On Jan. 17, Instituto Cervantes at the National Hispanic Cultural Center kicks of a brand-new, multiweek film series. “Cinema Policíaco” shines a spotlight on the low-budget gangster thrillers studios in Madrid and Barcelona were pumping out in the ’50s. The series starts with a bang this Thursday thanks to ultraprolific director Ignacio F. Iquino’s Brigada Criminal . This 1950 film spins the story of a fresh-faced graduate from Madrid’s Police School who becomes involved in a robbery at a bank where his uncle works as a teller. Films will screen every Thursday night at 7 p.m. through the middle of February. Future flicks include 1950’s Apartado de Correso 1001 (Jan. 24), 1952’s Los Ojos Dejan Huelos (Jan. 31), 1957’s Distrito Quinto (Feb. 7) and 1963’s A Tiro Limpio (Feb. 14). The films are in Spanish with English subtitles. All screenings are free and will take place at the NHCC’s Bank of America Theatre (1701 Fourth Street SW). Log on to www.nhccnm.org for more info.
Teenage Movie Moguls Wanted
The upcoming White Sands International Film Festival is, as part of its schedule of events, offering a High School Competition. The deadline for submissions has been extended to Jan. 31, giving up-and-coming filmmakers a little more time to get their entries in the mail. There are no entry fees, but entrants must be at high school level and must have submissions authorized by a parent, guardian or teacher. The maximum running time for films is 25 minutes. The festival is open to all types of films (animated, documentaries, music videos, short commentaries, etc.), so long as they incorporate “a relevant and dynamic storyline.” Video and DVD submissions should be sent to: “Film Submissions Archive Manager: Ms. Linda Gulley, White Sands International Film Festival, 101 North White Sands Blvd., Alamogordo, N.M. 88310.” For more information on submissions, please visit the official website at www.wsiff.com or call the Otero County Film Office and speak with Rebecca Price at (575) 434-5882. The White Sands International Film Festival will be held in Alamogordo with a week of workshops, lectures and screenings beginning March 16.
Yee-Haw!
Gov. Bill Richardson took time off conceding the Democratic presidential nomination to announce yet another film preparing to shoot here in New Mexico. Country Western singers Toby Keith and Rodney Carrington will star in the film Beer for My Horses , about a pair of small-town deputies who “head off on an outrageous road trip to save the protagonist’s girlfriend from drug lord kidnappers.” While this doesn’t sound like the most high-profile of projects, I’m sure it will please regular viewers of Country Music Television. (Director Michael Salomon has helmed multiple episodes of “CMT Total Access.”)
