18TH CINE LAS AMERICAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES

PROGRAM SELECTION OF FILMS, INCLUDING "HECHO EN TEJAS" SHOWCASES

 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival announced today its 2015 program, including what has become a signature of the festival lineup, the Hecho en Tejas showcases. All films are presented in English or with English subtitles (if English is not the original language). The 18th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival is scheduled for April 22-26, 2015, in Austin, Texas.

"The film review committee and programming team have risen to the challenges presented this year, to curate a strong program, from locally-produced work to national and international titles," said festival director Jean Lauer. "We're confident that fans and newcomers to the festival alike will find themselves engaged with the selections, and we're pleased to present the Hecho en Tejas screenings among the many options for attendees to experience vibrant, entertaining, and sometimes challenging work from voices representing contemporary cinematic landscapes."

The full festival lineup includes 41 feature films, 49 short films, and 5 music videos, in representation of 18 countries' participation in production and co-production of the films. Together, they highlight a diversity of themes, genres and styles characteristic of contemporary national and international cinema trends. Films will be presented at partnership venues The Marchesa Hall & Theatre, The Mexican American Cultural Center and St. Edward's University Jones Auditorium at the Ragsdale Center.

Hecho en Tejas films are shot and/or produced in Texas and showcase the wide variety of work by filmmakers with varied backgrounds and experience. These selections compliment the Festival's national and international line up, and include films from both up-and-coming talent and veteran filmmakers. For the sixth consecutive year, Cine Las Americas is pleased to count on a partnership with the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI), to present a jury award to the best "Hecho en Tejas" film.

This year, the Hecho en Tejas program includes two feature films, six short films, and two music videos. The Hecho en Tejas film presentations will take place during the festival on Saturday, April 25th and Sunday, April 26th at the Marchesa Hall and Theatre, with more details to come.

About the Hecho en Tejas Films

Features

Agave is Life

Dir. David Brown, Meredith Dreiss

Historical/Cultural Documentary, 2014

AGAVE IS LIFE is the story of mankind's alliance with the agave plant, from which tequila is derived. Told through the lens of archaeological and historical investigations, and narrated by Edward James Olmos, the film explores ten thousand years of the human-agave relationship. Once a critical resource for hunter-gatherers, agave was a source of food, drink, textiles, fuel, and medicines. We learn that this unique desert plant, once embedded in cultural identity, mythology, art, and rituals, faces an uncertain future. Today, ancient folkways, from fiber craftsmanship to traditional pulque and mescal productions, are rapidly disappearing. While entrepreneurs and scientists work to turn the tide, a loss of diversity of both cultivated and wild species may be the ultimate arbitrator.

What's the Use?

Dir. Nicole Elmer

Alternative/Comedy/Drama, 2014

Seventeen year-old Sara defends her pride from a career oriented greasy-spoon waitress and her potty mouth. In the gymnastics of her self-defense, she recalls the night when she moved home to live with her father Tony, a skinny loser fresh out of rehab. Determined to start their lives over, he throws her a birthday party, only to have it wrecked by Shy, a dangerous loan shark. Pissed by her father's passive retreat into his bedroom, Sara sets off to find Shy and take care of her father's debt on her own. On her journey through the 4th of July heat of Austin, Texas, she meets a love-starved perfectionist, a professional Love Guru, and an eccentric who is planning a painless suicide. Finally reaching Shy, he pushes her fragile ego to the edge, where she is forced to finally see her family's dark secret and realize she might be her own greatest enemy.

Shorts

¿Por qué el recuerdo? (The Solitude of Memory), Dir. Juan Pablo González

El fuego detrás (The Fire Behind), Dir. Leo Aguirre

Jornaleras (Women Workers), Dir. Marcela Moran

Morgan Robyn Collado, Dir. Danea Johnson

Sunrise, Dir. Diego Rico

Yo soy Juan (I am Juan), Dir. Patrick Rangel

Music Videos

El marinero y la sirena (The Sailor and the Mermaid), Dir. Patricia Vonne

Whispers and Dreams, Dir. Sharon Arteaga

Film Titles from Full Program, by Program Section

New Releases

OPENING NIGHT: The Martini Shot, Dir. Demetrius Navarro, USA

CLOSING NIGHT: Mr. Kaplan, Dir. Álvaro Brechner, Spain/Uruguay/Germany

ADDITIONAL TITLES:

