¡Globalquerque!, New Mexico’s Celebration of World Music and Culture, returns to Albuquerque this week. Along with all the usual music-and-dance-filled events, organizers have assembled the third annual International Cinema Series. Screenings have been taking place throughout the month of September at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. This will culminate during the festival itself with a handful of great films from around the globe. On Thursday, Sept. 22, starting at 7pm, you can catch Sergey Bodrov’s epic historical drama Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan. This 2008 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film paints a multidimensional portrait of the man born as Temudgin in 1162 AD and his rise to visionary leadership of the Mongol people. Shot in remote Central Asian locations, the film features authentic Mongolian dialogue and is subtitled in English. On Saturday, Sept. 24, there’s a double feature to be had. First up at 12pm is Benda Bilili!, a documentary about an unusual group of street musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Four of the members are paraplegics, three are able-bodied men, and all of them play on homemade instruments. At 2pm, the Cinema Series wraps up with Favela Rising, an award-winning documentary about a former Brazilian gang member who unites his poor neighborhood through the power of hip-hop music and Afro-Brazilian dance. All screenings take place at the NHCC’s Bank of America Theatre (1701 Fourth Street SW). Admission is free to the public. For more info go to globalquerque.org/cinema.html.
Reel World: Students Of Cinema Students Of Cinema
The New Mexico Film Foundation is launching its first (dare we hope annual) New Mexico Student Filmmakers Showcase this week. The purpose of the event is to allow collegiate students enrolled in filmmaking programs to have their work shown statewide to other students as well as the general public. San Juan College, Eastern New Mexico University—Portales, Santa Fe Community College, and Santa Fe University of Art and Design are among this year’s participating institutions. The Showcase will hit three location around the state, starting with the South Broadway Cultural Center (1025 Broadway SE) on Thursday, Sept. 22. Doors open there at 6:30pm. The showcase will travel to The Screen in Santa Fe (1600 St. Michael’s) on Saturday, Sept. 24, for a 2pm screening. It all wraps up at the Violet Crown Cinema in Santa Fe (1606 Alcaldesa) at 5:30pm on Monday, Sept. 26. Tickets are $8 at the SBCC and $10 at the other locations. Students are free with IDs at all screenings. Come check it out and see what New Mexico’s next generation of film and television artists has to offer.
