R. Nicanor Santana
The seventh annual OC Film Fiesta will kick off Oct. 13 at Bowers Museum with a tribute to the late Mexican singer and icon Juan Gabriel.
This year, the film festival celebrates the Americas with movies from the United States, Mexico, Guatemala and Bolivia.
The Mexican musical comedy, ¿Qué le Dijiste a Dios?, the opening night feature, is based on Juan Gabriel’s music.
“[Juan Gabriel] meant so much to our community, who made his mark in film, as well as music,” Victor Payan, director of the OC Film Fiesta, said. The late singer even makes a cameo in the film.
READ MORE: Mexican Singer and Icon Juan Gabriel Dies of Heart Attack
Tickets to opening night include entrance to the Bowers’ exhibit Virgin of Guadalupe: Images in Colonial Mexico and an after-party at the Green Parrot Villa.
This year’s highlights include the last remaining Bolivian silent film Warawara, which will be screened with a live score performance led by SAC music professor Omar Avalos’ group Camerata Santa Ana.
Trisha Ziff’s award-winning documentary The Man Who Saw Too Much, about photographer Enrique Metinides, who spent his life documenting death in Mexico, will also be shown.
This year, the festival features workshops, animated shorts for children and a handful of free pop-up screenings. Santa Ana filmmakers will also be featured and Santa Ana High School’s art departments will participate.
The festival runs from Oct. 13 through 29. For prices and dates, visit ocfilmfiesta.org.
