The best offering at the 2015 edition of the San Francisco International Film Festival, out of thirty or so films that I saw, was an incredible Mexican documentary "All of Me" that was terrific cinema and engaged the audience on a humanitarian level.
It's now playing until Thursday, August 11, at the Roxie Theater on 16th Street in the Mission and I can't recommend this amazing movie highly enough.
Please go out of your way to see how an amazing network of ordinary women of all ages cooks food to stuff into plastic bags, then toss to the hundreds of people passing by on trains heading toward the U.S. border.
Standing a foot or two from The Beast, the enormous boxcar train carrying cargo and the hopes of the economic downtrodden riding on top or dangling from the sides, the women, known as Las Patronas, fearlessly manuvuer to get the food and bottled water as many people as people on the train.
Kudos to the director Arturo Gonzalez Villasenor and director of photography Antonio Mecalo for using their excellent documentary skills to bring the courageous Las Patronas to a wider audience through film.
On Friday night, the Roxie had a sold-out house for the evening's screening, which received a rousing standing ovation for the documentary and the Patrona who was present, Guadalupe González Herrera.
Isabel Fondevila, director of programing, hosted a panel discussion afterward with Herrera and the director and cinematographer, before everyone headed over to the 518 Valencia community space for a reception.
It was there that artist Talavera-Ballon displayed about a dozen of his paintings inspired by "All of Me," titled as "Llevate Mis Amores" for Mexican audiences, and where I joined the festivities and snapped a few pictures.
More info on the remaining Roxie screenings and related events here. Watch the trailer, then go see the doc!
La Patrona Guadalupe González Herrera, left, and Isabel Fondevila.
From the left, Arturo Gonzalez Villasenor, unknown woman, Tavalera-Ballon, Guadalupe González Herrera, Antonio Mecalo, and yours truly.
Jennifer Morris, Roxie programmer, Talaver-Ballon, next to one his artworks.
A shot of the crowd at 518 Valencia.
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