The Crow's Nest
Spanish with English subtitles.
Director Arturo Menéndez and producer Alfonso Quijada in attendance.
Brimming with gentle humour and a dogged sense of the strength of community during hard times, Salvadoran director Arturo Menéndez’s charming feature debut is a character study of a simple piñata salesman named Don Cleo whose life is turned upside down when he falls victim to an extortionist he can’t possibly afford to pay. The harder he tries to raise the funds, the deeper into trouble he gets. If Don Cleo hopes to survive, he'll have to face his fears and stand up to his tormentors.
“Creating the first Salvadoran narrative feature film in more than 40 years, filmmaker Arturo Menéndez... proudly puts El Salvador on the cinematic map.” American Film Institute
Un sencillo vendedor de piñatas ve su vida complicarse inesperadamente,, al ser víctima de una extorsión que no tiene ninguna posibilidad de pagar.
‘‘Malacrianza no nos ofrece un panorama sin esperanza de El Salvador o América Central. Sí, la película puede ser un tanto desalentadora, pero el valor del director para contarla de frente y sin caer en un panfleto vacío de ideas o llena de violencia barata, es lo que le da un coraje que se transmite totalmente en la pantalla. Malacrianza construye un diálogo profundo acerca de lo que significa la palabra esperanza en una región del mundo donde nos han hecho creer que esa palabra está fuera de los diccionarios.’’ Christian Sida
Arturo Menéndez (b. 1978, San Salvador, El Salvador) studied filmmaking at the New York Film Academy and screenwriting and literature at Escuela Superior de Artes y Espectáculos TAI in Madrid. He has directed several short films including Parávolar (2008) and Cinema Libertad (2010). The Crow’s Nest is his feature debut.
Credits:
Director/Writer: Arturo Menéndez
Producers: Alfonso Quijada, Santiago García Galván, André Guttfreund
Cinematographer: Francisco Moreno
Editors: Federico Krill, Emilio Santoyo, David Torres
Cast: Salvador Solís, Karla Valencia