“Al Otro Lado” New Independent Immigration Documentary
Showing this Wednesday in LA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dear fellow immigrants rights activist, I am sending you a short note to call your attention to a excellent new documentary playing this Wednesday in LA, called ‘Al Otro Lado’, at the Directors Guild of America on Sunset Bl. http://www.altamurafilms.com/AlOtroLado.html Al Otro Lado is made by independent Mexican-American filmmaker Natalia Almada. It is described in her promotional materials as such: “An aspiring corridor composer from the drug capital of Mexixo faces two choices to better his life: to traffic drugs or to cross the border illegally into the United States. From Sinaloa, Mexico to the streets of South Central and East L.A., Al Otro Lado explores the world of drug smuggling, illegal immigration and the corrido music that chronicles it all.” The LA Weekly reviewed Al Otro Lado and said: “Natalia Almada’s debut documentary feature begins by proposing Mexican narcocorrido ballads (whether performed on the streets of Sinaloa and East L.A., or in concert by legends like Los Tigres del Norte) as the Latino equivalent to rap music, commemorating the lives and aspirations of outlaws and outsiders, the ruthless and the uprooted.” “From there, somewhat disorientingly, it shifts to a portrait of the "coyotes" who usher illegals northward across the Rio Grande, and of those on the far side who seek to block their arrival. “ “By the end, though, the film has gained considerable coherence by virtue of a deceptive juxtaposition of narrative elements that leads to a moment of true and complex revelation -- an epiphany of sorts about the compensatory delusions of the disenfranchised.“ I personally saw Al Otro Lado at the LA Film Festival on Saturday night, and was both very impressed by its visual quality as a film, but also in how effectively it inspires social and political insight -- Al Otro Lado combines art and education in a magical way. Al Otro Lado will have one more public screening this week, on Wednesday at 4pm, at the Directors Guild of America building at 7920 Sunset Bl. I strongly encourage you to see it while it is here! Natalia will be at Wednesday’s screening, in case you would like to ask her questions about the film. Finally, in case you are curious why I am personally taking the time to promote this film -- other than personally caring about these issues and being impressed by the film itself -- I met Natalia in January 2002 by chance in Sinaloa on the streets of a small fishing village called La Reforma. Natalia, who lives in New York City, but has all her family in Sinaloa, was there doing early work on the film. I was as impressed then by her grassroots commitment as I am now by the ultimate quality of the final product. As an independent filmmaker who personally raised the funds for her film, Natalia did not also have a large budget to promote its showings this week in LA. Having personally seen it, I believe it deserves such promotion. If you get a chance to meet Natalia at Wednesday's screening, I also trust that it will be worth your time, as she is a quietly impressive artist. Thanks Mike Feinstein Santa Monica http://www.feinstein.org PS – here are two trailers for the film http://www.altamurafilms.com/Trailer/AlOtroLado.mov http://www.altamurafilms.com/Trailer/AlOtroLado2.mov --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
