Still image from: Columbus on Trial
“El Museo de la Academia de Cine de Los Ángeles le ha rendido un homenaje a una cineasta mexicana que por casi 60 se ha dedicado a contar historias en la pantalla grande y que llegó a estar nominada a un Oscar. En entrevista con Luis Sandoval, Lourdes Portillo compartió su emoción por el reconocimiento a su trabajo.”
— Despierta América
“The vignette, Significant Movies and Moviemakers: Lourdes Portillo, highlights the life and career of the documentarian, visual artist, journalist, and activist. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico and raised in Los Angeles, Portillo's documentaries blend experimental and traditional modes of storytelling to focus on themes of identity and social justice in the US and Latin America. This gallery focuses on key projects including Las Madres: The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo (1985), La Ofrenda: The Days of the Dead (1988), The Devil Never Sleeps (1994), and Señorita Extraviada/Missing Young Woman (2001). This vignette is curated by assistant curator Sophia Serrano.”
— Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Lourdes Portillo and filmmaker, poet and collaborator Nina Serrano created their film After the Earthquake/Después del Terremoto in 1979.
In 2022, The National Film Preservation Foundation has announced their support for the preservation of the film’s original 16mm print, among 63 other films! The work will be done by specialists at UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, where several of Lourdes’ other films are archived.
“The program proposes links between artists across time, beginning with those who were ahead of theirs: firstly, it showcases the work of pioneers such as Sara Gómez, Valeria Sarmiento, Narcisa Hirsch, Amanda Lucía Turquetto, Margot Benacerraf, María Luisa Bemberg, Marie Louise Alemann and Lourdes Portillo. All of these artists fought the reigning machismo within a filmmaking scene dominated by men. Each of them, in addition, navigated massive changes in their local film industries and survived, creating work amidst the tensions of dictatorships and new democracies in many territories across Latin America.”
—Cecilia Barrionuevo, Curator, translated by Alejandro Eduarte
In April 2022, Lourdes Portillo was honored as one of the six honorees in “the 2021 Essential SF,” presented by SFFILM.
“Essential SF is an ongoing project that shines a light on the region’s legendary, idiosyncratic, and multifaceted contributions to film culture in the Bay Area.” —SFFILM
Photo courtesy of SFFILM. Photo by Pamela Gentile
Read MoreFEATURING PANELISTS:
-Lourdes Portillo
-Trevor Paglen
-Kate Crawford
-José Falconi
-Irving Domínguez, moderator
