CONTENT WARNING: These films contain flashing lights which may not be suitable for photosensitive epilepsy in addition to explicit images of violence.

FILMMAKER IN PERSON!

¡Aoquic iez in Mexico!
(Mexico Will No Longer Exist!)
dir. Annalisa D. Quagliata Blanco, 2024
Mexico, 80 mins
In Nahuatl and Spanish with english subtitles

Annalisa D. Quagliata Blanco's feature debut ¡AOQUIC IEZ IN MEXICO! explores the many violences and contradictions at the heart of Mexican history. Divided in five chapters, this quicksilver experimental documentary combines an analytical framework with an exploded cinematic grammar to probe the origins of several Mexican myths and their relationship to the nation's identity. Per visual artist and film programmer Byron Davies, ¡AOQUIC IEZ IN MEXICO! was inspired by the films of Dziga Vertov and Teo Hernández. While the film's breakneck speed feels inspired by the aforementioned filmmakers — although, such speed is also an extension of its punk ethos — Quagliata's penetrating visual commentary on Mexican scenes and traditions also feels like a natural continuation of the famed experimental filmmaker Rubén Gámez's unique, and under-appreciated, cinematic missives against Mexican culture. Her work directly challenges foundational texts on Mexican identity — from that of Spanish friars first trying to make sense of the nation-to-be to the more recent musings of Octavio Paz. The film does not present Mexico's heart, insomuch as it shows all of its bleeding wounds.