Paula Astorga

Natalia undertakes a trip through the Mexico City subway in order to fulfill a promise.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Mexico became one of the deadliest conflict zones in the world in 2017, second only to Syria. In 2008, the Mexican government sent the army to Chihuahua on the Mexico-Texas border to fight drug traffickers. What seemed like an attempt to control the cartels turned into state-sponsored disappearances and the murder of journalists, human rights activists and civilians. The survivors and those threatened by the conflict pushed at the unwelcoming border of the United States, hoping for asylum. With stunning visual poetry, director Marcela Arteaga weaves together a record of their memories told over the backdrop of the once-vibrant landscape of the Juarez Valley. She also highlights the extraordinary work of Carlos Spector, an immigration lawyer born in El Paso, Texas, who fights to obtain political asylum for those Mexicans fleeing violence.

Noemí Goldberg navigates the Spring of her 27th year while contending with an annoying house guest, an incorrigible roommate and an unwanted pregnancy.

After suffering a violent incident, a woman decides to become a vigilante, defending every woman who has suffered from physical or psychological abuse.

Thara is a trans woman and sex worker living in Honduras. In spite of prejudice and violence, she risks everything in order to be herself- even in the face of the monstrous dangers that stalk the night.

Siblings Dylan and Andrea set off with their new friends on a marvelous journey of discovery in search of long lost pirate loot.

Angélica and José Luis have been married for thirty years and they have always lived at the same house; first with their son, Daniel, and now, by themselves. Their daily routine is threatened when José Luis loses a leg in a car accident. When they try to restructure their life, they realize their relation was already fractured and opt for silence. However, they begin a passionate search for all they have lost. José Luis takes refuge in a sexual fantasy about his young nurse, while Angélica tries to remain just as contained as she always has for so many years.

A homeless man recites poetry on the streets. A young man who is studying the new wave of writers at Mexico takes notice of this talent and starts following him.

In the eyes of a foreigner practically any street of Mexico City’s Centro Histórico holds potential for a film. Life on the street deserves more than just the natural condition of observer anyone could have, it demands an extra attention. In a 100-meter radius, the sociological exuberance of the events going on is simply impossible to ignore. The street is a mise en scène in itself.

Tracking an old man (with a truly Bela Tarr-like persistence) through the streets and bars, and porn cinemas, and taco-joints, of Mexico City on what might be the pensioner's last day on Earth, Critic/curator-turned-film-director Lipkes has crafted an undeniably challenging but beautifully realised vision of modern loneliness.