The
Hola Mexican Film Festival brings a diverse range of new Mexican films to international audiences every year, and makes a stop in Melbourne from the 21st to 30th of October. The festival aims to showcase the best new films and documentaries and this year's program is no different. Contemporary Mexican filmmaking has a reputation for making waves within the industry, which is hardly surprising coming from a country known for its passion and vibrancy.
El Infierno
If you like your films with a shot of tequila, make sure you don't miss the opening night fiesta and film held at
ACMI. Mexican food and music will be provided (including beer) and the film '
Acorazado' will be screened, which tells the story of one man's dream to sail to American on a self-made raft.
Other films include '
El Infierno' (which translates to hell) and is the final film in director Luis Estrada's trilogy of dark comedies. Violent and extreme, the film creates an exaggerated portrayal of Mexican crime and corruption. Also screening is the documentary '
Tin Tan', about one of Mexico's most iconic and influential actors, which will also be followed by a question and answer session. For a full schedule of films, check out the
website.
The Cinema Hold-up
The closing party will screen the film '
The Cinema Hold Up', which has been selected for the Sundance Film Festival. As suggested by the title, the film is about four bored Mexican teenagers who decide to rob their local cinema, with unexpected results on each of their lives.
If you plan to see a lot of films it's worth getting a silver or gold pass which lets you see more films for a discounted price. The gold pass also gets you into the closing night film, so you can watch enough Mexican films to keep you going until next year.
