Continuing my look at films starring María Félix, here’s a short review of Canasta de cuentos mexicanos [Basket of Mexican Stories] (Julio Bracho, 1956). Adapted from three stories by B Traven, a mysterious author about whom I have previously written in relation to Macario (Roberto Gavaldón, 1959). The voice over in the opening sequence privileges…
Category: Mexican film
Interview with María Félix
This interview between María Félix and Iván Trujillo has been made available by the Filmoteca at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México [National Autonomous University of Mexico] (UNAM). It is possible to download it or stream it from the site for free. Carried out in 1992 as part of a celebration of her life on screen and…
La estrella vacía (1958)
I am continuing my occasional posts about films starring María Félix with a short post on La estrella vacía [the empty star] (Emilio Gómez Muriel, 1958). The film is adapated from the eponymous 1950 novel by Luis Spota, a well-known chronicler of twentieth century Mexican urban life and, in the words of Sara Sefchovich a…
Jennifer Lopez and Bordertown
I get regular updates on Jennifer Lopez in my email because I’ve been writing about her as an actor and star/celebrity. What is very clear from the daily coverage is the level of scrutiny and speculation she, her partner, and family lives with which she navigates through carefully curated media appearances and regular updates on…
Film Festivals and Film Cycles
Whilst writing my chapter on institutions and tastemakers I carried out research into Film Festivals. This has been invaluable in helping me describe and analyse film cycles and commemorations in Mexico, which I explore in-depth in my forthcoming book. I want to share some material that touches on what I have been researching, but will…
Diego Luna and Yalitza Aparicio: (Non-)Professional Acting and Authenticity in Mexico
I have been thinking a lot about performance – of the self, gender, on screen, online – in recent years. Most recently, this led me write about performance and authenticity in Amat Escalante’s films, Los bastardos (2008) and Heli (2013), as a way into thinking about his work as prestige productions. To situate this discussion…
Presentation Memorial del 68 by Nicolás Echevarria
This is the presentation I gave at UNAM, UK Centre for Mexican Studies in advance of the screening of Memorial del 68 by Nicolás Echevarria, 16 October 2018. I’m sure that many of you here are familiar with the events leading up to the massacre on the 2nd of October 1968. So, you will not…
Coincidence and Curation: The Liverpool Biennial, HUO and Me (or, at least, what I’m reading)
I am finalising a book proposal, which means that I am avidly synthesising and summarising my ideas so that I can pitch it succinctly and clearly to a future publisher. The book is on tastemakers and tastemaking and will draw on some ideas around curation. For this, I have been reading Curationism (2015) by David…
Central American Children and the Mexico-US border: Learn More
The uproar surrounding the detention of children at the Mexican-US border has brought attention to the migration of Central Americans to the US. The majority are from what is called the Northern Triangle – Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala – and are seeking asylum because of increased violence in their home nations. Many of these…
Mariana Chenillo: A Brief Introduction
In 2010, Mariana Chenillo was the first female director to have won an Ariel for her opera prima. The award for first film is technically for direction, but is distinct to that of direction. Established in 1947, Ariels are the Mexican film academy awards and a woman has yet to be awarded specifically for direction. There…