Buscando a Gastón (Finding Gaston), Dir. Patricia Perez, USA/Peru

Castanha, Dir. Davi Pretto, Brazil

Dólares de arena (Sand Dollars), Dir. Israel Cárdenas, Laura Amelia Guzmán, Argentina/Mexico/Dominican Republic

Feriado (Holiday), Dir. Diego Araujo, Ecuador/Argentina

La isla minima (Marshland), Dir. Alberto Rodríguez, Spain

La voz en off (Voice Over), Dir. Cristián Jiménez, Chile/France/Canada

The Lodge, Dir. Terril Calder, Canada

This May Be the Last Time, Dir. Sterlin Harjo, USA

Tres D (Three D), Dir. Rosendo Ruíz, Argentina

Viejos amigos (Good Old Boys), Dir. Fernando Villarán, Peru

Narrative Feature Competition

Climas, Dir. Enrica Pérez, Peru

El futuro (The Future), Dir. Luis López Carrasco, Spain

Los enemigos del dolor (The Enemies of Pain), Dir. Arauco Hernandez, Uruguay

O Último Cine Drive-in (The Last Drive-in Theater), Dir. Iberê Carvalho, Brazil

Viento aparte (A Separate Wind), Dir. Alejandro Gerber Bicecci, Mexico

Documentary Feature Competition

Gazelle - The Love Issue, Dir. Cesar Terranova, Brazil/French Polynesia/USA

Hotel Nueva Isla, Dir. Irene Gutierrez, Javier Labrador, Cuba/Spain

La Violencia: The Untold Truths of Guatemala, Dir. Pia Janning, Til Frohlich, Ireland/Guatemala

Poder e impotencia, Un drama en 3 actos (Power and Impotence: A Drama in 3 Acts), Dir. Anna Recalde Miranda, Paraguay/France/Italy

Tres mujeres guerreras (Three Women Warriors), Dir. Alexander Preuss, Germany/Colombia

Ambulante Showcase

El hogar al revés (Upside Down Home), Dir. Itzel Martínez del Cañizo, Mexico

H20mx, Dir. José Cohen, Mexico

Retratos de una búsqueda (Portraits of a Search), Dir. Alicia Calderón, Mexico

Panorama Features

Algún lugar (On the Road, Somewhere), Dir. Guillermo Zouain, Dominican Republic

Anatomía de un vestido (Anatomy of a Dress), Dir. Flora Pérez Garay, Puerto Rico

Asolagados (Flooded), Dir. David Vázquez Vázquez, Spain

Ati y Mindhiva (As the Tree Under the Hurricane), Dir. Claudia Fischer, Colombia

BKLYN 11211, Dir. Zac73dragon, Spain/Bolivia/USA

Chuy, El hombre lobo (Chuy, The Wolf Man), Dir. Eva Aridjis, Mexico

Dos Aguas (Two Waters), Dir. Patricia Velásquez, Costa Rica/Colombia

Flory's Flame, Dir. Curt Fissel, USA

Genoveva, Dir. Paola Castillo Villagran, Chile

Icaros, Dir. Georgina Barreiro, Argentina/Peru

Les indiens, l'aigle et le dindon (The Indians, the Eagle and the Turkey), Dir. Iphigénie Marcoux-Fortier, Karine van Ameringen, Canada

Movimientos espectaculares (Spectacular Movements), Dir. Mateo Hinojosa, Bolivia/USA/Venezuela

Oil & Water, Dir. Francine Strickwerda, Laurel Spellman Smith, USA

Salgán & Salgán: A Father-Son Tango, Dir. Caroline Neal, Argentina

Narrative Shorts Competition

Bolero para surfear en Moravia (Bolero for Surfing in Moravia), Dir. Valerio Mendoza Guillén, Venezuela/Czech Republic

