Screening Room: Mexican, European and Asian film festivals

Several film festivals are gracing the Southland this weekend, including the Hola Mexico Film Festival, which opens Thursday at the ArcLight Cinema in Hollywood. The festival is said to be the largest tribute to Mexican film in the world. The opening presentation is the U.S. premiere of “Bala Mordida.” The closing night event on Tuesday is the L.A. premiere of “Alamar.” https://www.holamexicoff.com

European festival

Also beginning Thursday is the South East European Film Festival, which opens at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles with the 1989 documentary vignette “The Wall,” as well as the U.S. premiere of the Serbian documentary “Goodbye, How Are You?” and the L.A. premiere of the Albanian film “Alive!” The festival continues through Monday, when it closes at UCLA’s James Bridges Theatre with the L.A. premiere of the Turkish production “A Step Into Darkness.” https://www.seefilmla.org

Asian festival

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival begins its 10 days of programming Thursday at several theaters, including the Directors Guild of America, Laemmle’s Sunset 5 Theatre, Downtown Independent and the Aratani/Japan American Theatre. The festival opens with the Taiwan-United States-Germany production “Au Revoir Taipei.” The festival is observing the 70th anniversary of the birth of martial arts superstar Bruce Lee with screenings and panel discussions Friday through Sunday at the DGA. https://www.asianfilmfestla.org

At REDCAT

The international flavor continues Monday at REDCAT with a screening of Gregorio Rocha’s 2003 documentary “The Lost Reels of Pancho Villa,” which recounts his search for the lost film “The Life of General Villa,” a 1914 film directed by Raoul Walsh that was commission by Villa. Also screening is Edmundo and Felix Padilla‘s “La vengenza de Pancho Villa,” made from 1930 to 1934, which features real footage of Villa and his army along with reenactments. https://www.redcat.org

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