Borderland Blues

„The Frontier“ or „La Frontera“ is the undulating landscape of the Sonora Desert in Arizona, which once was a symbol of freedom on the horizon of the American West – and also a region plagued by recurrent territorial struggles. Currently, a high steel fence stretches over several miles strictly separating the USA and Mexico into two territories. Every year, the remains of hundreds of migrants are retrieved from the area. The tense situation in Arizona’s borderland has split the locals into two groups: one demanding a more technically advanced border control system, the other requesting more humanitarian help. Accompanying various locals, NGO workers and self-proclaimed border guards from the region, filmmaker Gudrun Gruber raises the question of whether the latest border control technology will finally bring peace to the area, or rather merely increase the number of deaths.

The Phenomenon

This documentary examines unidentified aerial phenomenon. With testimony from high-ranking government officials, and NASA Astronauts, Senator Harry Reid says it "makes the incredible credible."

Gol Gana

Centinelas del Silencio

Sentinels of Silence is a 1971 short documentary film on ancient Mexican civilizations. The film was directed and written by Mexican filmmaker Robert Amram, and is notable for being the first and only short film to win two Academy Awards.

Curse of the Man Who Sees UFOs

Christo Roppolo claims to have been videotaping and communicating with UFOs around Monterey, California, for several years. He contacted filmmaker, Justin Gaar, in 2013 to begin creating a film about his sightings. Skeptical of the footage but intrigued by Christo's eccentricities and wild stories, Justin begins spending time with Christo hunting UFOs along California's beautiful central coast. When a crop circle appears in Monterey County and becomes international news, Christo is validated in his belief of alien contact and Justin, shocked, begins investigating the source of the crop circle and how Christo knows beyond a doubt that he's being contacted by his "brothers from space."

Oaxaca - Zwischen Rebellion und Utopie

Our World: Confronting the Cartels

Tens of thousands of Mexicans have been killed in drug-related gang violence in the past ten years. Ruthless criminals control the illegal trade with the US, thought to be worth $13bn a year. Now one of Mexico's leading politicians, known as El Bronco, the Governor of the State of Nuevo Leon claims he can beat the country's infamous cartels. For Our World Yalda Hakim has been to spend time with him.

México, México: Mexique en mouvement

"Mexico begins where the roads end ”. Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes tells us about the history of Mexico: its invasions, its revolutions, its sacred lands, its forgotten legends, its religious rituals and this frightening misery. François Reichenbach and his camera sink into the dust, on this sacred land, where "the land never ends."

Mexican Men

Who’s up for a sensual, seductive trip with some of the hottest Latin men that have ever graced the Silver Screen? ‘Mexican Men’ collects five of the most accomplished gay shorts from one of the homes of groundbreaking queer cinema. From short encounters, emerging love stories and deeply touching connections, these short films are sure to stir the heart... and body. Includes: Atmosphere [Atmósfera] (2010); To Live [Vivir] (2003); Tremulous [Trémulo] (2015); Wandering Clouds [Nubes flotantes] (2014); Young Man on the Bar Masturbating with Rage and Nerve [Muchacho en la barra se masturba con rabia y osadía] (2015).

Muerte es Vida (Death is Life)

Monarch butterflies have brought hope to the darkest times of people's lives. In Mexico, when they arrive for Day of the Dead, they are thought to be souls of the departed. Coincidence?

Ammunition Smuggling on the Mexican Border: Incidents of the Mexican Revolution

Around the film hang fascinating questions about border politics, which I’ll touch on in an introduction before the screening. One of Eugene Buck’s motivations for making the film may have been his rough cross-examination during his kidnappers’ first trials, in October 1913, when defense attorneys cast him as a confused and unreliable witness against idealistic freedom fighters. On film he could reproduce the pursuit, the shootouts, his kidnapping, and his friend’s murder just as he had testified. Reenacting the crime on film may have been the best revenge—and a way to honor the sacrifice of Deputy Ortiz, a twenty-year police veteran and, for the era, a rare Mexican American lawman.

Dreams

These are the future leaders of their communities. Ever wonder what it’s like to walk a day in their shoes? How the world looks through their eyes? We were curious. So, we asked them.

Pine State Phantoms

Sabattus is an old town and like any old town it has its history of inhabitants, tragedy, and conflict. There's a house in Sabattus, though, unlike any other. The owner reports that the property experiences strange sightings. Shadowy figures, strange balls of light, and the sounds of being followed are all common occurrences at this house. Join investigator Nate Brislin as he documents the strange goings-on at the Sabattus house. Hear the story from the eyewitnesses, and embark on an expedition that dares to ask: are there phantoms in America's Pine Tree State?

Thunder Over Mexico

As was common in Diaz's Mexico, a young hacienda worker finds his betrothed imprisoned and his life threatened by his master for confronting a hacienda guest for raping the girl. This film is the first of several attempts to make a feature-length motion picture out of the 200,000-plus feet of film shot by Sergei Eisenstein, on photographic expedition in Mexico during 1931-32 for Upton Sinclair and a cadre of private American producer-investors. Silent with music and English intertitles.

ALTAR: Cruzando Fronteras, Building Bridges

Examines the life, work, and cultural significance of Gloria Anzaldúa, poet and visual artist, and those she inspired in women's Chicano art. The work highlights the struggle for women's and gay rights.

Australien Skies

Australien Skies is a documentary film that explores the sightings of unidentified flying objects and the people who witness them within Australia.

Nisei (Segunda generación)

Follows Iwao Ichikawa, a second-generation Japanese Mexican, navigating racial segregation in Mexicali, Baja California during WWII, offering a poignant exploration of identity and belonging amidst adversity.

Takeda

Takeda is a film about the universality of the human being seen thru the eyes of a Japanese painter that has adopted the Mexican culture.

Los Ladrones Viejos: Las Leyendas del Artegio

Is the story of a generation of thieves who achieved their greatest victories in the sixties; their distinctive code of ethics, the various categories of delinquents inhabiting the city’s streets, their alliances with high ranking police officials that allowed them to operate, the betrayals that followed, and the price they ended up paying.

Viacrucis Migrante