PASATIEMPO

Red carpet roundup

Roll out the red carpet: The 15th Santa Fe International Film Festival is finally here. The festival, starting Wednesday, October 18, and running through October 22, will showcase a panoply of short and long films and documentaries from here and all over the world. The SFiFF offers a rare occasion to see films you may not have access to otherwise and to attend world and national premieres — and possibly even see (and meet) famous and up-and-coming filmmakers whose work is already making waves.

This year’s festival opens with Foe, an Australian, American, and British science-fiction psychological thriller directed by Garth Davis and starring Saorise Ronan and Paul Mescal that is sure to break your heart. It closes with the historical drama The Promised Land, by Danish director Nikolaj Arcel and starring Mads Mikkelsen. In between are more than 160 other movies that will make your head swim with stories and a range of perspectives.

SFiFF occupies several venues, almost all walking distance from each other. The event also includes a variety of parties and numerous Q&As and panels with directors and producers.

The following is a guide to help film buffs navigate this year’s options.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Big vision: This year’s SFiFF Visionary Award recipient is filmmaker and writer Sterlin Harjo, a member of the Seminole Nation who also has Muskogee heritage. He is a SFiFF 2015 alumnus and co-producer and co-director of the acclaimed TV series Reservation Dogs, which he co-wrote with Taika Waititi. During the week, festivalgoers can catch screenings of two of Harjo’s earlier films, Mekko and This May Be the Last Time. He will be in discussion with Reservation Dogs, Resident Alien, and Smoke Signals actor Gary Farmer during the SFIFF Visionary Award presentation, which is at 7 p.m. October 21 at the Lensic Performing Arts Center; tickets cost $35.

Going international: SFiFF organizers travel far and wide every year to bring films most of us have never heard of. This year, co-founder and artistic director Jacques Paisner brought Music (directed by Angela Schanelec, 108 minutes, Germany, France, Greece, Serbia), which had its world premiere at the Berlinale in Berlin where it received a standing ovation.

At the 76th Festival de Cannes, Paisner saw (at the Grand Théâtre Lumière) the world premiere of Monster (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 126 minutes, Japan). “We are major fans of Hirokazu Kore-eda and have played two of his previous films at SFiFF,” says Paisner, “so it is that much more exciting to bring the film to Santa Fe.”

Although Paisner initially missed this year’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet, feature narrative, 152 minutes, France) — part thriller, part family drama — he caught it this summer at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. “I can tell you it is brilliant and touching, and audiences here will connect immensely with this film,” he says. Anatomy of a Fall is SFiFF 2023’s centerpiece film.

Made in New Mexico: SFiFF also focuses on regional films and documentaries. One such film is First We Bombed New Mexico (Lois Lipman, 95 minutes, USA), a feature-length documentary that sheds light on the environmental and social injustice of New Mexico’s nuclear bomb development that’s largely been ignored. Working on the documentary for nearly eight years forced Santa Fe director Lois Lipman to question the priorities of our country. For more films set in New Mexico, check out Little Brother, Caiti Blues, New Mexico Shorts I, and New Mexico Shorts II.

Native and Indigenous Focus: One of the feature documentaries in competition this year is Gomeo Bobelu (Jaima Chevalier, 68 minutes, USA). Gomeo Bobelu was a Shiwi (Zuni) artist born into the Badger Clan and Child of the Corn Clan and a member of the LGBTQ community. He died last year in circumstances the documentary’s director, Jaima Chevalier, is still trying to piece together. The film follows Bobelu, a kind human, full of love for the world, as he gives impromptu interviews Chevalier filmed some years ago in different locations that were meaningful to the artist.

Spotlight on Hong Kong: SFiFF will also introduce festival-goers to three directors as well as new and old films from Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s political situation and its people’s fight for freedom makes SFiFF’s choice poignant and urgent: In 2019, pro-democracy protests erupted across Hong Kong’s islands and mainland territories, and although the government of Beijing may have since jailed or silenced Hong Kong’s most vocal activists, politicians, and journalists — and forced thousands into exile — Hong Kong’s spirit and artistry prevail. Catch the heartbreaking Lost Love (Ka Sing Fung, 95 minutes, Hong Kong, 2022); a martial arts classic with Jet Li, Once Upon a Time in China II (Tsui Hark, 113 minutes, Hong Kong, 1992); and a crime thriller with gorgeous cinematography, Where the Wind Blows (Philip Yung, 143 minutes, Hong Kong, 2022).

