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KINO INTERNATIONAL RELEASES MARK BECKER'S ROMÁNTICO (2006) ON DVD.
"**** ACHIEVES WHAT MOST DOCS ASPIRE TO, BUT FEW CAN: A FEELING OF TRUTH." � Hank Steamer, TIME OUT NY
"MAY BE THE BEST DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR ... " � Ed Gonzalez, SLANT
After a successful theatrical rollout, Kino International is proud to release Mark Becker's feature-length documentary ROMÁNTICO (2006) on DVD. This "lovely, touching, moving" (A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES) portrait of Mexican musician Carmelo Muñntilde;iz Sáaacute;nchez was produced, shot, edited and directed by Mark Becker, who also directed the 30-minute short Jules at Eight (broadcast on PBS) and co-edited the award-winning doc Lost Boys of Sudan. With a prebook date of March 6, 2007, and a SRP of $29.95, ROMANTICO will be available to the general public on April 3.
Kino's exclusive DVD comes with an interview with director Mark Becker, a videotaped Q&A held at New York's IFC Center, previously unseen scenes, the theatrical trailer, a stills gallery and optional English subtitles.
More than just a documentary dispatch from the illegal immigration frontlines, Mark Becker's ROMÁNTICO evolves from a verite view of undocumented alien subculture to a deeply personal, "beautifully realized" (NY Post), and bittersweet dramatic story of family, fatherhood, identity and survival.
After premiering at the Sundance documentary competition in 2005, ROMÁNTICO won a Special Jury Prize at the Silverdocs Film Festival and, in 2006, received two nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards. Mark Becker's feature debut was also screened at the Karlovy Vary, Los Angeles, San Sebastian and several other international film festivals.
Following the troubadour as he returns to Mexico after years of working in San Francisco, ROMÁNTICO has been hailed as an unusual � and on reverse � immigrant tale. Depicting a man's life away from his family � and inside the competitive but lucrative American streets � this passionate doc focuses on Carmelo's life-affirming relationship with his country's music.
With his musical partner, Arturo Arias, Carmelo roams the streets of San Francisco playing love songs for tips at hipster dives and taquerías. But his stay in San Francisco ends abruptly when he learns that his ailing mother has taken a turn for the worse. Upon returning to Mexico, Carmelo sees his family for the first time in many years, but almost as soon as he arrives, realizes that he can't adequately support them. Without Arturo by his side, Carmelo finds himself working the mariachi circuit � weddings, quinceañntilde;eras, funerals� But the pesos don't add up to much. And with two young daughters to raise, Carmelo decides to plot a return trip back to the U.S.
By shooting on film instead of DV tape and trading overt political editorializing for intimate and ingenious storytelling that is "visual poetry on the run" (Newsday), Becker has created a film that is as urgent as today's headlines and as timelessly lyrical and beautiful as the music, land, and faith that are Carmelo's joy and salvation.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- An Interview with Director Mark Becker
- Q&A at New York's IFC Center
- Additional Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
- Stills Gallery
- Optional English subtitles
- Enhanced for 16x9 TVs
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