Flower Power
On Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22 and 23, Guild Cinema (3405 Central Ave. NE) hosts the worldwide premiere of Flower Hour. This collection of 60 short films crammed in just 60 minutes comes to us courtesy of the “secret psychedelic anti-copyright art collective specializing in public and digital art in Albuquerque” known as @lilyellowtags. Described as “a psychedelic parody of the online drinking game created by over 100 artists, musicians and filmmakers, both local and international,” this underground art film is finally being released after 22 months of booze-filled collaborative effort. Attendees are advised, “Bring your friends, get hyped, and let’s lose our collective minds.” Admission is free, but seating is limited, so get there early. The film starts at 10:30pm both nights. For more info go to lilyellowtags.com.
To Build or Not to Build
On Nov. 2 there will be a vote in Albuquerque on whether to funnel $50 million in taxpayer cash into constructing a new soccer stadium for New Mexico United. The decision remains controversial, with local politicians pumping it as a way to build the city’s economy and historic neighborhood associates arguing that the stadium would raise the cost of housing dramatically, forcing out mostly working class communities of color. By way of providing some background information on this struggle, the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice and Stop the Stadium campaign are screening the documentary Battle for Brooklyn on Tuesday, Oct. 26. Their hope is to build the anti-gentrification and housing-first movements locally. The documentary tells the story of how Brooklyn residents fought against the plans of rich developers and area elites to gentrify Brooklyn by building a giant sports stadium. The free film screening takes place starting at 6pm at the Albuquerque Center for P&J (202 Harvard St. SE).
Magnífico
Instituto Cervantes celebrates the ninth edition of ¡Cine Magnífico! the Albuquerque Latinx Film Festival, October 22 through 24. This event has given visibility over the years to films and artists from all Spanish-speaking countries. This year audiences can expect about 20 films and shorts that are New Mexico premieres and, in some cases, U.S. premieres. In addition to the film screenings, the 2021 festival includes several round tables with experts and professionals from the film world, as well as meetings with local and international filmmakers and actors. The U.S. director of EGEDA (Entidad de Gestión de Derechos de los Productores Audiovisuales Latinos) and of the Platinum Latino Film Awards, Elvi Cano, participates in a round table discussion titled “Is There a Latin Cinema?” (Oct. 22, 2pm) Also ¡Cine Magnífico! director Silvia Grijalba speaks with the director of the Albuquerque Film Office, Cyndy McCrossen, to explain the advantages of Albuquerque and New Mexico as an essential filming city for the European and Latin American market (Oct. 23, 3pm). Albuquerque writer/director Alejandro Montoya Marín presents his “cult classic”-in-the-making, Millennium Bugs (Oct. 23, 6:30pm). Films and round tables take place at Guild Cinema (3405 Central Ave. NE) or online. Tickets are $15 per screening, $25 for a four-movie punch card and $45 for a full-festival pass. Check cinemagnifico.com for a complete schedule of events.