The 2015 edition of the Hola Mexico Film Festival closed out its festivities last Sunday night at Plaza Mexico with the showing of the film, “Amor De Mis Amores” and musical performances by Niña Dioz and Las Cafeteras.
The popularity of the festival has been growing in popularity every year and this year, the festival had its biggest total attendance to date and for the premier of the film, “La Dictadura Perfecta”, there was an audience of 800 people in attendance.
With 22 eclectic films that range from romantic comedies, dramas, satire, music and documentaries, movie fans had a wide range of options and many attended several screenings which were also accompanied by introductions and Q & A sessions with directors and actors after the showings. In an effort to engage younger audiences, the Hola Mexico Film Festival also had several showings in which high school students could attend for free.
As previously mentioned, one of the most popular films was the satire “La Dictadura Perfecta”, which was directed by Luis Estrada and major roles by acclaimed actors Damián Alcázar and Joaquín Cosío. The film takes a satirical look at the present situation in Mexican politics and the power the television networks have in influencing the political and sociological landscape of a whole country.
Other movies that resonated with music fans were the musical comedy, “Eddie Reynolds y Los Angeles de Acero”, which also starred, Damián Alcázar, who brilliantly played the conflicted Eddie Reynolds, and the biographical “Gloria”, which followed the roll coaster career of Gloria Trevi.
But definitely the one films music fans were waiting for was the documentary, “For Those About To Rock” which follows the incredible success of Rodrigo & Gabriela, the two Mexican friends who moved to Ireland after failing to make an impact musically in their native Mexico. In Ireland they were discovered playing for tips on the streets, and after being invited to open a show for Damien Rice, Rodrigo & Gabriella’s life took a different route and instead of playing for tips on the streets, they are now one of the hottest musical acts around the world with sold out concerts everywhere.
During the Q&A session after the movie, director Alejandro Franco was questioned about the choice of English narration for the film when this was supposed to be a Mexican film festival. Franco explained that originally the film was all in Spanish and there will be a Spanish version released in Mexico, but Rodrigo & Gabriela’s management approached him and asked to change it to English since Rodrigo & Gabriella first came to be noticed by English speaking audiences, which makes perfect sense, the only issue is that the English narration left a lot to be desired. Alejandro Franco explained that he purposely tried to use “Mexican English” by pronouncing the word “Mexico “in Spanish, but unfortunately, the “Mexican English” went beyond just the Spanish pronunciation of Mexico. Although Alejandro Franco speaks acceptable English, for a narration, it should be someone with a better pronunciation since sometimes it was so difficult to understand and some of us began to read the Spanish subtitles in order to get a better understanding of what was being said.
With the great caliber of films and the opportunity to participate in the Q & A sessions, more and more people are filling up the movie theaters at the festival and we are already looking forward to next year’s edition of the Hola Mexico Film Festival.
