(BOSTON ) The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) presents Frames of Reality: New Film From Mexico, a film series to complement the exhibition Damián Ortega: Do It Yourself. Discover the newest voices in Mexican film with two Boston premiere documentaries and a feature back in the area by popular demand. Screenings take place in the Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater. Tickets for each screening are $10 general admission, or $8 for members, students, and seniors. Tickets are on sale now at (617) 478-3103 or www.icaboston.org.

 

El General by Natalia Almada - Boston Premiere (2009, 83 minutes, documentary, in Spanish

with English subtitles)

Sunday, Nov. 1, 4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 28, 2 p.m.

Time is blurred in this visually arresting portrait of family and country living under shadows of the past. Almada brings to life audio recordings she inherited about her great-grandfather, Plutarco Elias Calles, a revolutionary general who became president of Mexico in 1924. While many cite Calles as one of the true fathers of modern Mexico, time has hardly been kind to his reputation; he often used brutal violence to silence his political enemies. The documentary contrasts one family’s portrait of the man they knew with a leader seen as both hero and villain by the nation he led. Almada won the Directing Award for U.S. Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival 2009.

 

Intimacies of Shakespeare and Victor Hugo / Intimidades de Shakespeare y Victor Hugo by

Yulene Olaizola - Boston Premiere (2008, 80 minutes, documentary)

Sunday, Nov. 1, 2 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 28, 4 p.m.

Yulene Olaizola’s debut film is a thought-provoking portrait of two lonely and strangely intertwined friends. For years, Olaizola’s grandmother Rosa told stories of a handsome young lodger. Living under (and on top of) her roof in the 1980s, he painted strange pictures on the walls and played an important role in Rosa’s emotional life. But this picture of a pleasant, harmless and creative young man slowly gives way to a shocking end. Intimacies won Best Film at the10th Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Film, Best Documentary at the Lima Latin American Film Festival, and Miami Dade College Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Miami Film Festival.

 

Sin Nombre by Joji Fukanuga (2008, 96 minutes, color)

Sunday, Nov. 29, 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Sin Nombre, Joji Fukanuga’s feature debut, is at once love story and chase film, thrill ride and vision of an apocalyptic hell. The film is set on the border, where Mexico becomes the crucible, and the fearsome gangs of today’s Mexican countryside the gauntlet to freedom. It is a glimpse into the lives and destinies of the people who desperately want to leave Mexico, to risk it all for even the promise of a better future. Sin Nombre is the recipient of the Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic and the Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

 

In playful and imaginative ways, Mexican-born artist Damián Ortega explores the elements that make up a whole – whether a dwelling, a body, a society or an economic system. In Ortega's art, everyday objects such as entire cars, chairs, and building bricks are pulled apart, suspended or rearranged into dynamic configurations. This exhibition, the first-ever survey of Ortega's work, features 19 works—including large-scale sculpture, photography and film—revealing the rich range of his artistic activity. Damián Ortega: Do It Yourself is on view at the ICA through Jan. 18, 2010.

 

ICA Film and Video presents an adventurous selection of the best of regional, national and international cinema, experimental and independent film, video, and digital media. In addition to programming works inspired by the museum's acclaimed exhibitions, the ICA collaborates and co-presents with several major film festivals, and presents retrospectives by important contemporary artists. The ICA has presented world, U.S. and regional premieres, including sneak previews of highly anticipated films, and conversations with filmmakers, film scholars and critics.

 

An influential forum for multi-disciplinary arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art has been at the leading edge of art in Boston for more than 70 years. Like its iconic building on Boston's waterfront, the ICA offers new ways of engaging with the world around us. Its exhibitions and programs provide access to contemporary art, artists, and the creative process, inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the excitement of new art and ideas. The ICA, located at 100 Northern Avenue, is open Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is $15 adults, $13 seniors and $10 students, and free for members and children 17 and under. ICA Free Admission for Youth is sponsored by State Street Foundation. Free admission on Target Free Thursday Nights, 5 - 9 p.m. Free admission for families at ICA Play Dates (2 adults + children) on the last Saturday of the month. For more information, call (617) 478-3100 or visit www.icaboston.org.