Hola Mexico 2022: Mexican Horror Reigns in L.A. Festival's Nocturna Program

Batwoman is called to investigate a whacked out scientist that is capturing wrestlers and using their spinal fluid to create a Gill Man.

The largest Mexican film festival outside of Mexico, Hola México Film Festival presented by Toyota, returns for its 14th annual edition on October 2 -10, 2022 during Hispanic Heritage Month.

 

Hola Mexico Film Festival presented by Toyota tickets will go sale on Friday September 2, 2022:  https://www.holamexicoff.com/2022-film-festival/

 

After last year's triumphant return to in-person attendance, Hola México Film Festival (HMFF) once again will give viewers the opportunity to gather in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month by seeing some of the latest and greatest classic films to have come from Mexico. The festival gathers more than 10,000 cinephiles to see 20 + films, many of them making their premiers with red carpet galas attended by the biggest actors and directors in Mexican cinema.

 

Hola México Film Festival presented by Toyota will feature 20+ films and 20 short films from its program Tomorrows Filmmakers Today.

 

Samuel Douek, the founder and director of HMFF, had this to say about last year's return to in-person attendance:  

 

"Last year's festival was a triumph for all involved, from the directors and actors who created the amazing films and walked the red carpets to all the fans of Mexican cinema that came out. This year's 14th annual edition will be even greater!"

 

“Cinema is one of the best platforms for cultural expression in the arts,” said Alex Chau, Brand Media Manager, and Integrated Marketing Operations for Toyota Motor North America. “We are delighted to once again participate in the Hola Mexico Film Festival to showcase the rich, vibrant stories that connect with audiences and promote cultural pride for Latinos in the United States.”

 

The opening night film screening on October 2, “Lecciones Para Canallas” (Lessons For Scroundels) will take place at The Montalban Theater located at 1615 Vine St, Hollywood, CA 90028.

 

At once moving and hilarious, this singular comedy begins when Jenny (Danae Reynaud) travels to Mexico City in search of her father following the sudden death of her mother. But she soon discovers that her dad is far from a conventional guy. Barry el Sucio (played by the extraordinary Joaquín Cosío) is a seasoned and charismatic con man who abandoned her as a child. The two start off as strangers trying to find common ground, as Barry introduces her to his world of deceit by revealing the tricks of “the trade.” Directed by . Gustavo Moheno, the cast includes  Joaquin Cosio, Danae Reynaud and Diana Bovio.  (Mexico 2022, 95min)

 

HMFF will conclude with an award ceremony. Recognitions will include best director, best short film, and best audience award.

 

The festival is comprised of the following sections:  México Ahora, Documental, El Otro México, and Nocturno. México Ahora features the best of Mexican films released in recent years, covering every genre. Documental includes notable non-fiction films made by Mexican filmmakers. El Otro Mexico highlights experiences of Mexicans rarely portrayed on screen, skillfully presenting perceptive narratives that challenge the status quo. The Nocturno section offers offbeat stories and horror films.

 

A special showcase of two Mexican Films from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema: “Sombra Verde” (starring Ricardo Montalban himself and directed by Roberto Gabaldon and “La Mujer Murcielago” (Batwoman) a film that has been lost for decades directed by the renowned Rene Cardona.  Both films have been fully restored in HD and will play in the wonderful Montalban Theater rooftop.

 

FILM LINE UP:

 

Hola Mexico Film Festival presented by Toyota will be presenting the following films:

 

·         Un Retrato De Familia / A Family Portrait  - Dir. Adrian Zurita

 

·         Va Por Diego / For Diego -  Dir. Miguel Flatow

 

·         La Vida En Silencio / Life In Silence - Rodrigo Arnaez

 

·         50 (O 2 ballenas se encuentran en la playa / 50 Or Two Whales Meet At The Beach - Dir. Jorge Cuchi

 

·         Estacion Catorce - Dir. Diana Cardozo

 

·         Nudo Mixteco - Dir. Ángeles Cruz

 

·         Lecciones Para Canallas / Lessons For Scoundrels - Dir. Gustavo Moheno

 

·         El Hoyo En La Cerca / The Hole In The Fence Dir. Lorenzo Vigas

 

·         Manto De Gemas / Robe Of Gems - Natalia López Gallardo

 

·         La Civil - Dir. Teodora Mihai

 

·         Mi novia es la revolución / My Girlfriend Is The Revolution - Dir. Marcelino Islas

 

·         Finlandia - Dir. Horacio Alcala

 

·         El Norte Sobre El Vacío / Northern Skies Over Empty Space - Dir. Alejandra Marquez Abella

 

·         El Diablo Entre Las Piernas / Devil Between The Legs - Dir. Arturo Ripstein

 

·         Dias Negros - Dir. Francisco Laresgoiti

 

·         Huesera - Dir, Michelle Garza Cervera

 

·         Gods Of Mexico - Dir. Helmut Dosantos

 

·         Un México Perro… El Héroe Verdadero /The Story Of El Perro Aguayo - Dir. Rafael Aparicio, Andres Klimek

 

·         Temporada De Campo / Becoming - Dir. Isabel Vaca

 

·         Satanic Hispanics - Dir. Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero & Alejandro Brugues.

 

Hola Mexico Film Festival prides its self in creating unique poster artwork by working with Mexican graphic designers. This year San Luis Potosi Mexico graphic designer Monserrat Ventura combines Mexican culture and the Art of Cinema. In pre-Hispanic culture, masks were made to materialize the intangible by making it visible to the spiritual beings to venerate them.  This poster represents the Mexican culture of showing the deity and the tangible, the spiritual and the human. Taking different graphic elements representing Mexico, his history and the cinema, merging a woman with a dress and rebozo combined with the cinematographic elements representing a dance from overhead angle.

 

Hola México Film Festival also has a prestigious mentor program, Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today (TFT), which connects young, U.S.-based Latino filmmakers to much needed resources and industry leaders. The program’s long-range goals are to increase Latino representation in the global filmmaking industry and to foster meaningful collaborations amongst program participants. HMFF highlights the work of TFT alumni via the TFT CENTERPIECE film showcase during the festival. For more information about TFT, please visit https://www.holamexicoff.com/tomorrows-filmmakers/.