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Apocalypto on trial
Film
Apocalypto
Wed, Aug 22, 3pm
Discussion follows
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
50 pesos
What? This is a movie about the ancient Maya, and everybody speaks Yucatec Mayan, not a word of English? That’s right. And critical opinion went from “brilliant. A masterpiece” to “the most reprehensible, brain-dead and offensive movie.” Surely the truth lies somewhere in between. The Biblioteca Pública will screen Apocalypto, not to settle the reviewers’ “brilliant” or “brain-dead” issue but to answer questions like “Does this film give us a true picture of the ancient Maya?” Many may never read a book or article about the Maya; can this film be trusted to inform them of the nature of the most advanced of the New World cultures?
After the screening of Apocalypto (about 130 minutes), Biblioteca lecturer on the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica, Professor Guillermo Méndez, will discuss with the audience what is true, false or conjecture on the part of the filmmakers. This discussion will be aided by digital images of Maya art, artifacts and architecture. Apocalypto on trial: is this film good “history”?
All proceeds from this film-discussion will be reserved for the Biblioteca’s workshop in pre-Hispanic music for young people. The workshop is taught by a professional Mexican musician from Pozos who both makes and plays pre-Hispanic musical instrument replicas. Weekly classes are free to young Mexicans.
Special screening of short film winner Lost and Found in Mexico
Film
Lost and Found in Mexico
Q & A follows
Mon, Aug 20, 5pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
50 pesos
The illusion of the American dream is challenged in this portrait of expats in San Miguel, who discovered that some vital things were missing in their prior lives. While many Mexicans are leaving families behind and risking their lives to cross the border to a better life, this film focuses on the Americans who have decided to cross the border in the other direction—(M)for a simpler life. In Caren Cross’s 53-minute documentary we meet expats of varying ages who have given up ‘the good life’ in the USA for a home in Mexico that provides more than money can buy. Happy to live with less, among a people they respect and admire, these ex-professionals and executives explain why they have left family and friends behind to live in a country where crowded malls and Blackberries have been replaced by books, art and casual conversations. Q & A with writer/director/producer, Caren Cross, following the film.
Cinemateca
José Luis Pick’n’tip:
The Picks:
Apocalypto
What? This is a movie about the ancient Maya, and everybody speaks Yucatec Mayan, not a word of English? That’s right. And critical opinion went from “Brilliant. A masterpiece” to “the most reprehensible, brain-dead and offensive movie” Surely the truth lies somewhere in between. We will screen Apocalypto, not to settle the reviewers’ “brilliant” or “brain-dead” issue but to answer questions like “Does this film give us a true picture of the ancient Maya?” Many may never read a book or article about the Maya; can this film be trusted to inform them of the nature of the most advanced of the New World cultures?
After the screening of Apocalypto, Biblioteca lecturer on the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica, Professor Guillermo Méndez, will discuss with the audience what is true, false or conjecture on the part of the filmmakers. This discussion will be aided by digital images of Maya art, artifacts and architecture. Apocalypto on trial: is this film good “history”?
The Movies:
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
Monday, August 20 at 3pm
Tuesday, August 21 at 3pm
Director: Joe Dante, Carl Gottlieb, Peter Horton, John Landis, Robert K. Weiss
Cast: Rosanna Arquette, Ralph Bellamy, Arsenio Hall, B.B. King, Michelle Pfeiffer
Cult Comedies, English with Spanish subtitles, 85 minutes
Everything from tabloid vignettes and 1950s sci-fi films to late-night porn and infomercials are spoofed in this star-studded collection of skits that's a sequel (of sorts) to the granddaddy of all spoof movies, Kentucky Fried Movie. Rosanna Arquette and Sybil Danning headline a cast of guest stars that will knock your socks off, including Carrie Fisher, David Alan Grier, Steve Guttenberg, Arsenio Hall, Howard Hesseman, B.B. King and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Short Film Festival Award Winner
“Lost and Found in Mexico”
Monday, August 20 at 5 pm Q and A afterwards
Writer/ Director /Producer: Caren Cross
Documentary, English, 53 minutes.
The illusion of the American dream is challenged in this portrait of ex-pats in San Miguel de Allende who discovered that some vital things were missing in their prior lives. While many Mexicans are leaving families behind and risking their lives to cross the border to a better life, this film focuses on the Americans who have decided to cross the border in the other direction—(M) for a simpler life. In Caren Cross’s documentary we meet ex-pats of varying ages who have given up ‘the good life’ in the USA for a home in Mexico that provides more than money can buy. Happy to live with less, among a people they respect and admire, these ex-professionals and executives explain why they have left family and friends behind to live in a country where crowded malls and Blackberries have been replaced by books, art and casual conversations. Q & A with, Caren Cross, following the film.
Music Special
Down from the Mountain: The O Brother Where Art Thou? Concert (2000)
Only Show Tuesday, August 21 at 4:30 pm
Country & Western/Folk, English, 98 minutes
Director: D.A. Pennebaker
Cast: Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, John Hartford, Gillian Welch
Label executives and soundtrack producers so loved the music of O Brother, Where Art Thou? that they brought it to life as a benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame. Filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen loved it so much that they hired famed documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker to record the show for posterity.
Apocalypto on Trial
Movie and Discussion afterwards
Only Show Wednesday, August 22 at 3 pm.
Action & Adventure, Maya with English subtitles, 138 minutes
Director: Mel Gibson
Cast: Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernández, Carlos Emilio, María Isabel Díaz, Iazua Larios
Oscar-winning director Mel Gibson moves on from biblical fare to tackle the end of the Mayan civilization in this gripping action-adventure set just before Spain's conquest of Mexico and Central America in the 16th century. When an invading force threatens his peaceful existence, a courageous native risks everything to protect his way of life—(M)even if it means leaving his beautiful mate and unborn child behind.
CEPET Special
Death of Two Sons
Thursday, August 23, 5:30 PM
Director: Micah Schaffer
English, 64 minutes
Death of Two Sons juxtaposes the lives and deaths of Guinean Amadou Diallo and American Jesse Thyne, two promising young men born a month and two continents apart. Diallo’s 1999 death at the hands of New York City police officers shocked and outraged thousands of people and made headlines worldwide. Thyne, a Peace Corps volunteer working and living in Diallo’s village in Guinea, was killed in a tragic accident almost one year later. His death became a rallying cry by Guineans against endemic problems. The film looks at the religious, social and political implications of their deaths, raising painful and difficult questions about race and global disparities of justice. Beyond examining the broad societal aspects of these events, the film leads us to a very personal truth: that the loss of any human life is equally tragic. Death of Two Sons shows the common humanity shared by these young men, their families and their nations.
Kids Movies: Vintage Cartoons
Saturday, August 25, at noon
Free entrance, theater capacity
Musical Saturdays:
Will resume in Winter
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