"Malaventura" Director Michel Lipkes Speaks Exclusively with MexicoToday About Mexican Cinema, and His Passion for Filming the People of Mexico City

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released today by Marca Pais – Imagen de Mexico:

The 2011 Morelia International Film Festival drew to an end after 9 days of screenings, interviews, and press conferences in the colonial city of Morelia. Filmmakers traveled from all corners of the world to visit Morelia and nearby Patzcuaro to enjoy the best of international and Mexican cinema.

Among the films included in the Feature Competition was "Malaventura," recognized as one of Mexico's most anticipated new films, and representative of an emerging generation of filmmakers. MexicoToday was at Morelia for the festival, and spoke exclusively with Malaventura's director, Michel Lipkes, as well as others behind the production.

Named one of the five most anticipated Mexican films of 2011, Malaventura tells the story of an elderly man in his final day alive in Mexico City. "Malaventura is a movie about Mexico," Lipkes told MexicoToday. "It's a movie about the people of Mexico City, how they live their daily lives, and how they survive day to day. It's a movie that is sad, but is meant to embellish sadness through the cinematographic language that I chose to shoot this film."

Lipkes described the film as an expression of Mexican culture – a culture that he holds close to his heart, which embeds itself into his entire perspective as a filmmaker, and which he is proud to call his own.

He went on to describe why he considers Mexican culture to be so important, explaining that everything that is happening in Mexico in terms of independence fills him with passion. "Mexico is such a vast culture," he exclaimed. "You can make a movie that's influenced by [Russian filmmaker] Tarkovsky, and it still fits the culture. There is no limit, because it's a culture of such deep contrasts. There is space for any kind of style for a filmmaker."

Born in Mexico City, Lipkes is proud to call himself a "chilango," a slang word used to describe someone that was born and raised in Mexico City. "It's me. It's where I was born; it's the place that defines me as a person." He tells MexicoToday about his passion for filming in Mexico City, and his desire to portray the people that live in the city: their hopes, their joys, their sadness, and ultimately their beauty. "It's something that compels me completely," he proudly concludes.

In addition to Lipkes, MexicoToday also spoke with Fernando del Raso, screenwriter for the film. He described Malaventura as an experiment, a movie that takes a different road than what is usually seen in theaters. He described the excitement of presenting such a revolutionary film at an international festival like Morelia, and encouraged people to see it and debate it. 

Founded in 2003, the Morelia International Film Festival was created to support a new generation of Mexican filmmakers like Lipkes, and to provide a vibrant platform for their cinema. This year, the festival's lineup featured 44 short films, 23 documentaries, nine Michoacan films and nine feature films by directors from different states of the country.

Michel Lipkes spoke with pride about filming in Mexico City, and being able to spread cultural awareness for the country he loves. With its portrayal of Mexico and its people, Malaventura truly embodies the type of cinema for which Morelia's festival was created, and for which it serves as a confluence of filmmakers from Mexico, Latin America, and the world.

Marca Pais - Imagen de Mexico is an initiative to help promote a positive image of Mexico as a global business partner and an unrivaled tourist destination abroad.

SOURCE Marca Pais - Imagen de Mexico