Las Américas Film Network


MARCH 2010
NEWS TIJUANA PROJECT WINS KAISER PERMANENTE THRIVE AWARD Las Américas Film Network's latest production, The Tijuana Project (TJP), directed by John Sheedy, has begun its festival tour. Premiering at Cinequest in San Jose, TJP received the Kaiser Permanente Thrive Award at this year's festival. Upcoming screenings include the San Diego Latino Film Festival, Durango Film Festival, San Francisco Latino Film Festival, and more. Congratulations to John and the entire crew for their hard work. John Sheedy will be available for presentations and workshops beginning in April. LAS AMÉRICAS FILM NETWORK SIGNS MEXICAN ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED REHJÉ Congratulations to Anais Huerta of Amaina Docs for Mexican Aerial Award nomination for her documentary REHJÉ. REHJÉ tells the story of Antonia, who after forty years living in Mexico City, longs to go back to her home town, a Mazahua village in the state of Mexico. When she finally decides to return, she encounters a lot of things she didn't expect, like the scarcity of water that threatens life in her community. REHJÉ will be available soon. 2nd ANNUAL LAS AMÉRICAS FILM SERIES IN NEW ORLEANS This year, Las Américas Film Network offered its second installment of the Las Américas Film Series featuting some exciting new releases including Birdwatchers, Tony Manero, Gigante and more. This year's series at Zeitgeist Theater was supported by the Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane University, John Burton Harter Charitable Trust, and Ceballos Legal Consulting and Immigration Law. To view the line-up, click here. LAS AMÉRICAS FILM NETWORK AT FICG 25 (GUADALAJARA) Brian Knighten from LAFN will be in Guadalajara this year for the 25th edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival. If you will be there and would like to meet-up, send us an email. NEW RELEASES GRISSI SIKNIS: THE MAGIC SICKNESS OF THE JUNGLE By Enrique Ruiz-Skipey Nicaragua, 2008, 100 minutes “An epidemic of collective madness is affecting the Miskito communities of the banks at Coco River. Twenty people are suffering the disease and many of them are lost in the mountain where they ran as the result of the state of madness this strange disturbance is causing them” “Those affected grab poles, machetes, anything they may find, and attack people, destroy their homes and fields, after which they run away and get lost in the mountains, or even drown in the river...” A frightening documentary that analyzes for the vesry first time an unknown and supernatural disease, about which no one has been able to arise a logic explanation on its causes and origin. Is it the spirits protesting about how Nature is being destroyed while they possess the mind of the natives? Is it a disease caused by the cultural clash of a rushed and late colonization? Are we just witnessing fraud in relation with black magic? All these aspects are analyzed in this interesting, curious and surprising documentary that shows for the very first time cruel images of the terrible and spine-creeping effects of the disease and its treatment. ¿QUIÉN SOY YO ? (WHO AM I? THE FOUND CHILDREN OF ARGENTINA) Directed by Estela Bravo Best Latin American Documentary, International Latin American Film Festival, Havana, Cuba, 2007 What does it feel like to suddenly discover that your parents are not actually your parents, but part of a network of military criminals who murdered your mother and father? Or that your mother gave birth to you one minute and was killed the next? Or that as a young child you were kidnapped and given to friends of those who tortured and killed your parents? And then to find your true family? The children of Argentina's disappeared are now young adults struggling with such complex and traumatic discoveries. For three decades, the Plaza de Mayo Grandmothers have been searching for their 500 stolen grandchildren, the children of their own children who disappeared in Argentina's Dirty War (1976-83). To date, 88 of these missing children have been found and have recovered their true identity. WHO AM I? tells their story. "Award-winning director Estela Bravo's most moving documentary." –The Guardian "With no commentary besides the words of the victims and their unrepentant tormentors, it held to light the absolute extremes of which humanity is capable." –Andrew Billen, The Times "WHO AM I? offers no happy ending or closure–there are still 400 children missing–but finishes with a message of hope." –Simon Smythe, More 4 RECENT RELEASES SUPER AMIGOS is a feature-length documentary that follows these five modern-day Super Heroes as they fight for social justice and human rights in Mexico City. DOS PATRIAS: CUBA Y LA NOCHE is the story of five gay men and one transsexual woman living in and around Havana. "Portrayed with sensitivity", The New York Times COMING IN APRIL NOMADAK TX YouTube trailer Named 2nd of the Top 20 best documentaries of the last 20 years by the International Documentary Foundation; Winner at Guadalajara, San Sebastián, and Silverdocs. Nomadak TX tells the story of two Basque musicians moving across the globe with their unique musical instrument, the txalaparta. As they travel to India, Lapland, the Sahara and Mongolia, they fuse their musical tradition with that of the locals. Our musicians - Igor and Harkaitz - travel across long deserts, frozen wastelands and treacherous mountains in search of the sound that creates culture. Ultimately they find a space where are all people come together.

