This weekend, Heartland Film will be celebrating the culture, food, and film of Mexico during the second annual Cultural Journey. The four day event will feature movie screenings, live entertainment, and authentic cuisine.
Heartland Film will be putting on seven screenings between Thursday, April 19th and Sunday, April 22nd. Four are narrative features, and three are documentaries all held at the Indiana Historical Society. We’ve gone ahead and broken down the whole weekend below.
Thursday, April 19th
Thursday will kick off with food, drink, music, and film. A special VIP reception starts at 5:45 pm that will include food and tequila tasting at La Margarita Restaurant. After you’ve had a few drinks, you can head down to El Camaron for a cocktail party with live music at 6:30.
The night will end with a screening of “Buen Dia, Ramon”, a story about a young man from a small Mexican town who moves to Germany to find work to support his family. The film was made in 2013, and was written and directed by Jorge Ramirez Suarez. A Skype with Suarez will follow the screening.
Friday, April 20th
If you’ve always wanted to visit a Mexican Market, then Friday will be your chance. Heartland’s Mexican Mercado will feature food, products, and costumes that represent the different eras of Mexico. The reception for the event begins at 6:00 pm, and will include traditional food and entertainment, as well as live music by guitarist Jon Alvarado.
Friday night’s film is a documentary feature called “Chavela”, which was directed and produced by Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi. “Chavela” is the portrait of singer Chavela Vargas, who became a beloved figure in Mexico through her renditions of popular Ranchera songs. The screening will begin at 7:30 pm, and will also include a Skype with the filmmakers afterwords.
Saturday, April 21st
Saturday will include a triple film feature at the Indiana Historical Society. At 1:00 pm, the day will start with a screening of the narrative feature “Tesoros”. Written and directed by Maria Novaro, “Tesoros” is the story of siblings who arrive on Mexico’s Pacific coast looking for the lost treasure of Francis Drake.
The second screening of the day is the narrative film,”Cuernavaca”. The film is about a boy who goes to live with his grandmother in Cuernavaca after his mother has an accident. It came out just last year, and was written and directed by Alejandro Andrade.
The day’s festivities will end with the screening of the documentary feature, “La Otro Lada Del Muro” (The Other Side of the Wall), directed by Pau Ortiz. After the screening, there will be an after party with a live DJ starting at 11:30 pm.
Sunday, April 22nd
The final day of Heartland Film’s Cultural Journey will start off with a free community screening of the documentary “Bosque de Niebla” (Cloud Forest), directed by Monica Alvarez Franco. The documentary takes a look at a small community in Veracruz working to save one of the most at-risk ecosystems in the country.
The last screening of the Cultural Journey will be “La Voz de un Sueno”, directed by Analeine Cal y Mayor, and written by Magalli Urquieta.
With the wealth of entertainment available, Heartland Film’s Cultural Journey should be nothing less than a good time. Make sure not to miss this great opportunity to experience the culture and film of Mexico with Heartland Film. Hope to see you there.