THE GUIDE

This year’s festival includes 18 narrative features and seven documentary features in special presentation; 10 narrative features and 11 documentary features in competition; and five films with a special focus. It also showcases more than 100 short films. The following guide is grouped by areas of interest to help narrow your focus.

Indigenous voices from across North America

Frybread Face and Me (Billy Luther, narrative feature, 79 minutes, USA)

Benny is a young Native boy from San Diego, California, who spends one summer on Grandma Lorraine’s sheep ranch. He befriends his tough-as-nails cousin Dawn, aka Frybread Face, who speaks Diné and is well versed in her ancestral traditions. This sweet coming-of-age film produced by Taika Waititi and directed by Billy Luther will charm audiences with its heartfelt dialogues, brilliant but non-intrusive cinematography, and top-notch performances by both adult and child actors.

Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun (Banchi Hanuse, documentary, 89 minutes, Canada)

Hanuse’s documentary takes us to the golden plains of Blackfoot Territory, where a young Siksika woman, Logan Red Crow, prepares to participate in one of the most dangerous horse races in the world, the Indian Relay. The astonishing and intimate cinematography shows the courage it takes for any bareback rider to vault from horse to horse at high speed — and it shines a light on a champion in the making. The documentary has already won several awards this year at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, the Leo Awards, the Gimli Film Festival, and the Calgary International Film Festival.

Note: This year’s festival includes an additional dozen films and documentaries that explore Native and Indigenous narratives, plus two compilations of Indigenous shorts.

For music and art lovers

It’s Only Life After All (Alexandria Bombach, documentary, 123 minutes, USA)

Bombach is an award-winning filmmaker from Santa Fe. Her documentary is a love letter to folk-rock’s Indigo Girls and covers the duo’s meeting at Emory University in Altanta, their years as a popular bar band, and their explosive 1989 eponymous album. The film also speaks of Emily Saliers and Amy Ray’s activism and plight for LGBTQ+ and Indigenous rights.

Anselm (Wim Wenders, documentary, 93 minutes, Germany, England; English and German with English subtitles)

From German master filmmaker Wenders (Wings of Desire and Paris, Texas) comes a documentary about contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer. Wenders was recently quoted: “There are not many adventures left on earth, but the human mind is a great adventure, and artists are some of the most adventurous people on the planet.” This documentary is about one such adventurous artist, directed by an even more extraordinarily adventurous film director.

Several other movies at SFiFF cross genres and touch upon the arts and music industry, but these two will especially delight music lovers: Caiti Blues (Justine Harbonnier, documentary, 84 minutes, Canada), set in Madrid, New Mexico; and Texas Music Revolution (Troy Paff, documentary, 103 minutes, USA).

Society, politics, and the planet

Patrol (Camilo de Castro Belli and Brad Allgood, documentary, 80 minutes, Nicaragua; English and Spanish with English subtitles)

This documentary focuses on a crisis that surrounds the last remaining rainforests in Central America. At issue: conflict beef. The narrative is character driven and follows communities that face an increasingly violent environmental conflict in Nicaragua. On one side, the Rama Indian and the Afro-descendent Kriol community; on the other, illegal cattle ranches that continue to destroy the virgin rainforest of the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve.

Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink (Rick Goldsmith, documentary, 95 minutes, USA)

Journalism is said to be the fourth pillar of our democracy and yet it is in peril. Goldsmith’s documentary showcases the current state of journalism in the U.S., how hedge funds and private equity are destroying what is left of our newspapers, and how journalists are fighting back, starting with Chuck Plunkett, a former editor at the Denver Post who openly criticized the Post’s owners and started a revolution.

