The Museum of Modern Art presents an exhibition of Iberoamerican cinema, in celebration of the substantial influence and support by intergovernmental organization Ibermedia. Iberoamérica: That's the Way We Are, a 15-film exhibition marks the tenth anniversary of Ibermedia, is presented November 14–30, 2007, in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters.
All films in the exhibition were made after 1999 and represent collaborations among filmmakers from 12 countries, including Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The exhibition is organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art, in collaboration with Ibermedia, Madrid.
Iberoamerican films are defined as co-productions from Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, whether by established, internationally recognized directors such as Fernando Solanas, Carlos Saura, or Arturo Ripstein, or by new and emerging filmmakers. The opening night screening of Esteban Schroeder's Matar a todos (Kill Them All, 2007)—its U.S. premiere—will be preceded by a musical performance by Osvaldo Montes and band, who will perform a selection of music from several of the films in the series.
Another U.S. premiere, Anahi Berneri's Encarnación (2007), a poignant film about a faded B-movie starlet that won the Innovation Award at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, will have a special screening on closing night, November 30. Fiction films in the exhibition include the satire (El Corazón de Jesús [The Heart of Jesus], 2003) and action-adventure feature (Punto y raya [Step Forward], 2004). Documentaries in Iberoamérica include Mercedes Moncada's El Inmortal (The Immortal, 2004) which examines the effects of the conflict in Nicaragua on a single family; Solanas's La dignidad de los nadies (The Dignity of the Nobodies, 2005), part of a quartet chronicling Argentina's impoverished working class; and Fados (2007), Saura's joyous celebration of the traditional Portuguese and Brazilian forms of fado singing, and the conclusion of his musical trilogy. Fados is also screening at this year's New York Film Festival.
Over the 10 years of its existence, Ibermedia has supported over 300 films, encompassing a broad variety of filmmaking genres and approaches, and has provided training for film professionals. The organization facilitates and finances co-productions of documentaries and fiction films between two or more of Iberoamérica's Spanish- and Portuguese-language member countries, and grants money for international distribution and promotion once the films are finished. This intergovernmental body began with seven member countries; today its membership numbers 17.
Films to be supported by Ibermedia are selected through a process that begins in their home country. Professional film organizations from the country of production propose projects for funding and distribution, which are then approved by Ibermedia. The organization's financing comes with little or no conditions, which protects the filmmakers' personal vision and allows the project to retain national and/or personal-historical traditions.
This exhibition is made possible by the support of the producers and filmmakers of the selected films; the U.S. distributors; Tania Cypriano; Armando Guareno; the Consulate Generals in New York of Argentina, Spain, and Venezuela; Instituto Cervantes, New York; and the International Council of The Museum of Modern Art. Most films are new 35mm prints struck by Estudios Churubusco del Instituto Mexicano de Cine (IMCINE), with English subtitling provided by Piluca Baquero of Technicolor/ Spain. -- www.moma.org
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