Audio By Carbonatix
Not every city has a Chicano independent film festival, you know — let alone a four-day extravaganza featuring classic Mexican cinema, appearances by visiting filmmakers, regional premieres and movies with a strong local emphasis. Denver’s pretty spoiled in that regard, because we’ve got the annual XicanIndie FilmFest, which takes place at the Starz FilmCenter in the Tivoli today through Sunday.
This year is the fest’s ninth in existence, and it’s bound to be bigger and better than ever. Tonight’s opening reception (in the lobby at 6 p.m.) will be followed by the regional premiere of Tortilla Heaven, which tells the story of a small town in New Mexico that’s turned upside down when the face of Jesus appears on a tortilla. Tickets are $6.50 to $8.50 for the film, or pay $15 and indulge in homemade tortillas, lemonade, iced tea and other refreshments. The rest of the weekend promises to be just as exciting, with legendary filmmaker Jesús “Chuy” Treviño in attendance for screenings of two of his films; Treviño will also be presented with a lifetime achievement award on Saturday. Tomorrow night, local director Alan Dominguez’s The Holes in the Door — which documents the shooting death of Ismael Mena by Denver police officers — screens at 9 p.m. Visit www.xicanindie.suteatro.org for a full schedule.
April 12-15
