Latin American Films at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival

LATIN AMERICAN FILMS
AT THE 2014 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

April 16 - 27

PELO MALO 
Directed by Mariana Rondón
Venezuela/Germany/Argentina/Peru, 2013, 93 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Co-Presented by Cinema Tropical 
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Junior is a precocious 9-year-old boy living in the housing projects of Caracas who wants nothing more than to straighten his head of tight curls for his yearbook photo. A desire that borders on obsession, it stirs homophobic panic in his mother, Marta, who is overtaxed from losing her husband, raising two children, and attempting to find a job. As she sharply recoils at Junior’s self-expression and abrasively acts to correct his behavior, Junior manages to find acceptance (and straight hair) in the company of his loving grandmother. From Venezuelan writer-director Mariana Rondon and featuring newcomer Samuel Lange in a beautifully standout performance, Bad Hair is a painfully tender coming-of-age drama about a boy caught in a maelstrom of identity and intolerance.


MARAVILLA
Directed by Juan Pablo Cadaveira
(Argentina, 2013, 82 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Co-Presented by Cinema Tropical 
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Sergio 'Maravilla’ Martinez’s fearlessness and tenacity has earned him both adulation and disdain in the world of boxing. Emerging from rural Argentina, his career has been marred by injury, finances, and political favoritism within the World Boxing Council. A true underdog story, Maravilla follows Martinez as he sets out to reclaim the Middleweight title that was taken from him in 2011 by the more popular Julio Chavez, Jr. amid a cloud of controversy. With stunning access, director Juan Cadaveira follows Martinez through endless hurdles, exposing the overtly political nature of boxing. Focusing on the rise of Martinez from penniless amateur to world champion, Maravilla offers an intimate and unflinching look at the business of boxing and celebrity, unwavering in its hope for true sportsmanship.



GÜEROS
Directed by Alvaro Ruizpalacios
(Mexico, 2014, 108 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
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A months-long student strike at the National University throws roommates Sombra and Santos into a droll sort of limbo in their shabby apartment in Mexico City, whiling away the hours pining for the girl from the pirate radio show and tricking their neighbor’s daughter into helping them steal electricity. Their idiosyncratic routine is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Sombra’s teenage brother, Tomás, who has been exiled from his home by their mother following an incident involving a baby and a water balloon. The trio sets out on a road trip in search of Tomás’s hero, fabled folk-rock star Epigmenio Cruz, traversing across the city through perilous slums and the rebellious halls of the university to the ritzy nightlife downtown. Director Alonso Ruizpalacios arrives as a bold new voice in Mexican cinema with his energetic and imaginative feature debut—a cool, retro, black-and-white portrait of Mexico City and of three restless young men searching for a purpose and identity in a city of millions.



MANOS SUCIAS
Directed by Josef Wladyka
(Colombia/USA, 2014, 82 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
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Towing a submerged torpedo in the wake of their battered fishing boat, ‘Jacobo,’ a desperate fisherman and Delio, a naive kid, embark on a journey trafficking millions of dollars of cocaine up the Pacific coast of Colombia. While Jacobo is a seasoned trafficker, young Delio is unprepared for the grim reality. Shot entirely on location—in areas that bear the indelible scars of drug trafficking and guerrilla warfare—director Josef Kubota Wladyka establishes a sense of place with meticulous sensitivity, capturing the visceral paradox of incredible vibrancy yet devastating poverty which permeate this war-torn region. Refusing to glamorize the drug trade, Manos Sucias instead offers a rare glimpse of its devastating effects. Executive Produced by Spike Lee.


MALA MALA
Directed by Dan Sickles, Antonio Santini
(Puerto Rico, 2014, 89 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
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In a celebration of the trans community in Puerto Rico, the fissure between internal and external is an ever-present battle. A unique exploration of self-discovery and activism, featuring a diverse collection of subjects that include LGBTQ advocates, business owners, sex workers, and a boisterous group of drag performers who call themselves The Doll House, Mala Mala portrays a fight for personal and community acceptance paved with triumphant highs and devastating lows. Through riveting cinematography that encapsulates the candy-colored, vivacious personalities as well as their frequently dark personal experiences, directors Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles dynamically present the passion and hardships reflective of this distinctively binary human experience.