Del Toro curates retrospective of Mexican Cinema in Toronto

Toronto's Cinemathèque TIFF, curated by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro

, will hold a retrospective of the history of Mexican cinema and will screen 25 films spanning six decades.

Defined by the TIFF as a "multi-award winner" and "sui generis" filmmaker, Del Toro , who received the Oscar and the Golden Lion award for his film "The Shape of Water," will be the official curator along with TIFF's Spanish-American film programmer, Diana Sánchez .

The TIFF referred to Mexican cinema as having a "rich film history" and announced on Tuesday that the show will be entitled "Sui generis: An Alternative History of Mexican Cinema," and will be held from February 28 to April 6, 2019 .

This "different view of Mexican cinema" will feature films from the golden age of the 1930s and 1940s , as well as the beginnings of its contemporary renaissance in the nineties.

The show will have "several rare and archival films" and among the presenters will be Arturo Ripstein and Paz Alicia Garciadiego , who in 2015 presented at the Toronto International Film Festival "La calle de la amargura," starring Patricia Reyes Spíndola, Nora Velázquez, and Sylvia Pasquel .

Co-curator Del Toro pointed out that the retrospective of Mexican cinema “not only explores some of the films that have most influenced me and the current generation of filmmakers currently working in Mexico, but also reflects the depth and richness of Mexican cinema in terms of genre, author's films, as well as independent cinema."

The director of Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak

added that many of the films that will be presented were made by filmmakers who "did not hesitate to play with themes, social customs, and stories that defy genres."

"This series alludes to a diversity and idiosyncrasy that is uniquely Mexican," emphasized the filmmaker from Jalisco , who lives in Toronto.

For her part, programmer Diana Sanchez indicated that the public in Toronto will have the opportunity to see on the big screen "the caliber and diversity of the films that have been produced in Mexico for decades and that clearly have infuenced the present generation of Mexican teachers."

The retrospective is "full of hidden and classic gems," added the programmer of Spanish origin.

The Cinemathèque TIFF is projecting 4K Dolby Atmos , as well as Alfonso Cuarón’s latest film "Roma.”

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