The son of a Kickapoo Indian and a revolutionary general, Emilio Fernández—known to generations of Mexican filmgoers as “El Indio”—was the most celebrated filmmaker to emerge from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Influenced equally by Hollywood narrative and Soviet montage techniques, Fernández brought an image of an eternal, elemental Mexico to the international festival circuit of the 1940s and ’50s, winning awards in Cannes (María Candelaria), Venice (La perla), and Karolvy Vary (Río Escondido). With a creative team that regularly included cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa, writer Mauricio Magdaleno, and stars such as Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz, María Félix, Arturo de Córdova, and Ninón Sevilla, Fernández created an authentic Latino voice that continues to enchant and amaze, now returned to its full force and timbre in magnificent new restorations from the Mexican archives.
Organized by Dave Kehr, Curator, Department of Film. Presented with the generous assistance of the Morelia International Film Festival, Cineteca Nacional de Mexico, Filmoteca de la UNAM, and Televisa Foundation. Special thanks to Daniela Michel and Chloë Roddick (Morelia International Film Festival) and Mauricio Maillé (Televisa Foundation).
Electronic subtitling provided by Sub-Ti Ltd.
