10 · 09 · 08

10th anniversary of Mantarraya Productions

Clara Sánchez/Translated by Caroline MacKinnon

[imagen]Last night, the ‘Program 1’ of short films was screened to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Jaime Romandía’s Mantarraya Productions.

The lineup included Amarrados by Amat Escalante, Venus by José Álvarez, Saiak by Alejandro Ezpeleta, Fénix by Fernanda Romandía and Prisonniers by Carlos Reygadas.

Directors José Álvarez, who won a Special Mention in the category of Documentary in the fifth annual FICM, and Amat Escalante, whose film Los Bastardos made official selection for the Cannes festival’s Un Certain Regard prize and was screened again today in Morelia, were present at the event.

Escalante said that Amarrados, whose story revolves around a homeless child and glue addict caught up in a vicious cycle of sexual abuse, was his real film education. “After 18 years of film obsession, this short film was my ‘school,’ ” he said.

With respect to the anniversary of Mantarraya, the filmmaker said: “It’s been an incredible opportunity and space for me; I feel comfortable and free [with this producer], and that’s the best thing an artist can feel.”

Venus offers a portrait of the Catholic tradition known as ‘Mayordomía,’ in which devotees of Mary Magdalene form a long line and wait their turn for a private address. They make new requests and offer thanks for past favors, certain they are being heard by someone who will relay their petitions to God.

Álvarez explained that to get his shots he used a 2 by 1.5 meter statue, placing the camera where the statue’s third eye would be.

Romandía said that the most valuable element of the program is that it gathers the first short films of each participating director, adding, “It’s interesting to see how we’ve grown in our search and in the quality of our work.”