The fifth annual Festival del Puerto film festival will screen 21 new Mexican films in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, on December 4-8.

With screening locations on beaches and in local markets among other distinctive venues, the festival promises to be a unique experience for anyone interested in seeing what Mexico’s current filmmakers are producing.

One such filmmaker is Yudiel Landa, whose film Lo que nos queda (What Remains) is about the armed self-defense forces that organized in Michoacán in 2013 to combat drug cartels in their communities.

The new film by director Joshua Gil, Sanctorum, will also be shown. Set in illegal marijuana fields in the Sierra Mixe of northeastern Oaxaca, Gil used actual local harvesters to act in the film, and converted most of his script to their native Mixe to create authenticity.

All of the films will be shown with English subtitles.

This year’s festival will also include a series of culinary events hosted by talented chefs from Puerto Escondido and Oaxaca city. Each day, a respected chef will serve an inventive array of foods inspired by the day’s films.

All the screenings are free to the general public. Check the festival’s website (Spanish only) for times and locations.

Mexico News Daily