NEWS

TIJUANA PROJECT WINS KAISER PERMANENTE THRIVE AWARD

Las Américas Film Network's latest production, The Tijuana Project (TJP), directed by John Sheedy, has begun its festival tour. Premiering at Cinequest in San Jose, TJP received the Kaiser Permanente Thrive Award at this year's festival. Upcoming screenings include the San Diego Latino Film Festival, Durango Film Festival, San Francisco Latino Film Festival, and more. Congratulations to John and the entire crew for their hard work. John Sheedy will be available for presentations and workshops beginning in April.

LAS AMÉRICAS FILM NETWORK SIGNS MEXICAN ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED REHJÉ
Congratulations to Anais Huerta of Amaina Docs for Mexican Aerial Award nomination for her documentary REHJÉ. REHJÉ tells the story of Antonia, who after forty years living in Mexico City, longs to go back to her home town, a Mazahua village in the state of Mexico. When she finally decides to return, she encounters a lot of things she didn't expect, like the scarcity of water that threatens life in her community. REHJÉ will be available soon.

2nd ANNUAL LAS AMÉRICAS FILM SERIES IN NEW ORLEANS
This year, Las Américas Film Network offered its second installment of the Las Américas Film Series featuting some exciting new releases including Birdwatchers, Tony Manero, Gigante and more. This year's series at Zeitgeist Theater was supported by the Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane University, John Burton Harter Charitable Trust, and Ceballos Legal Consulting and Immigration Law. To view the line-up, click here.

LAS AMÉRICAS FILM NETWORK AT FICG 25 (GUADALAJARA)
Brian Knighten from LAFN will be in Guadalajara this year for the 25th edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival. If you will be there and would like to meet-up, send us an email.

NEW RELEASES

GRISSI SIKNIS: THE MAGIC SICKNESS OF THE JUNGLE

By Enrique Ruiz-Skipey
Nicaragua, 2008, 100 minutes

“An epidemic of collective madness is affecting the Miskito communities of the banks at Coco River. Twenty people are suffering the disease and many of them are lost in the mountain where they ran as the result of the state of madness this strange disturbance is causing them”

“Those affected grab poles, machetes, anything they may find, and attack people, destroy their homes and fields, after which they run away and get lost in the mountains, or even drown in the river...”

A frightening documentary that analyzes for the vesry first time an unknown and supernatural disease, about which no one has been able to arise a logic explanation on its causes and origin. Is it the spirits protesting about how Nature is being destroyed while they possess the mind of the natives? Is it a disease caused by the cultural clash of a rushed and late colonization? Are we just witnessing fraud in relation with black magic?

All these aspects are analyzed in this interesting, curious and surprising documentary that shows for the very first time cruel images of the terrible and spine-creeping effects of the disease and its treatment.

¿QUIÉN SOY YO ? (WHO AM I? THE FOUND CHILDREN OF ARGENTINA)
Directed by Estela Bravo

Best Latin American Documentary, International Latin American Film Festival, Havana, Cuba, 2007

What does it feel like to suddenly discover that your parents are not actually your parents, but part of a network of military criminals who murdered your mother and father? Or that your mother gave birth to you one minute and was killed the next? Or that as a young child you were kidnapped and given to friends of those who tortured and killed your parents? And then to find your true family? The children of Argentina's disappeared are now young adults struggling with such complex and traumatic discoveries. For three decades, the Plaza de Mayo Grandmothers have been searching for their 500 stolen grandchildren, the children of their own children who disappeared in Argentina's Dirty War (1976-83). To date, 88 of these missing children have been found and have recovered their true identity. WHO AM I? tells their story.

"Award-winning director Estela Bravo's most moving documentary." –The Guardian

"With no commentary besides the words of the victims and their unrepentant tormentors, it held to light the absolute extremes of which humanity is capable." –Andrew Billen, The Times

"WHO AM I? offers no happy ending or closure–there are still 400 children missing–but finishes with a message of hope." –Simon Smythe, More 4

RECENT RELEASES

SUPER AMIGOS is a feature-length documentary that follows these five modern-day Super Heroes as they fight for social justice and human rights in Mexico City.

DOS PATRIAS: CUBA Y LA NOCHE is the story of five gay men and one transsexual woman living in and around Havana. "Portrayed with sensitivity", The New York Times

COMING IN APRIL

NOMADAK TX
YouTube trailer

Named 2nd of the Top 20 best documentaries of the last 20 years by the International Documentary Foundation; Winner at Guadalajara, San Sebastián, and Silverdocs.

Nomadak TX tells the story of two Basque musicians moving across the globe with their unique musical instrument, the txalaparta. As they travel to India, Lapland, the Sahara and Mongolia, they fuse their musical tradition with that of the locals. Our musicians - Igor and Harkaitz - travel across long deserts, frozen wastelands and treacherous mountains in search of the sound that creates culture. Ultimately they find a space where are all people come together.