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By Sandra Dibble | SDUT
Friday March 1, 2013


Scene from the film "Tierra Brillante" that looks at the toxic effects of lead-based glazes on Mexican artisans. The 2011 film is being shown as part of Border Film Week at the University of San Diego. — Tierra Brillante

The annual Border Film Week series at the University of San Diego features films that that touch on a broad range of topics, from smuggling networks to kidnapping to mariachi and rock music.

The screenings run Monday through Friday, and aim to promote awareness of border culture and Mexico, as well as showcase films created on the border. Scheduled to attend are a number of actors, directors and producers, as well as other panelists invited to comment on the issues raised by the films.

Hosting the festival are the university’s Trans-Border Institute and MechaUSD. All screenings are free and open to the public, and will take place at the Kroc School of Peace and Justice Theatre on the USD campus.

The following is a schedule of the films:

Monday 6 p.m.: “Felix: Autoficciones de un traficante” (2012) is a documentary that follows the life of the leader of a human smuggling network in Tijuana. Following the screening is a talk by director Adriana Trujillo.

Tuesday, 6 p.m.: “Espacio Interior,” (2012) directed by Kai Parlange, is the story of a kidnapped architect’s quest for spiritual survival while isolated in a tiny room. Based on a true story in Mexico City. Following the film will be a discussion by the Trans-Border Institute’s Octavio Rodriguez and criminal defense attorney Janice Deaton.

Wednesday, 6 p.m.: “Tierra Brillante,” by directors Sebastián Díaz and José Luis Figueroa (2011) talks about the use of lead-base glazes in the state of Michoacan, and its toxic effects on the artisans.

Thursday, 6 p.m.: Three short films: “San Ysidro: Frontera Olividada/A Forgotten Border” by four Mexican-American teenagers; “Botes al Amanecer” (2012) about a family subsisting from dumpsters in urban America; and “Gimme the Power” (2012), a rockumentary about the Mexican band Molotov.

Friday, 6 p.m.: Director Tom Gustafson’s “Mariachi Gringo” (2012) tells the story of a young American who runs away to Mexico to become a mariachi singer.

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