A five-day international documentary film festival opened May 25 at the Casa de la Cultura “Profr. Alfredo Green González” in San José del Cabo. The free Los Cabos film festival runs nightly through May 29, with filmmaker talks at 6 p.m. and screenings at 8 p.m. The highlight of the lineup is a behind-the-scenes documentary on Amores Perros, the 2000 film that launched the career of director Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Amores Perros at 25: Behind the Scenes of a Landmark Mexican Film
Amores Perros premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2000 and won the Critics Week Grand Prize. The film earned Mexico its first Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001. González Iñárritu went on to win back-to-back Best Director Oscars for Birdman (2015) and The Revenant (2016).
The behind-the-scenes documentary screening in San José del Cabo promises a look at the production process of a film shot on a reported budget of just $2 million. Amores Perros grossed over $20 million worldwide and is widely credited with sparking the modern Mexican cinema movement known as Nuevo Cine Mexicano. For anyone who has seen the film, the making-of material covers a production that was famously chaotic, with street-level shooting across Mexico City.
The festival’s other featured documentary, María Félix: La Diva Eterna, profiles one of Mexico’s most iconic film stars. María Félix appeared in 47 films between 1943 and 1970, working with directors in Mexico, France, Spain, and Italy. She became a cultural symbol of Mexican femininity and independence, and her name remains a household reference across Latin America.
Three additional documentaries round out the schedule: Vuelve a la Vida, Tobías, un Afortunado Testigo, and La Fabulosa Máquina del Tiempo. The municipal government has not published individual screening dates for each film, but the full schedule is available on the “Cine Club Documental” Facebook page.
Casa de la Cultura Has Hosted Free Events Since 1981
The festival is organized by the Instituto de la Cultura y las Artes (ICA), the cultural arm of the Los Cabos municipal government. The Casa de la Cultura on Boulevard Mijares in downtown San José del Cabo has served as the municipality’s primary cultural venue since it opened in 1981. It hosts art exhibitions, music performances, and film screenings year-round, all free of charge.
Los Cabos has built a separate, larger profile in the film world through the Los Cabos International Film Festival, a marquee event held each November. That festival, launched in 2012, screens feature films and draws industry professionals from the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It typically takes place at resort venues in the hotel corridor between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.
This documentary festival is a different, smaller event. It focuses on nonfiction filmmaking and takes place in a community cultural center rather than a luxury hotel. The nightly talks before each screening give attendees a chance to hear directly from filmmakers and discuss the social themes in each documentary.
All Screenings Are Free at San José del Cabo’s Downtown Cultural Center
Every screening and panel discussion during the five-day festival is free and open to the public. The Casa de la Cultura sits on Boulevard Mijares, the main pedestrian and gallery street in San José del Cabo’s historic downtown. The Art Walk district, where galleries open their doors every Thursday evening from November through June, is steps away.
San José del Cabo’s downtown is roughly a 15-minute drive from the hotel zone along the Tourist Corridor and about 30 minutes from central Cabo San Lucas. Street parking near Boulevard Mijares can be tight in the evenings, so arriving early is advisable. All films are expected to screen in Spanish. No English subtitles have been announced.
The final screening takes place Thursday, May 29. Doors open at 6 p.m. each evening, with the documentary projection starting at 8 p.m. The Los Cabos municipal government published the event details on its official website on May 25.