by Victor Payan ( july/august 2005)
Tijuana nicknamed the "City of the Future", is home to Homeland Security showdowns and low-cost prescription medication. It is also home to the emerging Border Wave movement. Experimental videomaker Aaron Soto is the spokeperson for the group, wish has informally recognized for the first time in 2004 at 2nd Annual Morelia International Film Festival in Michoacan. The festival, wich celebrates international film while also showcasing filmmakers from Michoacan, featured a Mexican-American conference on independent film and video.
Soto and his video short, 33 1/2, wich was caracterized by the festival jury as being "outside of any category", are emblematic of the work beign produced by Tijuana's young experimental Wild Bunch. "the cultural push of the foreigner wants to sell us our own image as if it were some tourist video," Soto says. "In Tijuana we're very aware of that. I always say that Tijuana, we have the best seat in the house, becouse we can turn to see how the Americans are tring to con us, and we can turn to see how the mexicans are trying to con us."
The proximity to San Diego has also opened up a world of technology, equipment and assitance that had deen lacking. "We bring it to Mexico first, trough San Diego, long before it gets to the film schools in the capital." Soto says. "And that wasn't so before. And that's why i think Tijuana is one of the cities that will figure prominently in the future of art and cinema. Something important is happening here. This is the perfect bridge for creating cinema between both nations."
The future promise continued hope for mexican cinema, with new works on the horizon by directors such Jaime Humebrto Hermosillo, Guillermo Del Toro, Marisa Sistach, Maria Novaro, and Carlos Bolado. Amores Perros team Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu and Guiilermo Arriaga were at cannes in May shopping around the latest project Babel, wich stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Brad Pitt, and Cate Blanchett.
With term Mexican New Wave no so new anymore, it is time to examine the sustained efforts of a creative community to continue producing challening, innovative and award winning work. Addionally, this community is making use of new developments in infrastructure, distributing, financing and technology that did not exit in 1992. Branching into borderlands and already making incursions into the US independent film community, it is a movemente that can make revolutionaries of us all.
