If you’re a documentary junkie currently riding out the COVID-19 pandemic from home, nomadic film festival Ambulante has got you covered! The festival was founded by actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna (who you may recognize as Felix from the hit Netflix series, “Narcos” and “Narcos: Mexico”) in an effort to showcase globally released films to Mexican communities that otherwise may not have access to them. Ambulante screens a selection of documentaries with humanitarian and social justice themes, often creating important dialogue about real issues since it’s establishment 15 years ago.
The plans for the 15th anniversary were big, bold, and unfortunately scrapped alongside other huge festivals like Tribeca and SXSW in light of the rapidly spreading virus. Ambulante wants the show to go on, however, announcing the launch of Ambulante en Casa via Zoom press conference. This digital version of the festival aims to preserve the spirit of sharing and discussing crucial cinema for an entire month —one documentary will be screened per day and made available at midnight, followed by panels, forums, and a live Q & A from viewers.
Currently, there are 66 films available from 25 different countries, tackling a plethora of worldwide problems and questions. Titles include Vivos by Chinese activist and artist Ai Weiwei, Andres Di Tella’s photo album documentary Ficcion privada, Juliana Fanjul’s Silencio Radio and many more. Ambulante En Casa runs April 28th-May 29th, 2020 and is completely free for Mexican viewers, but accessible for all. The pandemic has forced the entire world to take pause and become creative about how we connect, share and engage with each other; Ambulante En Casa wants to take advantage of that stillness and invite their audiences to ponder their subjects and reflect on the society we share.
