Friday, August 17th, 2007
Rooftop Films and El Museo Del Barrio present
CIELO ABIERTO: MORELIA FILM FESTIVAL
Free Show! But you must RSVP to attend. Instructions below.
Life in modern Mexico, as seen in short films from The Morelia International Film Festival, Mexico’s premiere showcase of new and emerging Mexican filmmaking talent.

8:30: Music by Rana Santacruz (details)
9:00: Short Films
11:00: Reception in the courtyard with FREE Martin Miller's Gin available (and beer for sale).
Admission: FREE, but you must RSVP to attend. To RSVP, email public_programs@elmuseo.org and put "Morelia" in the subject line and the names of ALL attending in the message body. Seating on the roof is limited and will be given out to those who RSVP first. Later RSVPs will be seated outdoors in the lovely courtyard below.
Venue: On the roof and in the courtyard of El Museo Del Barrio
DIRECTIONS
Address: 1230 Fifth Avenue (@ 104th Street), New York 10029.
Rain: In the event of rain, show will be indoors at the same location.
Call 718.417.7362 for additional information.

Presented in partnership with El Museo Del Barrio, IFC.com, and New York magazine.

Selections from the Morelia Film Festival
Rooftop Films is proud to present selections from the Morelia International Film Festival, Mexico’s premiere showcase of new and emerging Mexican filmmaking talent. From its location in Morelia, one of the country’s most beautiful and vibrant colonial cities, the festival (now in its fifth year) serves as a unique point of intersection between Mexican and international filmmakers, audiences, film professionals and members of the press. It also introduces visitors to the cultural riches and natural splendor of the State of Michoacán, famed for its musical, literary, theatrical, artisanal and culinary traditions, and now an emergent center of world film culture. The festival’s competitive sections of Mexican short films, documentaries, short films from Michoacán and for the first time in 2007, Mexican features, combine with foreign film premieres, curated programs, tributes to Mexican film pioneers, and retrospectives of major world cinema artists to offer an experience of Mexican cinema in a rare, international context.

Independent and student films from Mexico City and other urban centers, and independent videos from points as varied as Tijuana, Merida, Guerrero and Oaxaca, render a comprehensive portrait of media culture, social life, and artistic imagination within Mexico. These works explore such varied themes as transnational identities, globalization, and indigenous lives, in formats ranging from fiction to documentary to animated film and video. Supported by the City of Morelia, the State of Michoacán, and Cinepolis, Latin America’s largest theater chain, among other corporate sponsors, the Morelia International Film Festival strives to contribute to Mexico’s growth and progress as a contributor to world cinema, to establish Michoacán and its capital, Morelia, as vibrant focal points of world cinema culture, and to promote the talents and expand the opportunities of the country’s most promising artists in film and independent media.

THE FILMS:
Ver Llover (Elisa Miller Encinas | Mexico | 14:00)
Winner of the Best Fiction Short, 2006 Morelia International Film Festival.
In this evocative romantic drama, two teenagers in a small town struggle with the decision of whether to stay or go.

Al Final Del Surco (Miguel Salgado | Mexico | 11:00)
A father and son live in a community where the fields are rotting and people are being murdered. On the day they decide to sell their maize, a terrible incident also occurs: The Aguas Blancas Slaughter. This fascinating mix of fiction and documentary highlights the ongoing significance of this unsolved tragedy.

Venus (Jose Alvarez | Mexico | 22:00)
Honorary Mention for Documentary Short, 2006 Morelia Film Festival.
A gorgeous experimental film which puts the audience in the place of Mary Magdalene, letting us in on the faith of her devotees as they wait their turn to commune with her privately, with the certainty that their petitions will reach God.

La Palomilla Salvaje (Daniel Castro | Mexico | 55:00)
Winner of Best Mexican Documentary, 2006 Morelia Film Festival.
A touching and startling documentary about José Alfredo Jiménez, a cab driver, and his friend Reinaldo Cruz, a shoeshiner, who decide to change their lives and follow their dream of getting together a group of amateur rodeo cowboys to challenge the pros. For this, they must rely on the help of “The Bandit.”

The Music: Rana Santacruz

Rana Santacruz started out in Mexican band La Catrina, with its happy and drunk alternative folk sound and its sui generis line up, which included accordion, banjo, violin and trumpet.

La Catrina grasped the attention of the Mexican music industry, landing the band a record deal with Warner Music Mexico in 1999.The band traveled to Madrid and Miami to record its first and only record under the production of Juan Ignacio Cuadrado, Alejo Stivel and Oscar Lopez. Between 2000 and 2002 La Catrina appeared on different radio and TV channels (MTV, Telehit, Televisa, TV Azteca, Canal 11) and tours around Mexico.

In 2002, Santacruz headed to New York City. His current music could be considered “first cousins” to La Catrina. His music has been labeled as “Irish Mariachi”. He is still influenced by folk music and in particular in artists that take folk music and transform it into something else, like The Pogues and Tom Waits. Rana Santacruz is still quite fond of acoustic instrumentation and for his current project has chosen accordions, guitars, guitarrones, jarana, harps, banjos, mandolins, violins, etc. His songs generally tell short tales and adventures, and resemble short films. You can hear his original music and read more about him on his MySpace page.