Pushing Politics Revolutionary Film Series

As revolutions in early 20th century Mexico and Germany brought about the emergence of renowned printmakers of political graphics, opportunities arose for storytellers to use the budding medium of film to explore how society can sustain claims of freedom after their revolutions. Pushing Politics presents films that awakened the political and mythic imaginary of post-revolutionary Mexican and German thought by addressing working class audiences affected by the consequences of social and economic crisis. Presented in conjunction with Pressing Politics: Revolutionary Graphics from Mexico and Germany, join us for a two-part film series about this era, its context, and the movements that influenced later generations.

Co-presented by the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles and the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles.

Kuhle Wampe, or Who Owns the World? (Kuhle Wampe oder Wem gehört die Welt?)

Thursday, May 11 | 7 pm
Goethe-Institut Los Angeles
1901 W 7th St. Suite A/B, Los Angeles, CA 90057

Meet a working-class family in 1931 Berlin, where survival is difficult with massive unemployment in the wake of the Great Depression. After Anni’s brother commits suicide in despair, her family finds itself forced to move to Kuhle Wampe, a lakeside camp on the outskirts of Berlin, now home to increasing numbers of unemployed. When Anni’s relationship with Franz ends, she moves back to Berlin and gets involved in the workers’ youth movement.

The film functioned as a radical appeal to the spectator in the context of social polarization toward the end of the post-revolutionary Weimar Republic. Produced as a collaborative project by Slatan Dudow, Bertolt Brecht, Ernst Ottwalt, and Hanns Eisler, under the protection of the Communist Party and with the participation of many prominent leftist artists, Kuhle Wampe was released less than a year before the Nazi takeover in 1933. The film was the subject of vehement disputes and was banned twice for revolutionary and communist tendencies that were perceived to threaten the state. 

German with English subtitles. 74 min. Germany, 1932.

Río Escondido (Hidden River)

Saturday, June 10 | 4 pm
Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles
2401 W 6th St., Los Angeles, CA 90057

A young, idealistic school teacher, played by María Félix, is sent by the government to the remote, impoverished village of Río Escondido, where a cruel local boss controls the town’s resources. The teacher’s resistance to the boss’s authority serves as an inspiration to the townsfolk, who eventually overthrow their oppressors. Although the creation of this army of maestros rurales had several aims, one of the most important was to teach and uphold a state ideology. Director Emilio Fernández and cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa conjure a vision of redemption, in which the film itself serves as the primary teacher and the audience plays the role of an attentive pupil. Río Escondido not only teaches its audience of salvation; it also champions education, showing that only through this means can Mexico truly regenerate.

Taller de Gráfica Popular (People’s Print Workshop) co-founder Leopoldo Méndez originally produced 10 dynamic linocuts to serve as full-screen backdrops for the credits of the film. Working from the script, Méndez created powerful images that embody the political and moral messages of Fernández’s patriotic melodrama, providing Méndez with a platform to create a “moving mural” capable of reaching new audiences. Both the film and the prints highlight the fragile reality in which rural Mexicans lived and underscore the importance of popular resistance as a means of social change.

Spanish with English subtitles. 99 min. Mexico, 1947.