AFF International Showcase: Mexico

In addition to showcasing amazing local and national talent, the Austin Film Festival also spotlights work from outside of the United States. This year, they feature Mexico in their International Showcase. Buy your pass or badge now. Who knows, you could be the first kid on your block to spot the next Alejandro González Iñárritu.

Matando Cabos

Thursday, October 19
9pm @ The Arbor

[from AFF] Regional Premiere. Matando Cabos tells two sides of a kidnapping gone wrong. The victim is one of the most powerful men in Mexico, Oscar Cabos. Three kidnappers take a man they believe to be Cabos who is really someone else. The real Oscar Cabos has already been accidentally kidnapped by two of his employees. We follow the first group of kidnappers as they learn they have the wrong man and the other group as they try to return the real Oscar Cabos safely back home without endangering their own lives. A retired Mexican wrestler, a noisy parrot, and an Audi crashing into the largest stadium in the world create a world of situations that will impact all the characters in a single night. [info]
1973

Sunday, October 22
1pm @ Dobie

[from AFF] Regional Premiere. With an eye for cinema and ear for personal stories, Antonino Isordia lays bare the disappointments and tragedies felt by a generation of young Mexicans in his explosively kinetic "1973." By focusing on three case histories, each about someone born in 1973 who eventually spent time behind bars, Isordia delivers a startling tapestry of contemporary Mexico City life. Picture superbly represents a brilliant new wave of Mexican non-fiction (including "Tropic of Cancer") and is in the midst of a vibrant fest run. - Robert Koehler, Variety. [info]

Historias del Desencanto

Sunday, October 22
9:20pm @ The IMAX

[from AFF] Regional Premiere. In a world devoured by an invisible force known as disenchantment, the stories of three characters intertwine. Diego tries to make a movie about the dreams of Ximena, an adolescent experiencing her sexual awakening, who is secretly in love with him. In order to help him with his bizarre project, Ximena leads Diego to Ainda, a conceptual artist with bat wings, with whom the naïve filmmaker falls madly in love. Ainda is attracted to the purity of the young people and seduces them both, which leads to a magical moment in the lives of all three. Soon the young people discover that their beloved harpy’s heart belongs to a being from beyond the grave. Then the idyllic relationship of the three characters begins to crumble, and they do everything in their power to prevent it as the dark force of disenchantment closes over the city. [info]
Sólo Dios Sabe (Only God Knows)

Wednesday, October 25
7pm @ The Paramount

[from AFF] Solo Dios Sabe (Only God Knows), a film by Carlos Bolado starring Diego Luna and Alicia Braga, is the dramatic story of a young Brazilian woman who discovers her destiny within a mysterious spiritual tradition. As she travels across Mexico and returns to her native Brazil, she falls in love with a young Mexican journalist and struggles with more wrenching choices. [info]
Sangre

Wednesday, October 25
9:20pm @ The Arbor

[from AFF] A Diego's job is counting people as they enter a government building. After work, he and his wife Blanca lie down on the couch, watch soap operas, or make love on the kitchen table. Blanca is extremely jealous, and their relationship is based on having sex, watching TV, and fighting, until one day their routine is interrupted. Karina, Diego's daughter from a previous marriage, arrives in his life in search of love, but Blanca refuses to accept her. Diego finds himself caught between a jealous wife and a daughter in desperate need of guidance. An astonishing climax will lead Diego to lose control. [info]
La Leche y El Agua

Wednesday, October 25
9:20pm @ The Arbor

[from AFF] A woman tries to get back her only companion in life: a cow. [info]