CONTENT WARNING: This film contains flashing lights, which may not be suitable for those with photosensitive epilepsy, as well as explicit images of violence.
¡AOQUIC IEZ IN MEXICO!
(Mexico Will No Longer Exist!)
Dir. Annalisa D. Quagliata Blanco, 2024
Mexico, 80 min
In Nahuatl and Spanish with English subtitles
THURSDAY, APRIL 3 – 10 PM
Annalisa D. Quagliata Blanco’s debut feature explores the many violences and contradictions at the heart of Mexican history. Divided into five chapters, this quicksilver experimental documentary combines an analytical framework with exploded cinematic grammar to probe the origins of several Mexican myths and their relationship to the nation’s identity.
Per researcher Byron Davies, it was inspired by the work of Dziga Vertov and Teo Hernández, but Quagliata Blanco’s penetrating commentary on Mexican iconography and traditions also feels like a natural continuation of famed experimental filmmaker Rubén Gámez’s unique, underappreciated missives. Her work directly challenges foundational texts on Mexican identity, from early words by Spanish friars trying to make sense of the nation-to-be, to more recent musings from Octavio Paz. The film does not present Mexico’s heart so much as it shows the country’s bleeding wounds.
Special thanks to Annalisa D. Quagliata Blanco and Byron Davies.