By Nina Rodriguez

 

Starting in June, Compartimento Cinematográfico- an independent cinema that has been operating within the facilities of Mezcal-Art restaurant for half a year now- will reserve Wednesday nights for outdoor projections of Mexican Cinema.

 

The screenings, which form part of a series labeled MEXtape, will be free of charge for the audience. Joining the Pride Month celebrations, MEXtape kicks off on Wednesday, June 2 with a Special Premiere of The Nightflowers, which won the award for Best Mexican Documentary at GIFF, as well as the Audience Award in Morelia and was selected for the most recent editions of international festivals like IDFA.

 

With great joy and dignity, the film portrays the life of a group of young trans people in Jalisco. A group of queer youth make their home in a small village on the shores of Mexico’s largest lake. Uriel, one of its members, decides to leave behind her female identity after joining a religious group. But their strong friendship has created a sense of belonging that unites them in a special way; together, they celebrate their youth and proclaim their freedom in a kind of living manifesto that flourishes in their sisterhood.

 

This special screening that opens MEXtape will be attended by the directors of the film, who will be available to chat with the audience afterwards, already a tradition at Compartimento Cinematografico. Facilitating access to Contemporary Mexican Cinema was our main objective when opening an independent theater in San Miguel de Allende. There is a broad range of enthusiastic local audiences and we would like to provide a platform for them to meet with Mexican filmmakers and their stories in order to create dialogues around current topics concerning all of us. The series will continue every Wednesday until the end of the year.

 

Eight months after its inauguration, Compartimento Cinematográfico will also re-open the doors of its indoor theater to expand its schedule with a diverse program which also includes films for children every week. 

 

Compartimento Cinematográfico seeks to create a regular home for cinephiles in San Miguel de Allende and to celebrate cinema as a communal cultural experience on a weekly basis- a meeting point where all audiences can enjoy access to curated programming and discover both contemporary Mexican cinema and foreign films that do not reach commercial theaters in the region. In observance of the sanitary measures, seating inside the theater is currently limited to 15 and we kindly request reservations by mail or through our social media.

 

Located inside Mezcal-Art on Calzada de la Estación 59 (next to Immigration offices). As of June, Compartimento Cinematográfico will host three screenings daily from Wednesday to Sunday. Open-air screenings will be held on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

 

Limited capacity. Mandatory use of facemasks. Most films will be either spoken or subtitled in English but please double check with us if not specified. In case of rain, outdoor screenings move inside the theatre.