GenMex Film Series: "El General"


National Gallery of Art
Submitted by Andrea on November 25, 2009 - 7:26pmSeptember 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25
In a memorable year for Mexico—2010 marks both the bicentennial of independence from Spain and the 100th anniversary of the start of the Mexican Revolution—it's also becoming abundantly clear that fresh directorial talents are invigorating the burgeoning pool of distinctive cinema known as Nuevo Cine Mexicano, one of the world's most dynamic national cinema movements. This series includes the work of eight filmmakers. Presented in association with the Mexican Cultural Institute and the Embassy of Mexico. The Gallery wishes to thank Carlos Gutiérrez.
Natalia Almada shapes an arresting portrait of her great-grandfather, Plutarco Eliás Calles, Mexico's notorious president during the 1920s. From the most ephemeral of sources—private audio recordings of her grandmother, the president's daughter—Almada completes the portrait with archival footage, photographs, and texts, reconstructing myriad details in this remarkably illuminating essay. (Natalia Almada, 2008, HD Cam, 83 minutes)