El sermón de la montaña (Sermon on the Mount), Dir. Pepe Puertas Piñero, Spain

Indigo, Dir. Amanda Strong, Canada

La carta (The Letter), Dir. Mara Soler, Mexico

Leonard Peres, Dir. Missy Hernandez, USA

Documentary Shorts Competition

Dona Rosa, Dir. Mathias Mangin, Lucas Mandacaru, Brazil

Elena Asins - Génesis, Dir. Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, Spain

Flor de la mar (Flower of the Sea), Dir. Jorge Thielen Armand, Venezuela

I Was Born in Mexico, But..., Dir. Corey Ohama, USA

Nuestro hogar (Our Home), Dir. Detsy "Mara" Barrigon, Iván Jaripio, Panama

Music Videos

C.T.R.L, Dir. Mariana Conde, United Kingdom

El marinero y la sirena (The Sailor and the Mermaid), Dir. Patricia Vonne, USA (Hecho en Tejas)

La ciudad (The City), Dir. Javier Orman, Tom Farrell, USA

Nitahkôtân (I Have Arrived), Dir. Moe Clark, Canada

Whispers and Dreams, Dir. Sharon Arteaga, USA (Hecho en Tejas)

Indigenous Shorts Program - Retrospective

Día 2 (Day 2), Dir. Dante Cerano Bautista, Mexico

Late, Dir. Christi Bertelsen, USA

Mohawk Midnight Runners, Dir. Zoe Leigh Hopkins, Canada

Poi Dogs, Dir. Joel Moffett, USA

Roberta, Dir. Caroline Monnet, Canada

Search for the World's Best Indian Taco, Dir. Steven Judd, USA

Smoke Break, Dir. Sally Kewayosh, USA

Panorama Shorts

2 and 2, are 4, Dir. Pedro Sena Nunes, Portugal

Aceito (I Do), Dir. Felipe Cabral, Brazil

Beyond Recognition, Dir. Michelle Grace Steinberg, USA

Bloodlines, Dir. Christopher Cegielski, USA

Caballo de mar (Knight of the Seas), Dir. Fernando Alcántara, Iñaki Gaztañaga, Spain

Deseo (Desire), Dir. Carolina Cortella, Argentina

En la orilla (At the Edge), Dir. Liza Hoos, Xavier Basurto, Mexico

Inch' Allah, Dir. Angélica Romanini, Mexico

Nudo (Knot), Dir. Juliana Gómez Castañeda, Cuba

Soberano papeleo (Sovereign Paperwork), Dir. Lala Severi, Uruguay

Una pared (A Wall), Dir. Javier Ferreiro, Cuba

YO, la PEOR de TODAS (I, the WORST of ALL), Dir. Francisco Lupini, USA

Emergencia "Youth Film" Special Presentation

Cine Joven Latinitas Showcase, Various Directors, USA

Emergencia "Youth Film" Competition Lineup

A Harmonious Cacophony, Dir. Marielle Boland, Isabela Reid, USA

A Pirate's Life, Dir. Isabella Olaguera, Nick Haaf, USA

Can I Help You?, Dir. Pedro Salles Leite, Brazil

Ella (Elle), Dir. David Hebrero, Spain

Growing, Dir. Allison Coon-Come, Canada

Háblame (Talk to Me), Dir. Alba Linares, Spain

Kayna Wawaiki Jamuni (Now I Come as Your Son), Dir. Nicolas Page, Chile

La boda de las calaveras, Dir. Ricardo Miguel Salazar, USA

Little Red, Dir. Wynter Rhys, USA

Never Comes Easy, Dir. Naate, Canada

Pleasant, Dir. Miranda Whitus, USA

Sin madre (Without A Mother), Dir. Buffy Almendares, USA

The Lonely Baker, Dir. Cyntheara Tham, Allison McInerney, Ayanna Marte, USA

The Only Road, Dir. Sergio Valencia, Nathan Miguel, Alan Bagh, USA

For the 18th consecutive year, Austin will serve as host to a wide range of international films and filmmakers as the festival creates networking opportunities for industry professionals, and provides a rich cultural experience for statewide audiences. The festival will showcase contemporary films from the US, Canada, Latin America, and the Iberian Peninsula. All films are presented in English and/or subtitled.