guita Schifter interview with
Perla Ciuk, 9.29.1999.

An affectionate but sometimes biting satire on film festivals in
general, and on the intergenerational struggles with "feminism" and
"creativity" that defined women's creative discourse at the turn of
the century.
With Carola Reyna, Geraldine Chaplin, Diana Bracho, Carmen Montejo,
Ana Torrent, Haydee de Lev

About the director:
Born in Costa Rica to a family of Lithuanian and Ukrainian Jewish
refugees, Guita Schifter came to Mexico to study psychology at UNAM.
She is one of a generation of Jewish women filmmakers whose work has
brought international attention to Mexico cinema.


SATURDAY, Nov. 5

7.00 LEO RICH SALON
SHORTS PROGRAM/PROGRAMA DE CORTOMETRAJES
Kit Kat
Ari Luis Palos y Eren McGinnis, Mexico/USA
(14m/2001)

A girl searches the colonial streets, abandoned monasteries and
ancient ruins of Oaxaca for the perfect birthday present for her
father.

Superheroe
Roberto Candiani, Mexico,
(15m/2005)

In the colorful and frenetic existence of Mexico City, a policeman and
a fireman wrestle with protecting the megalopolis from criminal and
natural forces. A story of everyday heroism and its rewards.

Sindrome de linea blanca/White Line Syndrome
Lourdes Villagomez, Mexico
(7m/2005)

Stop motion animation, cut-outs on life size sets, rotoscope, drawings
on cel and frame by frame video that uses real life elements combine
to narrate the imaginary biography of a girl who gets killed by a car
and awakens like a princess from a fairy tale in search of her happy
ending. The term Liinea Blanca in Mexico refers to household
appliances in general.


Yo tambien te quiero/I Love You Too
Jack Zagha, Mexico
(10m/2005)

Unrequited love can bring its own rewards.


Jai/Vida/Life
Ariel Zylbersztejn, Mexico
(9m/2004)

A woman teaches her granddaughter to count her blessings.


Deep Focus/En Foque Profundo
Filmic Borders/Mexico and the U.S.
Fronteras Filmicas/Mexico y los Estados Unidos

8.30 LEO RICH SALON
SHORTS PROGRAM/PROGRAMA DE CORTOMETRAJES
De raiz/On Race
Carlos Carrera, Mexico
(8m/ animation/2004)

A confrontation between creation and intolerance by the director of
El crimen de Padre Amaro.

Breached
Laura Richard, USA
(18m/2005)

A fateful day: Maria prepares to cross into the U.S.


Victoria para chino
Cary Yoji Fukuyama, USA
(14m/2005)

A shattering tale of a real-life journey across the border.


El otro sueno Americano/The Other American Dream
Enrique Arroyo, Mexico
(10m/2004)

On the U.S. Mexico border, men and women continue to disappear. This
is one of their stories.


DOCUMENTARY FEATURE/LARGOMETRAJE DOCUMENTAL
10.00 LEO RICH SALON
Beyond the Border/Mas alla de la frontera
Ari Luis Palos and Eren Isabel McGinnis
(60m/color/2001)

Over the past decade, thousands of Latinos seeking better
possibilities have begun migrating to Midwestern states like Kentucky,
with its low-paying jobs in the tobacco, manufacturing and horseracing
industries. Beyond the Border, with tenderness and beauty, follows the
immigrant experience with Marcelo Ayala, who leaves his family on a
risky journey to the United States. We begin to understand his
decision to leave Mexico with the insights of his brothers, who before
him have each made the same journey. Beyond the Border rounds out
immigration's effect on family in Marcelo's home town in Michoacan,
Mexico. This program illustrates we all have families somewhere,
including Beyond the Border.