Opening Reception

Celebrate the opening of the first edition of LxFF with free food and drinks at the RCAH Look Out! Gallery in Snyder-Phillips Hall! Mix and mingle with the LxFF organizing committee and fellow moviegoers before or after catching one of the two films playing in the RCAH Theater.

Friday, Feb. 2, 2018      6:00 – 7:00  P.M.    

MSU  LookOut! Gallery (Snyder-Phillips Hall) 

For directions, please click HERE.

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Meet & Greet With Invited Directors

Come out of the cold and step into the warmth of Casa de Rosado in REO Town where you’ll have the opportunity to meet the invited directors of the first edition of LxFF – Helena Taberna (The Cliff/Spain) and Charlie Vela & Ronnie Garza (As I Walk Through the Valley/Texas). They’ll talk a bit about themselves and their films in a relaxed atmosphere set among rasquache art and be happy to take your questions. Join us before heading around the corner to The Robin Theatre for a LxFF double feature!

Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018                     2:00 – 3:30 P.M.                   Casa de Rosado

For directions, please click HERE.

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Directors in attendance

Helena Taberna – The Cliff (Acantilado)

Helena Taberna’s films have received critical and audience acclaim and have landed numerous awards at national and international film festivals. Her first feature, “Yoyes”, was released in March 2000. The film narrates the life of the first woman to occupy positions of responsibility with the ETA terrorist group. It was a Spain-France-Italy co-production distributed by Columbia Tristar in Spain and obtained great box office takings. Italian Intra films managed international sales. “Yoyes” was one of the Spanish productions to win most international awards that year.

“Extranjeras” (“Foreign women”) was the second feature directed by Helena Taberna. The documentary premiered in 2003 in competition at the Valladolid International Film Festival and screened at cinemas in major cities throughout Spain, with Sherlock Films as a distributor. “Extranjeras” received very good reviews and participated in numerous international festivals and events, winning several awards.

In 2008, Helena Taberna directed “La Buena Nueva” (“The Good News”). The film, backed by broadcasters TVE and ETB, premiered at the Valladolid Seminci, at which Unax Ugalde carried off the Best Leading Actor Award. “The Good News” was distributed in Spain by Golem. This film confirmed Helena Taberna as a successful director committed to portraying subjects of social interest.

In 2010, Helena Taberna directed “Nagore”, a documentary feature that was released in commercial theaters in Spain. It has reaped public and critical acclaim and extraordinary media coverage. It obtained the Best Feature Film (Audience Award) at the Cinefórum de Islantilla Film Festival and the Premio Violeta al Compromiso Cultural.

Helena has recently finished post-production of her latest feature film, “The Cliff” (“Acantilado”), to be premiered in 2016. “The Cliff” is a dramatic thriller inspired on true facts about the disappearance of a young girl recruited into a cult in the Canary Islands. It is based on a novel written by the Spanish best-selling author Lucia Etxebarria. The film casts Goya Toledo (“Love’s a Bitch”, “Retribution”), Daniel Grao (“Julieta”, “Fin”), Juana Acosta (“Carlos”, “Sanctuaire”, “11.6”) and Jon Kortajarena (“Ma ma”, “A single man”).

Helena Taberna belongs to the executive committee of CIMA (Association of Women Filmmakers). She also was a founder of this Association in 2006 with six other Spanish Association of women directors.
http://www.helenataberna.com

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    .Charlie Vela & Ronnie Garza – As I Walk Through The Valley

Directors Charlie Vela & Ronnie Garza are first-time feature filmmakers. They both grew up in the RGV punk scene of the late-90’s/early-00’s and were informed by its strong sense of community and fiercely DIY ethic. In 2014, they decided to take on the challenge of documenting the history of the scene that helped shape them as artists as it was clear that there was little outside intrest in doing so. Without formal training, a crew, or funding they began production, learning along the way, and in 2017 As I Walk Through The Valley premiered at SXSW International Film Festival. It is our hope to amplify stories and narratives about the region that highlight the beauty, creativity, and ingenuity of the people who live in the RGV and foster a shared sense of history. Which in a time when cultures are denigrated and maligned, can be a rebellious and revolutionary act.

Charlie has spent the last 15 years as a record producer, musician, and studio owner in the RGV documenting local music and performing.

Ronnie is an experimental musician (Winter Texan) and democracy activist, and working in video-journalism related to activism in Austin and The RGV.

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Closing Reception

Say hasta la próxima to LxFF after the Studio C! screening of the Spanish thriller and 2016 Austin Film Festival award winner The Cliff followed by a post-screening Q&A with director Helena Taberna! Free cake, popcorn and bittersweet goodbyes.

Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018     4:30 – 5:00  P.M.    

Studio C!

For directions, please click HERE.