News from Berlin

News from Berlin – How much do Berliners know about Mexico? The country of Frida Kahlo, rancheras and nachos is also known for its filmmakers and their skills to portray the realities they live in. Heli by Amat Escalante is an example of this. The film tells the story of a family that involuntarily gets involved in the drug-world and, suddenly, their ordinary life gets involved by violence. On the 18th of September, Berliners will have the chance to watch the movie in German cinemas.

The film that opened the Latin American Film Festival last year tells the story of Heli (played by Armando Espitia). He is a young man who works in an automobile factory supporting his father, his wife, their child and his 12-year-old sister. They all live a humble life on the outskirts of a town in Mexico. They have a quiet life without economic prospect, when suddenly the young girl gets into a relationship with one of the young police cadets, called Beto, who is much older than her. They decide to run away together, despite the consequences, and get involved in drugs in order to achieve their goal.

Amat Escalante won the prize of Best Director in the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for this film. Escalante is a film director, producer and screenwriter of the New Mexican Cinema, which refers to a period of Mexican films from the 1990s with the film, Like Water for Chocolate. The Spanish Center, Instituto Cervantes wanted to echo the release of the film that would be screened with German subtitles for Berliners, so they will learn more about Mexico.

News from Berlin – Berlin Global