Founded in Mexico in 2005 by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Pablo Cruz and Elena Fortes, Ambulante, currently the largest documentary film festival in Mexico, is now expanding its international reach to the U.S.
The non-profit has unveiled its first U.S. festival lineup, which will take place across eight different neighborhoods in Los Angeles in partnership with local Latino heritage non-profit organizations. The (free!) non-competitive festival aims to provide the community with a “curated program of twenty-two documentaries representing a mix of topics, ranging from cultural identity, music, family driven, biography, social justice and environmental issues.” The festival not only brings together the greater Los Angeles community, but it also seeks to give new, Latin American filmmakers some serious international clout.
Ambulante California director, Christine Davila said, “It’s been truly inspiring to discover the vital and impressive sector of both cultural and social service non-profits throughout Los Angeles, and to join forces with them to bridge documentary cinema and community.”
The festival’s opening film, “Bronx Obama,” directed by Ryan Murdock, follows the story of Puerto Rican single father, Louis Ortiz, whose uncanny resemblance to the President of the United States gives him a new lease on life as an Obama impersonator soon after Obama’s galvanizing 2008 Hope campaign. As the realities of Ortiz’s unexpected career collide with his personal life, it also draws a fascinating parallel to the shifting perception of the presidency. (Synopsis courtesy of ACDFF.)
Ambulante California will launch on September 21 running through October 4. The full lineup is listed below. For more information on Ambulante California, head here.
Ink & Paper
Ben Proudfood | USA | 2011
Luke Meyer | USA | 2014
Alive Inside
Michael Rossato-Bennett | USA | 2013
The Pink Helmet Posse
Benjamin Mullinkosson, Kristelle Laroche | USA | 2014
Cairo Drive
Sherief Elkatshat | Egypt | 2013
Elevator
Adrián Ortiz Maciel | Mexico | 2012
No No: A Dokumentary
Jeffrey Radice| USA | 2014
Diego Iván Andrade Anguiano| Mexico | 2014
Three Voices
Otilia Portillo Padua | Mexico | 2011
María José Cuevas | Mexico | 2009
Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat | Argentina | 2013
From Poland to Santa Rosa
To the Other Side
Natalia Almada | Mexico | 2005
Ladonna Harris: Indian 101
Julianna Brannum | USA | 2014
Good Morning Resistance
Adrián Orr | Spain | 2013
The Sound We See: A Los Angeles City Symphony
Echo Park Film Center | USA | 2010
Kent MacKenzie | USA | 1961
Yakona
Anlo Sepulveda & Paul Collins | USA | 2014
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
