Inauguration of the "Ambulante" Film Festival in Nicaragua
Cinthia Membreño | Nov 16, 2011
Free screenings, academic encounters and conferences with filmmakers during this international festival.
The Festival "Ambulante: Gira de Documentales 2011" will have its second opening event in the city of Leon today, November 17, with the screening of the film "El cielo abierto", a Mexican - Salvadoran production that shows the life of the priest Oscar Arnulfo Romero before the beginning of the Salvadoran civil war. The event will start at 7:00 pm in the José de la Cruz Mena Municipal Theater and will include the presence of Everardo González, director of the film.
During a press conference given to the national media yesterday at the Mexican Embassy (Managua), Ricardo Giraldo - director of the festival - explained that this is the first time that "Ambulante" visits Nicaragua, a country that has little documentaries promotion and academic training in this kind of production. "We want to promote a dialogue between filmmakers and the audience, and a space for a positive critic of the local and external surroundings," said Giraldo.
This time, "Ambulante" will screen a carefully selected sample of eight documentaries that were produced in the United States, Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina and Denmark. Issues like the narco - trafficking and soccer, migration, contradictions in the Afghan war, the adversity of women who pursue their dreams, daily life in Latin America and the Salvadoran war. "We chose pieces with which Nicaraguans will feel related to," said Eliett Cabezas, Responsible of Programming at the Cultural Center of Spain in Nicaragua (CCEN).
The official inauguration of the event was held yesterday, November 16th, with the screening of "El cielo abierto" at CCEN. Starting today, the presentations will be held in different cultural places of the city of León. Tomorrow, a third opening event will take place at the San Francisco Cultural Center (Granada) and then will move to other cultural spaces. Furthermore, the program of activities - which will end by December 1 - will also include encounters with filmmakers, workshops and conferences with cultural managers and protagonists of some documentaries. It is worth mentioning that all the events are free.
About the festival
"Ambulante: Gira de Documentales" was founded in 2005 as an initiative of the Mexican actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, along with the producer Pablo Cruz. Conceived as an non - profit organization, the festival aims to support and promote documentaries as a cultural and social transformation tool.
The festival visit places that are known for having little promotion and film training. Their goal is to promote the participation of and informed and critic audience, so that new channels of expression and reflection are generated in Mexico and other parts of the world.
How to participate?
"Ambulante" makes an annual call for all international filmmakers who want to promote their documentaries. The festival is not organized as a competition, however, a Programming Committee is in charge of choosing the best pieces. Despite the fact that the deadline to participate for next year's edition has passed, it will be helpful to visit this link and take a look at the requirements.
For further information about each screening and parallel activities, visit our Events Calendar.