Major filmmaker Carlos Reygadas to speak at Wexner Center

Nina Pieri
Fri, 29 Mar 2019 01:26:09 +0000
Arts & Life, News

A still from Carlos Reygadas’ film, “Our Time.” He will be giving a Q&A at the Wexner Center for the Arts on Saturday. Courtesy: Melissa Starker

A Cannes Film Festival nominated filmmaker and producer is coming to Ohio State’s campus this weekend. Following a screening of his newest film, “Our Time,” Carlos Reygadas will be answering questions in person at a Q&A held at the Wexner Center for the Arts on Saturday.

The screening of the film, in which he and his wife play the starring roles, follows a career retrospective in which the Wexner Center has shown all of his films throughout the month.

The Q&A portion is a rare opportunity for students to hear his thoughts about the making of this piece.

“He is one of the leading, most well-known Mexican filmmakers of the contemporary moment,” said Laura Podalsky, a professor at Ohio State’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese and Film Studies. She will be moderating the Q&A with Reygadas after the screening.

Podalsky said Reygadas’ films are often visually compelling and offer challenging narratives, and that he is known for “his virtuosity in terms of style” and shows things in his film many viewers might find to be shocking.

Reygadas causes scandal in and outside of the film community, and is perceived as being one of the world’s most provocative filmmakers, Podalsky said.

“Some people want filmmakers to represent countries, and I think he doesn’t do that quite easily,” Podalsky said. “His films discuss Mexico in ways, but it’s not direct, and I think that in itself has caused a bit of consternation; I think he likes stirring up that consternation.”

He is visiting the Wexner Center after a stop at Indiana University Cinema in Bloomington, Indiana, and has been in contact with the center for a long time.

David Filipi, director of film and video at the Wexner Center, said the center has followed Reygadas since his first film, “Upon,” and that they are excited to screen his latest work.

“We’ve shown all of his films, and [I] hope people get an experience that they can’t by going to a normal movie theater and seeing a blockbuster or Hollywood comedy,” Filipi said.

Podalsky said Reygadas’ style of filmmaking and film production is one that emphasizes the way that humans interact with environments in remarkable, beautiful ways, using slow-moving shots to do so.

“He makes you notice things you might not have noticed were it not for the cinematography and the play of light,” Podalsky said. “He’s a fantastic filmmaker really challenging to our sensibilities and I think he makes us aware of our surroundings in a way that many films don’t.”

Admission is $6 for students and $8 for the general public.