The “Golden Age of Mexican Cinema” was back in the 1930s-1960s. At the turn of this century, Mexican films made global news again, with the brilliant Y Tu Mamá También and Amores Perros. You may not know it, but Mexican directors won the Oscar Award for Best Director for three years in a row in 2013, 2014 and 2015, for Gravity, Birdman and The Revenant. But there is much more about Mexican cinema that remains unknown outside Mexico, and certainly here in Penang. The Embassy of Mexico in Kuala Lumpur wants to change that.
The first Mexican Film Festival in Penang, will feature four successful contemporary Mexican movies. The organisers hope that through these films, the Malaysian public will discover similarities 
between their own way of life and that of the Mexican people. The films will be screened free of charge at 8pm, on a first-come first-served basis, at penangpac, Straits Quay. All films will be shown with English subtitles.
On Tuesday April 11th, the Festival begins with “Cásese Quien Pueda” (Get Married If You Can), a romantic comedy set in the jungle. Wednesday 12th is “Tercera Llamada” (The Last Call) is a comedy drama about the trials and tribulations of a Mexican theatre company rehearsing Albert Camus’s Caligula for an International Festival, featuring a neurotic director, a foul-mouthed producer, a debutante who saves the day and much more. “Las Buenas Hierbas” (The Good Herbs) on Thursday 13th explores traditional healing in a debilitating situation of Alzheimer’s disease. It won the Best Actress award in the Rome Film festival 2010. 
“La Guerra de Manuela Jankovic” (Manuela Jankovic’s War) on Friday 14th won several Ariel Awards (Mexico’s Oscars). It is set in 1991, and tells the story of a cook living with her grandmother, a Serbian immigrant who fled to Mexico to escape World War II, suffering trauma and bad memories when the Balkans conflict broke out 11 thousand miles away.
For more information, see www.penangpac.org or contact penangpac at +604-899 1722 / 2722.
