The fourth edition of the Los Cabos International Film Festival kicks off tonight with the Mexican premiere of Demolition, which is part of a tribute to filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée.
The festival is held in Cabo San Lucas, located at the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico. Known as a tourist destination, the region enjoys a tropical desert climate, and if it sounds like I'm regurgitating a page from Wikipedia, that's because I am. I've never been to the area before, but if all goes well, I should be on the ground there by the time this preview is published.
What delights are in store for festival-goers? The official description says the fest "hosts a forum for dialogue and collaboration between Mexican cinema and its North American cultural commercial partners." In other words, a spotlight is turned toward films from Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. I break down some of the anticipated highlights below.
The program begins in earnest tomorrow, with a lovely choice of 45 films scheduled through Sunday, selected not only from North America and Mexico but also from around the world. The lineup includes 4 World Premieres, 11 Latin American Premieres, and 19 Mexican Premieres.
Confirmed international guests include Valle, Jared Leto (who will present an award to the director), Liam Neeson, Alex Ross Perry (attending a retrospective of his work), cinematographer Sean Price Williams, and Ewan McGregor.
The competition jury will be Tom Luddy (Telluride Film Festival), Lucia Puenzo (writer and director) and Scott Foundas (film critic who recently joined Amazon Studios as an executive).
Talent from Mexico is well represented: Eugenio Derbez, José María Yazpik, Manolo Caro, Tenoch Huerta, José Carlos Ruíz, Sebastián Aguirre, Sophie Alexander-Katz, José María Torre, Sofía Espinosa, Ianis Guerrero, Rosa María Bianchi, Jaime Garza, Adriana Paz, and others.
A new section has been added -- Tastes, which focuses on culinary pleasures -- and three outdoor screenings will also be held.
There's a lot to take in, and I am only one person, but I will endeavor to file a report or two to reflect the favor and the films of this still-new and developing festival.
Click through the gallery to see the gala presentations.
Opening Night Gala: Demolition.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars Jean-Marc Vallee's latest film, which Jason Gorber says is "a far cry from the manipulative and saccharine storyline that it at first appears to be."
2nd Gala Ceremony: Carol.
Todd Hayes directed a widely-acclaimed drama about a shopgirl (Rooney Mara) who enters into a relationship with a wealthy woman (Cate Blanchett) during the repressive 1950s.
3rd Gala Ceremony: Remember.
Christopher Plummer stars as a Nazi Hunter in the newest drama from Atom Egoyan. Our own Jason Gorber saw it at the Toronto fest and noted: "I'd recommend going in as blind as possible about the events that play out. Simply know that this is a film with a strong lead performance by Plummer, a nice role for [Martin] Landau, and a Nazi-hunting thriller that's got a nice hook to it.
Closing Gala: Steve Jobs.
Danny Boyle's dramatic enactment of Aaron Sorkin's script is liberally fictionalized, as both Boyle and Sorkin sought to capture the essence of the legendary corporate entrepreneur and dreamer.
Twitch's Dustin Chang was not impressed when he saw it at the New York Film Festival: "Steve Jobs is a massive waste of talent and money and Danny Boyle is not the director who is up to the challenge of making gold out of nothing, which Steve Jobs is.
You can read Dustin's entertaining diatribe right here.