499 di Rodrigo Reyes - CineLatinoTrieste 2022

Poster:

Synopsis:

Mixing fictional and nonfictional elements, 499 is a creative documentary that explores the brutal legacy of colonialism in contemporary Mexico, nearly five-hundred years after Cortez conquered the Aztec Empire. Through the eyes of a ghostly conquistador, Reyes recreates Hernán Cortez’s epic journey from the coasts of Veracruz to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, the site of contemporary Mexico City.
As the anachronistic fictional character interacts with real victims of Mexico’s failed drug wars, the filmmaker portrays the country’s current humanitarian crisis as part of a brutal and unfinished colonial project, still in motion, 499 years later.

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Biophilmography:

Mexican director Rodrigo Reyes makes films deeply grounded in his identity as an immigrant artist, crafting a poetic gaze from the margins of both cultures, using striking imagery to portray the contradictory nature of our shared world, while revealing the potential for transformative change. In 2020, Rodrigo's latest film 499 won Best Cinematography at Tribeca, as well as the Special Jury Award at Hot Docs. He has screened at festivals such as Morelia International Film Festival, BFI London, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, receiving great reviews. Rodrigo's work has received the support of The Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE), Sundance and Tribeca Institutes, and many others. His work has screened on national public broadcast on America ReFramed and has been commissioned by Netflix.

Screenplay:

Lorena Padilla, Rodrigo Reyes

Director of Photography:

Alejandro “Jano” Mejía, AMC

Editing:

Andrea Chignoli, Daniel Chávez Ontiveros

Soundtrack:

Pablo Mondragón

Sound:

Adrià Campmany Buisán

Cast:

Eduardo San Juan

Producer:

Steve Holmgren, Carter Logan, Su Kim, David Felix Sutcliffe

Production:

Andrew Houchens, Inti Cordera for La Maroma Productions