San Diego Latino Film Festivals Wants To Expand Horizons - KPBS

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The San Diego Latino Film Festival kicks off Thursday with films on two screens at the South Bay Drive-In. But the majority of the films will be presented online. Exhibitions ... Read more →

Aired: March 10, 2021 | Transcript

SDLFF 2021 Top Picks

"499"

"Blanco en Blanco"

"La Contesa"

"Un Mundo Extraño Shorts Block"

"Zoot Suit" at the Drive-In

San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) kicks off Thursday with films on two screens at the South Bay Drive-In. But the majority of the films will be presented online. Exhibitions Manager Moises Esparza and Un Mundo Extraño programmer Miguel Rodriguez discussed the diverse film options with KPBS.

People who program festivals live and breathe movies. They have to watch dozens of films, sometimes make painful choices, and then face the heartbreak of a film not being available.

Last March, SDLFF was the first San Diego film festival to have to cancel its live, in person event.

"Canceling the festival at its launch last year was a bit traumatic, to say the least," Esparza said. "In retrospect, and kind of in the chaos of putting a stop to everything, it was hard for me to contextualize just how emotionally deprived I felt from not being able to launch a physical edition of the film festival."

The festival canceled its scheduled March event and instead held a virtual festival last September. But whether virtual or in person, the important thing is that the festival stays true to its mission of championing Latinx cinema from all over the world, regardless of the exhibition platform.

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Reported by Beth Accomando

Festival themes and top picks

Many times, Esparza has found that the themes of the festival emerge during the selection process. This year was no exception.

"During the selection process, what became clear is this reckoning with the topic of colonialism," Esparza explained. "A lot of the films I saw had this reckoning with how colonialism has bred violence that still exists to this day. And I think that's a really important thing to take notice of. The fact that this discourse seems to be happening among Latinx filmmakers, this idea that the trauma of generations past get passed down and it's up to us to reckon with it. I think the films that deal with this directly in our festival are proof that you can take on these very intense issues in really cinematically appealing ways."

Two of the films that tackle this topic in radically different ways are "499" and "Blanco en Blanco." "499" explodes your expectations of what a documentary can be. It opens with a conquistador landing on the shores of Mexico. We are uncertain of the time period until he picks up a plastic cup. That is the first jolt we get that this is not going to be a conventional film.

"This one is really form breaking and astonishing in the way it tells its story," Esparza said. "It explores the idea that colonialism has directly affected the violence in Mexico that's occurring in modern times. So, director Rodrigo Reyes frames it within this context of a conquistador arriving on the shores of Mexico in modern time. And this case, the doors walking through Mexico, kind of equating himself with like this new land, the new world. You hear anecdotes of of the violence that people have suffered in Mexico. So, through this kind of like travel-log that's he's embarking upon, you learn about the effects of what these conquistadors did to Mexican society. And the documentary is breathtaking in its scope, but it feels immensely personal because of the anecdotes that are told and shared. It really, really moved me."

"Blanco en Blanco" is equally provocative, and I urge viewers to refrain from judging what its message is until the startling ending that sort of reframes the entire movie.

"What's really striking about this film is how it portrays how history is captured and how the way that history is captured is the way we interpret it as actually happening," Esparza explained. "So, in a way, you are asked to think about how history is captured and how we interpret it today, and how the way that something that's supposed to be factual is captured is not actually how it happened. So it's kind of this like meta-narrative film on how we look at images. I would say that 'Blanco en Blanco' is one of the more provocative offerings the festival has to offer, but encourage audience members to to take a chance on it, because the reason to attend a festival in person or virtually is to watch films you would not typically watch and to watch challenging films and subject matters that are sensitive. And you that's part of the festival experience to expand horizons, to become a more learned filmgoer. So, it definitely gives audience members opportunity to kind of embark on a truly film festivalesque journey."

Esparza's commitment to choosing films that challenge viewers in the best ways is just one reason I always look forward to the festival.

Impact of Geo Restrictions

One thing that has impacted SDLFF more than other San Diego film festivals is what is known as geo restriction, in which distributors restrict who can gain access to the virtual screenings.

"Geo restrictions are a necessity but we are in a way a binational film festival because we're so close to the border," Esparza said. "So, there are some films that our audience in Tijuana will not have access to because of these geo restrictions. Prior to this virtual edition, we had individuals who would cross the border every day to watch films and they would come from even further south — Baja sometimes. And it was just so impressive to see their commitment to to attending the festival, watching these films. So, I do think for such a regional festival, it's kind of a hindrance to us in terms of access to our films and potential revenue streams."

Un Mundo Extraño

For Miguel Rodriguez, the challenge for this year's Un Mundo Extraño sidebar was about asking filmmakers to screen their films virtually when in person events in cinema may be just a few months away. He lost three of the four titles he wanted to show.

"We're at this point now where filmmakers could have a premiere at this festival online or in a month and a half or two months or even four months, they could have a premiere in an actual cinema with actual in-person networking opportunities and have talent arrive and meet folks," Rodriguez said. "So, I completely understand why one would opt to hold off and wait. So, that has definitely made it a challenge to secure films that that we wanted to show."

The one feature he is showing in the sidebar of horror, sci-fi and fantasy is a kind of gothic haunted house tale made by an entirely Honduran crew but shot completely in a famous Maryland haunted house.

"The film is called 'The Countess,' and Honduras is a country that I have not been able to showcase very much in Un Mundo Extraño so that alone makes it interesting to include it," Rodriguez stated. "But also this film has a very interesting story in that during production they got shut down because of COVID-19 and it nearly destroyed the entire project. But they had a week left to film and and they were able to complete production and actually get it to a point where it goes on to post-production and that's a little more COVID friendly."

The film has a twisting plot involving multiple timelines and some dark family secrets. The highlight of the film is the countess herself who haunts the film is a fittingly creepy manner.

The shorts program is always great because it allows for filmgoers to sample a greater diversity of styles and genres in one block.

"We are kicking it off with a Mexican short called 'La Bruja,' which is very much a classic kind of Mexican witch short film. And then I'm following it up with a period piece that takes place in the 1700s called 'At Last the Sea,' which is about a witch again," Rodriguez said. "Then we've got we've got a musical, we've got a film called 'Unlivable,' which examines the life of trans communities in Brazil and we've got some stuff that's fun and funny and also some stuff that's a little bit heavier. But lots of different countries are going to be represented, lots of different people behind the camera of different gender identities and different other types of identities behind the camera. So, we got a little bit of something for everybody."

The Un Mundo Extraño sidebar and many of the other films will be followed by live discussions with filmmakers and actors. So step out of your comfort zone or find whatever strikes your fancy at the 28th annual San Diego Latino Film Festival, which runs Thursday through March 21.

Beth Accomando
Arts & Culture Reporter

opening quote marks closing quote marks I cover arts and culture, from Comic-Con to opera, from pop entertainment to fine art, from zombies to Shakespeare. I am interested in going behind the scenes to explore the creative process; seeing how pop culture reflects social issues; and providing a context for art and entertainment.