Mexican Film Festival 2016

And my favorite time of the year is here again~!
Mexican Film Festival 2016.

Venue: The Arts House
1 Old Parliament Lane S179429
Admission is based on a first-come, first-served basis, and subjected to rating policies as stipulated by the Media Development Authority of Singapore.

The Mexican Film Festival makes a comeback this May and showcases contemporary Mexican female directors who have made their mark in Mexico’s film industry.

Violet Perfume: No One is Listening(Perfume de violetas, nadie te oye)
WED, 18 May, 7pm & THU, 26 May, 6.30pm
Director: Maryse Sistach
Main Cast: Ximena Ayala, Nancy Gutiérrez, Arcelia Ramírez, María Rojo, Luis Fernando Peña, César Balcazar
2000 \ 88 min \ Rating TBC

This is the story of Yessica (Ximena Ayala) and Miriam (Nancy Gutiérrez), adolescent girls from a poor neighbourhood in Mexico City. Despite their different personalities, the two girls form a strong friendship that begins in secondary school. They share everything from notebooks to make-up and perfume. Tragedy unfolds when violent accomplices Jorge (Luis Fernando Peña) and El Topi (César Balcazar) kidnap Yessica.

DanzónTHU, 19 May, 7pm & FRI, 27 May, 6.30 pm
Director: María Novaro
Main Cast: María Rojo, Daniel Rergis, Carmen Salinas, Blanca Guerra, Tito Vasconcelos, Margarita Isabel
1991 \ 96 min \ NC16

This film takes its name from the French contredanse or social dance that has precise rules and is, at once, lascivious and contained, much like Mexican sexuality. The story tells of a series of unexpected events in Julia’s (María Rojo) otherwise mundane life. Julia, an exuberant middle-aged telephone operator in Mexico City, meets Carmelo (Daniel Rergis) during her weekly outings to the Salón Colonia, where she unleashes her passion for dance. Carmelo’s sudden and mysterious disappearance takes Julia to Veracruz in her search for him. The journey turns into one of personal discovery as Julia explores – against the tropical backdrop of Veracruz – a world of sensuality, love and feminism. This drama became the first Mexican film to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in more than a decade.

Without a Trace(Sin dejar huella)
FRI, 20 May, 6.30pm & THU, 26 May, 8.30 pm
Director: María Novaro
Main Cast: Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Tiaré Scanda, Jesús Ochoa, Martín Altomaro, Juan Manuel Bernal
2000 \ 120 min \ Rating TBC

Ana (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón), a sophisticated smuggler of pre-Columbian art, teams up with Aurelia (Tiaré Scanda), a single mother who is more concerned with diapers than archaeology. As reluctant accomplices running away from both the law and outlaws, they travel from Mexico’s dusty northern border to the lush tropical landscape of Yucatán in the south while they unravel each other’s lies and motives.

The Faces of the Moon(Las caras de la luna)
FRI, 20 May, 8.45pm & FRI, 27 May, 8.45pm
Director: Guita Schyfter
Main Cast: Carola Reyna, Geraldine Chaplin, Ana Torrent, Carmen Montejo, Diana Bracho, Haydeé de Lev
2001 \ 112 min \ M18 

Five women from different countries are brought together in Mexico. They form part of the judging panel for Mexico City's 3rd Latin American Women's Film Festival. In six days full of drama and excitement, they share their experiences, dreams and hopes. They unscramble how the recent history of Latin America has impacted women and the society as a whole, as well as discover the personal stories of each other. Las caras de la luna is a film about women, love, loyalty, political commitment and life.

Five Days Without Nora(5 días sin Nora)
SUN, 22 May, 4pm & SAT, 28 May, 4pm
Director: Mariana Chenillo
Main Cast: Silvia Mariscal, Fernando Luján, Cecilia Suárez, Ari Brickman, Enrique Arreola, Verónica Langer
2009 \ 100 min \ Rating TBC 

Before dying, Nora (Silvia Mariscal) makes an elaborate plan for José (Fernando Luján), her ex-husband, who will have to manage her wake. However, the only flaw in the plan – a mysterious photo forgotten under the bed – leads to an unexpected outcome, showing that the greatest love stories hide in the smallest places.

The Good Herbs(Las buenas hierbas)
SUN, 22 May, 6pm & SAT, 28 May, 6 pm
Director: María Novaro
Main Cast: Úrsula Pruneda, Ofelia Medina, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Miriam Balderas
2010 \ 120 min \ NC 16 

Dalia’s (Úrsula Pruneda) life changes when she has to face the Alzheimer’s disease of her mother, Lala (Ofelia Medina), an ethno-botanist. This is a story of the chemistry of the brain, plants and human emotions; of the invisible bonds that unite the living with their dead and with Nature, which belongs to us all; and about the Mexican herbalist heritage that reveal which plants can help cure the soul.

The Prize(El premio)
MON, 23 May, 7pm & SUN, 29 May, 4pm
Director: Paula Markovitch
Main Cast: Paula Galinelli Hertzog, Sharon Herrera, Laura Agorreca, Viviana Suraniti, Uriel Iasillo
2011 \ 120 min \ Rating TBC 

Under the cloud of a military dictatorship, a young mother Lucía (Laura Agorreca) and her daughter Cecilia (Paula Galinelli Hertzog) flee Buenos Aires for the seclusion of a ramshackle cottage along the windy dunes of an Argentine beach. As her mother listens for news from the radio with sad stoicism, restlessly curious seven-year-old Cecilia joins a nearby school overseen by a kindly teacher. A childhood idyll, however, soon becomes contaminated by the general political crisis, in this captivating drama on innocence in illicit times.

Expiration Date(Fecha de caducidad)
TUE, 24 May, 7pm & SAT, 28 May, 8.30pm
Director: Kenya Márquez
Main Cast: Ana Ofelia Murguía, Damián Alcázar, Marisol Centeno, Martha Aura, Eduardo España, Jorge Zárate
2011 \ 110 min \ PG13 

Ramona (Ana Ofelia Murguía), a devoted, obsessive-compulsive mother, suffers terribly when her only son, Osvaldo (Eduardo España), disappears. Ramona is convinced that the handy-man Genaro (Damián Alcázar) is responsible for Osvaldo’s disappearance. The desperate search for her son leads to a fatal outcome.

The Amazing CatfishLos insólitos peces gato
WED, 25 May, 7pm & SUN, 29 May, 6.30 pm
Director: Claudia Sainte-Luce
Main Cast: Ximena Ayala, Lisa Owen, Sonia Franco, Wendy Guillén, Andrea Baeza
2013 \ 91 min \ Rating TBC 

Claudia (Ximena Ayala), an ill mother of four with an endless lust for life, meets Martha (Lisa Owen) in a hospital. Without a plan, Claudia takes up Martha’s offer to follow her home and ends up becoming a part of her family.