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Downtown Independent
This series takes place at the Billy Wilder Theater with reprise screenings at the Downtown Independent >
For decades beginning in the 1930s, a vibrant Spanish-speaking cinema culture thrived in downtown Los Angeles where venues such as the Teatro Eléctrico, the Azteca, the Mayan and the Million Dollar Theatre were home to popular movies from the golden age cinemas of Mexico, Argentina, Cuba and other Latin American countries. During its movie palace heyday, downtown was the undisputed capital of Latin American cinema culture in the United States. Gradually, almost all these Main Street cinemas disappeared while many of the films they screened also fell out of distribution in the U.S. Guided by Colin Gunckel’s recent history on this unique exhibition market, Mexico on Main Street (2015), and with major support from the Getty Foundation, the Archive set about to recreate the Spanish-language film culture of downtown as part of the Getty-led initiative, Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA. The result is Recuerdos de un cine en español: Latin American Cinema in Los Angeles, 1930-1960. This significant survey of Latin American cinema includes exploitation titles, melodramas, historical epics, comedies, musicals, noirs and horror films, and features an array of iconic film stars including María Félix, Dolores del Río, Pedro Infante, Libertad Lamarque, Ninón Sevilla and Cantinflas. The series will also feature a number of new restorations undertaken by the Archive and supporting institutions. In keeping with the program’s inspiration, the Archive will present screenings at both its year-round home, the Billy Wilder Theater, and reprise screenings at the Downtown Independent, formerly the Azteca. Learn about the Archive's other PST:LA/LA projects.
This program was curated by Jan-Christopher Horak, Colin Gunckel, Maria Elena de la Carreras and Alejandra Espasande Bouza. Research assistance was provided by Paulina Suarez-Hesketh, Michael Ramos-Araizaga and Roberto Esteban Green Quintana.
Special thanks to: Roberto Esteban Green Quintana.
Recuerdos de un cine en español: Latin American Cinema in Los Angeles, 1930-1960 is part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, a far-reaching and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles, taking place from September 2017 through January 2018 at more than 70 cultural institutions across Southern California. Pacific Standard Time is an initiative of the Getty. The presenting sponsor is Bank of America.
Preservation funds were contributed by The Packard Humanities Institute, RatPac Entertainment, and The Film Foundation.
We would like to thank our archival partners: Albino Álvarez Gómez (Filmoteca de la UNAM), Alejandro Pelayo (Cineteca Nacional de México), Viviana García Besné (Permanencia Voluntaria), Luciano Castillo (Cinemateca de Cuba), Fernando Peña (Buenos Aires), Marcela Cassinelli (Fundación Cinemateca Argentina), Paula Félix-Didier (Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken), María Ferrari (Argentina Sono Film), Sergio Rentero (Gotika) and Horacio Mentasti.
All films in this series are presented in Spanish with English subtitles.
