Sep 7, 2017 at 7:30 pm
El Alcalde (The Mayor)
Presented with Proyector. This screening will be followed by discussion with Director Carlos Rossini.
El Alcalde offers an intimate understanding of the current situation in Mexico from a side of the spectrum rarely accessed: someone in a position of power. Fernández cuts a controversial figure: when newly elected he publicly announced the death of a crime leader before the body was even found. Fearless, and surprisingly affable, he has no qualms about how he gets his job done, nor do his residents seem to mind. Since his election, crime rates, though still high, are down.
Over the course of El Alcalde, we see Fernández play a clarinet solo in his enormous fortress outfitted with tiles from William Randolph Hearst’s mansion. We watch home movies of his expeditions to Africa, and listen to his thoughts on governing, which often enter troublingly hazy moral zones. Allowing their subject to reflect on his life’s activities in the comfort of his own quarters, Altuna, Rossini, and Osorno, in accordance with the best films of Errol Morris, craft a richly layered portrait of this contentious leader — by letting him speak for himself.
“A provocative look at privilege, responsibility and one man’s ability to take the law into his own hands, The Mayor…offers a key to understanding present-day Mexico, where politics, economic power and excessive violence mix.” – Variety
El Alcalde has been selected for film festivals and awards such as:
2 nominations to PREMIO ARIEL awards: Best Documentary – Best Original Score
Best Doc – LOS CABOS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2012
Best Doc – FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE DE CARTAGENA DE INDIAS – 2013 – COLOMBIA
Best Mexican Doc- PREMIO JOSÉ ROVIROSA – UNAM 2013
Best Latin American Doc – CINEMA TROPICAL – 2013 – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Honorable Mention – CINE LAS AMÉRICAS FILM FESTIVAL 2013 – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Honorable Mention – FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE DE BARRANQUILLA – COLOMBIA
Program
DUTERTE'S HELL
8 min., 2017 Aaron Goodman and Luis Liwanag
Since taking office last June, President Rodrigo Duterte has been waging a deadly anti-drug campaign. In the past year, police and vigilantes have reportedly killed over 7,000 people suspected of participating in the drug trade.
El Alcalde (The Mayor)
80 min., 2012, Diego Enrique Osorno, Emiliano Altuna, Carlos Rossini
The Mayor offers an intimate understanding of the current situation in Mexico from a side of the spectrum rarely accessed: someone in a position of power.
Carlos Rossini is an award-winning Argentinian director and producer who has been working in documentary film for over 10 years. He has directed documentaries such as ‘Palabras Magicas’ (2012), winner of Best Cinematography at Festival Internacional de Cine Documental de la Ciudad de Mexico, and ‘El Alcalde’ (2012), winner of Best Documentary at the Baja International Film Festival. In 2004, Rossini and producer Emiliano Altuna created bambú|audiovisual, a Mexico City-based production company. Specializing in the development and production of documentary and fiction films, they have produced award-winning films including ‘El Alcalde’ (2012), ‘Un Mundo Secreto’ (2012), and ‘El Ciruelo’ (2009).
Co-presented with Proyector, we will be hosting a discussion after the screening with director/producer/cinematographer Carlos Rossini. Curated by Mexican filmmakers and independent programmers Sebastian Diaz and Melissa Saucedo, Proyector is a showcase of contemporary Mexican films that, despite receiving praise and recognition at international festivals, often get limited exposure in the US. The series opens a platform to discuss Mexico’s diverse realities with panels of filmmakers and experts.
