Gabriel Serra Argüello's La Parka (aka The Reaper) is a Mexican short documentary, produced by the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC), which is nominated for the Academy Award.
It was described by our own Christopher Bourne as a film that "focuses closely on Efrain, known as "The Reaper," who works at a slaughterhouse, and has worked at this job for 25 years. Efrain intermittently narrates his own story, telling of how he got in the business, how constantly being around death has begun to wear on him, and the nightmares he has about the tables being turned, of the animals taking revenge on him for killing so many of their brethren. It's a compelling portrait, one that ends on images of him being around his family, his haunted visage resembling a death mask of its own."
As part of the promotion prior to the Oscars, La Parka will be screened at several venues in Mexico. (It will be shown after the ceremony as well.) Check them out below:
Sala Octavio Paz, Senado de la República, Mexico City (February 17, 4 PM)
Centro de Cultura Digital, Mexico City (February 18, 8 PM)
Cineteca Zacatecas, Zacatecas (February 20)
El Cine Club Parque la Ceiba, Quintana Roo (February 20, 25 & March 4, 8 PM)
La Casa del Cine, Mexico City (February 25, 8 PM)
Hermosillo, Sonora (February 26)
Cine Club Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí (April 20)
If you can't make it to any of these screenings, La Parka is also available on VOD.