The Turkey (8 min)

       A woman's emancipation from her ungrateful family

       Directed by Anna Margarita Albelo

       ¿Existes? (13 min.)

       Orgasm, onanism, existentialism and God as seen in a concurrent sexual pursuit     

       throughout various cities of the world

       Directed by David Rodriguez Estrada 

       Toy Soldiers (14 min.)

       A bullied schoolboy seeks refuge in his imagination.

       Directed by Jose Yapur  

       Remember Me in Red (15 min.)

       A group of transgender Latinas must find a way to honor how their deceased
       friend wanted to be remembered

       Directed by Hector Ceballos     

       The Rookie and the Runner (10 min.)

       A jogger in the park gets more than he bargained for when he encounters  

       two handsome strangers

       Directed by Augie Robles

       Primera Comunión (14 min)

       A young outsider confronts the harsh rituals of a cruel, if also Catholic village

       Directed by Daniel Eduvijes Carrera

       Pura Lengua (9 min)

       A young Xicana searches for ways to heal maladies of the heart

       Directed by Aurora Guerrero

       The Perfect Ones (8 min.)

       An amnesia stricken housewife wanders into a lesbian punk club and  

       discovers a new way of life

       Directed by Nao Bustamante and Matt Johnstone

                                                                                                                                Total running time: 91 minutes        

       ____________________________________________________________________________   

        About the program: 

 

      vicious(in)existence:

        New Queer Latino Cinema

        VICIOUS:

       1) having the nature or quality of vice or immorality

       2) defective, faulty; also: invalid

       3) impure, noxious

       4) dangerously aggressive, savage, marked by violence

       This program of short films showcases the work of emerging directors who,  

       while challenging the boundaries of genre and style, shed a light on the complex  

       intersection of "Queer/Latino". Produced both locally and internationally, these  

       works are a testament to the diversity of our politics, yet common themes emerge.  

       From avenging housewives to romance gone rogue, socio-cultural injustice to   

       existential ruminations on identity or death, these films share the common  

       preoccupations of violence, revenge and a quest for redemption. In exploring the  

       deepest concerns from which we mine our inspiration, visions of dangerous  

       aggression emerge: "vicious" perhaps, but also determining our own salvation.  

       Questions of visibility and acceptance are at the heart of this redemptive  

       undertaking. So what to make of queer Latino films that, on the surface, are          

       neither queer nor Latino? Upon first inspection, a number of these works may seem  

       reticent to speak of identity, resigned to a "love that dare not speak its name",   

       suggesting the injustice of having to sublimate our voices. Truly "defective"  

       or "faulty" is a society where our sexual and cultural identities are suppressed.  

       In this way, vicious is our very in-existence.  

       But perhaps this is why we make films in the first place. By harnessing the power  

       of cinema, we cannot be rendered invisible. Beyond politics and narrative choices,  

       this collection of short films demonstrates skill and aesthetic sensibilities that are  

       a direct reflection of who we are as a unique community. At stake when considering  

       new queer Latino cinema is not simply what stories we choose to tell, but how we  

       approach storytelling to begin with-how our rich sexual and cultural complexity  

       informs a creativity that, in turn, contributes to the magnificent history of cinema  

       language and cinema activism. Gone are the days of propaganda. Whether through  

       painful explorations of a vicious world or our own vicious, punk rock punch in your  

       face, these films announce that we've arrived, not simply as an underrepresented  

       minority group, but as cinema artists.       

       -Daniel Eduvijes Carrera

                                                      'Out-and-Out'  

                                                    current gallery exhibition