The Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) branches out to Ajijic’s Cinemas del Lago this weekend with three recent Mexican documentaries selected from its Documentarte bill. All screenings start at 5 p.m. Admission is free of charge.
Saturday, March 3: Ginger Ninjas, la revolución agradable (Ginger Ninjas, Pleasant Revolution) follows the Ginger Ninjas from the United States as the band embarks on a unique concert tour in Mexico. The musicians pack up their instruments and make the 8,000 kilometer trek on bicycles, using the bikes to generate power for their performances. The documentary illustrates the transformations and conflicts that arise from the physical and emotional demands of the adventure. Director Sergio Morkin is scheduled to attend. In English.
Sunday, March 4: Buscando a Larisa (Looking for Larisa) tells a story drawn from more than 2,000 feet of Super-8 film home movies shot between 1970 and 1980, purchased at a Mexican flea market 30 years later by director Andres Pardo. In screening the reels he finds episodes of the childhood of the charming and expressive Larisa filmed by her father, and stumbles onto the story of a family that somehow becomes disconnected from its memories. The filmmaker teams up with photographer Santiago Cassarino to create a documentary that searches for answers and ultimately, Larisa. Has English subtitles.
Monday, March 5: El albergue (The Shelter) goes inside a shelter located by the railroad tracks in Ixtepec, Oaxaca founded by Father Alejandro Solalinde to provide refuge, sustenance and spiritual support to Central American migrants. The priest’s actions are interwoven with the fragile lives of men and women who, motivated by their faith and need for dignified work, wait for their moment to ride “the beast” and continue their uncertain journey to the North. Directed by Alejandra Islas.