Archive of films In the Pit / En el hoyo
Mexico
2005, 85 min
Section:
Documentary Films - Competition
Year: 2006
There’s an old Mexican legend which says that, whenever a new bridge is completed, the devil demands one soul in exchange for its preservation. A compelling chronicle of the days the director spent with several workmen hired for the construction of the largest freeway bridge in Mexico City; the winner of the international documentary film competition at this year’s Sundance festival.
Synopsis
The winning film in the World Documentary Competition at this year’s Sundance festival is a compelling chronicle of the days the director spent with several workmen hired for the construction of the second layer of the Periférico freeway in Mexico City. Together with Rulfo, we observe their toil, often in highly risky situations, but also listen to the joking, swearing and philosophising of Shorty, El Grande and other heroes of the ordinary workday. The phenomenon of the ubiquitous yet invisible, constantly changing freeway provides the director with invaluable material for psychological profiles of individuals working in this “compressed” environment. Using a disarmingly natural approach, Rulfo’s film combines civil aspects with elements of mysticism, set against the background of street sounds clunking to the industrial rhythm. In the Pit, another example of the remarkable Mexican documentary school of recent years, proves that an inspired social probe can be filmed with exceptionally creative invention.
About the director
Juan Carlos Rulfo (b. 1964, Mexico City) graduated in communication sciences and later film direction at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica. His graduation film, the short Grandfather Cheno and Other Stories (El abuelo Cheno y otras historias, 1994) was nominated for a Student Oscar. Rulfo’s feature-length documentary debut Juan, I Forgot, I Don’t Remember (Del olvido al no me acuerdo, 1999) was screened at many festivals, including Toronto, San Francisco, Havana and Sundance.
Contacts
Funny Balloons
4 bis rue Saint Sauveur, 75002, Paris
France
Tel: +33 140 130 586
Fax: +33 142 333 499
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.funny-balloons.com
La Media Luna Producciones
Felipe Villanueva 98-201, Col. Guadalupe Inn, DF 01020, Mexico City
Mexico
Tel: +52 55 568 163 81
Fax: +52 55 568 163 81
E-mail: [email protected]
About the film
Color, 35 mm
European premiere
Section: | Documentary Films - Competition |
---|---|
Director: | Juan Carlos Rulfo |
Dir. of Photography: | Juan Carlos Rulfo |
Music: | Leo Heiblum |
Editor: | Valentina Leduc |
Producer: | Juan Carlos Rulfo |
Production: | La Media Luna Producciones |
Contact: | Funny Balloons, La Media Luna Producciones |
www: | www.enelhoyo.com.mx |
Guests
Peter Danner
Buyer, Sales Agent
Juan Carlos Rulfo
Film Director, Film Director