Editor

The 10th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival will begin on Thursday, April 19, at the historic Paramount theater, with a screening of the multi-award-winning Mexican film EL VIOLIN (The Violin, 2006) by Francisco Vargas Quevedo.

Closing night will be held Thursday, April 26, at the Alamo Drafthouse South. Local filmmaker Marcy Garriott’s b-boy documentary INSIDE THE CIRCLE (2007) will be screened with Garriott and B-Boy City founder Romeo Navarro in attendance.

Described by Guillermo del Toro as “Pure and emotive cinema that shakes you with its honesty,” EL VIOLIN won three Ariel awards from the Mexican Academy of Cinematic Arts and Sciences and received the Knight Grand Jury Prize for Ibero-American Cinema at the Miami International Film Festival in 2007, where it was called “a perfect film, perfectly realized.” The film also won the prize for best actor (Prix d'Interprétation Masculine Un Certain Regard) at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Jacqueline Rush Rivera, Program Director of Cine Las Americas, says, “EL VIOLIN by Francisco Vargas Quevedo is a beautifully crafted film, a powerful action drama that addresses significant historical events in Mexico. The hero, played by violin virtuoso and first-time actor Don Angel Tavira, attempts to transform a violent conflict in a rural town with his music. Tavira’s soulful and sincere performance as a violinist who enraptures a military captain with his music is riveting. We are honored to bring EL VIOLIN to Austin audiences.”

INSIDE THE CIRCLE made its World Premiere at the 2007 SXSW Film Festival, where it received an audience award in the Lone Star States competition. Both Garriott and B-Boy City have made tremendous contributions to the city of Austin, and Cine Las Americas is proud to feature their work to conclude our 10th anniversary festival.

Capturing the passion and energy of the B-Boy City dance battles in Austin, Texas, and beyond, Marcy Garriot’s INSIDE THE CIRCLE follows the stories of Texas youths over several years, giving the audience an opportunity to see how their lives are shaped by their commitment to grow as artists in the hip-hop community. Garriot’s subjects bring their own style, culture and life experience to the circle at B-Boy battles where life’s challenges and obstacles are overcome through artistic discipline and original, artistic expression.

Director Marcy Garriott says “INSIDE THE CIRCLE represents a long-term collaboration of Austin area artists, including dancers, musicians and visual artists, and we are thrilled to be able to screen the film for the community that has been so supportive the last several years. It is an honor to be included among the extraordinary and diverse voices represented in the films that Cine Las Americas brings to Austin.”

Tickets for opening night are on sale for $22 at www.austintheater.org and at the Paramount Theater box office. Price of ticket includes admission to the afterparty at Doña Emilia’s South American Bar and Grill. Tickets for all screenings are available at the box office at all venues. Film festival passes may be purchased online for $65 at www.cinelasamericas.org, as well as at the box office of each venue.

The 10th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival is honored to have the City of Austin and American Airlines as premiere sponsors. This project is funded in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.