Ongoing The Latin American Canon of Cruelty Series | Explore the time, space and history of the region through the lens of Latin American filmmakers.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The American Cinematheque invites you to delve into the films of Latin America through The Latin American Canon of Cruelty, an exciting new monthly series that examines the creation of the “New World” while constructing a visual language that is uniquely historical, disturbing and heartbreaking. Dark and political in nature, the series unearths the creation of Latin America from the conquest, the lingering scars of colonialism and the effects of religious fanaticism to questions about an impending dystopian future. The cruelty of the series – as broadly defined by Latin American filmmakers in their own images – encompasses physical, emotional and spiritual cruelty that is both self-imposed and enforced by oppressive systems. The series begins with Felipe Cazals’ 1976 chilling feature CANOA: A SHAMEFUL MEMORY about a town manipulated by a corrupt priest to commit unspeakable acts on a group of young men which went on to change the course of Mexican cinema and influence great contemporary Mexican filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón. The canon encompasses all genres, eras and countries ranging from films like Arturo Ripstein’s THE CASTLE OF PURITY which served as a strong influence on Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’ DOGTOOTH and Melina León’s investigation on the violent effects of corruption in Peru with her astonishing black-and-white 2019 debut feature, SONG WITHOUT A NAME. Animated films like Cristobal León and Joaquín Cociña’s nightmarish stop motion feature THE WOLF HOUSE about the real-life post WWII isolated German colony in Chile, Colonia Dignidad and dystopian explorations of the landscape such as Kleber Filho Mendonça’s BACURAU, Julio Hernández Cordón’s BUY ME A GUN and Ricardo Silva’s unforgettable transborder apocalypse NAVAJAZO. The Latin American Canon of Cruelty serves to fill in the large gaps left not only by history but also film canons, while highlighting some of the most important and innovative filmmakers from Mexico, Central and South American, and the Caribbean. Join the American Cinematheque every month as we add films to The Latin American Canon of Cruelty and explore the time, space and history of the region through the lens of Latin American filmmakers.