The Rooftop Films 2008 Summer Series

As millions of immigrants stream into the US every year, this beautifully photographed documentary intimately follows small groups as they travel through Mexico, detailing their rarely-seen hardships and hopes.

Venue: on the roof of El Museo Del Barrio
Address: 1230 Fifth Avenue @ 104th Street (East Harlem)
Directions: 6 to 103rd St. or 2/3 to 110th St.
Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by Nacotheque
9:00PM: Films
11:00PM: After party with FREE Radeberger Pilsner
Presented in partnership with: The Morelia International Film Festival, IFC.com, New York magazine, and El Museo del Barrio

On Friday, September 5, Rooftop Films and The Morelia International Film Festival present La Frontera Infinita (The Infinite Border) (Juan Manuel Sepulveda | Mexico | 1:30:00). There will be live music by Nacoteque before the film and an after party with complimentary Radeberger Pilsner after the film.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Central Americans enter Mexico clandestinely en route to the United States. La Frontera Infinita is a story about their determination and hope, about men and women who travel in search of better living conditions, faced with a voyage that for many becomes seemingly endless.

Rooftop Films is proud to present this selection from the Morelia International Film Festival, Mexico’s premiere showcase of new and emerging Mexican filmmaking talent. From its location in Morelia, one of the country’s most beautiful and vibrant colonial cities, the festival (now in its fifth year) serves as a unique point of intersection between Mexican and international filmmakers, audiences, film professionals and members of the press. It also introduces visitors to the cultural riches and natural splendor of the State of Michoacán, famed for its musical, literary, theatrical, artisanal and culinary traditions, and now an emergent center of world film culture. The festival’s competitive sections of Mexican short films, documentaries, short films from Michoacán and Mexican features, combine with foreign film premieres, curated programs, tributes to Mexican film pioneers, and retrospectives of major world cinema artists to offer an experience of Mexican cinema in a rare, international context.

Independent and student films from Mexico City and other urban centers, and independent videos from points as varied as Tijuana, Merida, Guerrero and Oaxaca, render a comprehensive portrait of media culture, social life, and artistic imagination within Mexico. These works explore such varied themes as transnational identities, globalization, and indigenous lives, in formats ranging from fiction to documentary to animated film and video. Supported by the City of Morelia, the State of Michoacán, and Cinepolis, Latin America’s largest theater chain, among other corporate sponsors, the Morelia International Film Festival strives to contribute to Mexico’s growth and progress as a contributor to world cinema, to establish Michoacán and its capital, Morelia, as vibrant focal points of world cinema culture, and to promote the talents and expand the opportunities of the country’s most promising artists in film and independent media.