Don’t miss other films in this category, including the Green Earth shorts (4 short films) and Bad Press (Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, Joe Peeler, documentary, 98 min, USA).

Voices from abroad

Asia

In Our Day (Hong Sang-soo, narrative feature, 84 minutes, South Korea; Korean with English subtitles)

Hong is one of the most prolific directors in the world. He also works with low budgets and focuses most of his films on female characters. In Our Day is his 30th feature and is sure to warm the heart and make us laugh and ponder the beauty of being alive. The film stars an ensemble of cousins, friends, artists, poets, and cats, all in search of answers.

Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, narrative feature, 122 minutes, Japan, Germany; Japanese with English subtitles)

The idea behind Perfect Days started with a famous public toilet in Tokyo. The narrative follows the daily life of Hirayama (played by Koji Yakusho, who won best actor in Cannes). Hirayama lives a simple life: he cleans toilets, listens to music, reads books, takes pictures of trees, and walks and bikes around the Japanese capital. His past unfolds majestically as more characters show up.

Latin America

Chronicles of a Wandering Saint (Tomás Gómez Bustillo, narrative feature, 85 minutes, Argentina; Spanish with English subtitles)

This gentle feature tells the story of Rita, who lives in the town of Santa Rita in the middle of nowhere in Argentina. She takes care of her church and dreams of getting the attention and glory she believes she lacks. With her husband, Norberto, Rita stages her own religious miracle. Chronicles of a Wandering Saint won the Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival in Austin, Texas.

The Delinquents (Rodrigo Moreno, narrative feature, 180 minutes, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Luxembourg; Spanish with English subtitles)

Writer-director Moreno never ceases to surprise. Here he spins a new kind of heist film with a narrative that stars Morán, a bank employee from Buenos Aires who wants to free himself from corporate monotony. Morán dreams of a simple retirement and hopes to steal the money he needs then confess and serve a short time in prison while his partner in crime, Román, hides the funds. The film won best international jury award and best director at the 27th Lima Film Festival.

Europe

Drift (Anthony Chen, narrative feature, 93 minutes, France, UK, Greece, Singapore; English and Greek with English subtitles)

With his new feature, Chen makes his audience see the world through the eyes of a refugee from western Africa who lands on a Greek island. The film stars Cynthia Erivo, who plays an African migrant; through her unfolds a personal tragedy that is much too familiar in the world today. The film is quiet and beautifully filmed — and will move you to tears.

Fallen Leaves (Aki Kaurismäki, narrative feature, 80 minutes, Finland, Germany; Finnish with English subtitles)

This deadpan yet gentle tragicomedy tells the story of two lonely people who meet in the Helsinki night and later try to find and hold onto the ultimate love of their lives. The two characters encounter such obstacles as lost phone numbers, not knowing each other’s name, and too much alcohol. This is the fourth part of director Kaurismäki’s working-class film trilogy, now a quartet.

Voices from America and Canada

Little Brother (Sheridan O’Donnell, narrative feature, 95 minutes, USA)

Writer-director O’Donnell takes us on a road trip with two brothers who drive across the American West, from Albuquerque to Seattle, with the hope of moving on from past traumas. Pete, the older of the two, just attempted suicide again, and Jake, his little brother, keeps him company as they drive back to their parents’ house in Washington state. Inspired by O’Donnell’s own friend who died by suicide, the film speaks honestly about mental health.

With Love and a Major Organ (Kim Albright, narrative feature, 91 minutes, Canada)

This fresh and unique fantasy-drama tells the story of Anabel, who lives in a futuristic world where self-care means suppressing one’s feelings and where hearts are objects to be given for love. Anabel gives her heart away to the cold George, who starts experiencing all the feelings.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson, narrative feature, 92 minutes, USA)

Jackson’s feature debut explores the life of a Black woman in Mississippi across several decades. Jackson is an award-winning poet and a photographer whose work explores the body’s relationship to nature, and her lyrical film is breathtaking and achingly beautiful. As one of the characters in the film says, life doesn’t end or begin; it just changes form.

By Ania Hull