Bullock to launch new Viva Cinema film series

FEBRUARY 9, 2017 (AUSTIN, TX) — This month, the Bullock Museum will launch a new film series called Viva Cinema, a new, original film series that celebrates the modern cinema of Mexico and beyond. Güeros (2015), the latest film from award-winning director Alonso Ruizpalacios, has been selected as the premiere screening for the inaugural season. It will be screened on Feb. 18, 2017 at 7 p.m. in the museum’s Texas Spirit Theater.

The series is part of an effort that began last year to expand the museum’s film programming offered in its two theaters. Each new series addresses a prevalent subject through the context of film with the goal of expanding the breadth and depth of the Austin cinematic experience and that of film as an educational art form.

Curated by the Bullock Museum, the new series aims to highlight acclaimed films that feature the rich tradition of Spanish-language movie-making. The Bullock Museum Viva Cinema series is presented in partnership with Cine Las Americas. Each program will be presented with English subtitles and will feature an opening reception at 6 p.m. followed by a screening and Q&A hosted by a special guest.

Viva Cinema makes its series debut with Güeros. Amid the 1999 student protests in Mexico, Sombra and Santos have been living in angst-ridden limbo. Educationless, motionless, purposeless, and unsure of what the strike will bring, they begin to look for strange ways to kill time. But their idiosyncratic routine is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Tomás, Sombra’s kid brother. Unable to fit in amongst these older slackers, Tomás discovers that unsung Mexican folk-rock hero Epigmenio Cruz has been hospitalized somewhere in the city. Tomás convinces Sombra and Santos they must track him down in order to pay their final respects on his deathbed. But what they thought would be a simple trip to find their childhood idol, soon becomes a voyage of self-discovery across Mexico City’s invisible frontiers.

Starring Tenoch Huerta, Sebastián Aguirre, Ilse Salas, Leonardo Ortizgris and directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, Viva  had it’s North American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, won Best First Feature at Berlin Film Festival as well as five Ariel Awards, including Best Picture in 2015.  

Following the Güeros screening there will be a discussion and Q&A with Cine Las Americas Film Festival Director Dr. Jean Anne Lauer. Since 2004, Lauer has promoted the development and exhibition of Latinx, Iberoamerican, and Indigenous film and media. She completed her doctorate in radio, television and film at the University of Texas at Austin and her research analyzes contemporary Mexican film history, film festivals and the film Industry, and U.S.-Mexican international relations.

Mark your calendar for the next film in the Viva Cinema series, Nora’s Will (Apr. 15, 2017.) Ticket purchases support the Bullock Museum’s exhibitions and educational programming. To learn more about the museum’s film programs, visit TheStoryofTexas.com.

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​​The Bullock Texas State History Museum, a division of the State Preservation Board and an accredited institution of the American Alliance of Museums, creates experiences that educate, engage, and encourage a deeper understanding of Texas. With dynamic, award-winning exhibitions that illuminate Texas history, people, and culture, educational programming for all ages, and an IMAX® theater with a screen the size of Texas, the Museum collaborates with more than 700 museums, libraries, archives, organizations, and individuals across the world to bring the Story of Texas to life. For more information, visit www.TheStoryofTexas.com or call (866)369-7108.