MACARIO. A Tribute to Ignacio López Tarso

Mexico Now pays homage to renowned TV, theater, and film actor Ignacio López Tarso with a screening of the supernatural drama Macario. The film was the first Mexican work to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and it launched the actor to international fame. López Tarso acted in over fifty films and worked with directors such as Luis Buñuel, Roberto Gavaldón, Julio Bracho, and John Huston. The Macario screening will be followed by a Q&A with Susana López Aranda, López Tarso’s daughter and author of the book El Cine de Ignacio López Tarso (The Cinema of Ignacio López Tarso), about the actor’s filmography.

About Macario

Poor, hungry peasant Macario longs for a good meal on the Day of the Dead. When his wife cooks him a turkey, he meets three ghostly apparitions: the Devil, God, and Death. Each asks for some turkey, but Macario refuses them all—except for Death. In return, Death gives him a bottle of water that will heal any illness. Soon, Macario is wealthier than the village doctor, which attracts unwanted attention.

A newly restored DCP with english subtitles

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20% discount code for Mexico Now followers : TROPICAL20

Ignacio López Tarso was born in Mexico City in 1925. After failed stints in the seminary, the military, and as a salesman, he decided to study acting at the Academy of Dramatic Art of Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts. In 1954, he made his film debut in La desconocida by Chano Urueta, and a few years later, he had a small role in Luis Buñuel’s Nazarín. In 1960, he starred in Macario, which participated in Cannes official Palme d’Or competition, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Following the success of Macario, López Tarso starred in several movies including La sombra del Caudillo (1961), The Paper Man (1963), Autumn Days / Días de otoño (1963) and Cri Cri el grillito cantor (1964). Other film credits include The Golden Cockerel (1964), Tarahumara (1965), and Pedro Páramo (1967).

Susana López is a Mexican writer, film critic and journalist. She graduated from a Bachelor in Language and Hispanic Literature from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She has been the Director of the Muestra de Cine Mexicano in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Programming and Promotion Director at the Cineteca Nacional, and the International Coordinator for Mexico’s Fondo de Cultura Económica FCE. She has collaborated with multiple newspapers including Unomásuno, La Jornada, El Nacional and La Razón, as well as film magazines such as Cinemanía, Cine PREMIERE and Intermedios. She was the founder of Dicine, a film research and promotion magazine that was printed until 1997.

This event is presented in partnership with the Museum of the Moving Image and Cinema Tropical with additional promotional support by Grupo Miztli

Event information

Date: Sunday, November 19th, 2023

Time: 6:00 pm

Venue: Museum of the Moving Image

Address: 36-01 35th Ave, Queens, NY 11106

Map and Directions

Tickets: $15

20% discount code for Mexico Now followers : TROPICAL20

$11 Senior and Students / $9 Youth (ages 3–17) / Discounted for MoMI Members ($7–$11)

Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.

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MACARIO

A newly restored DCP with english subtitles

1960, B/W, 91:00 min

Direction: Gavaldón; Roberto

Script: Carballido; Emilio, basado en la novela homónima de B. Traven, Gavaldón; Roberto

Production: Orive Alba; Armando, Luis Celis; José

Photography: Figueroa; Gabriel

Sound: Bustos; Teódulo, L. Fields; James

Music: Lavista; Raúl

Cast: Lucero; Enrique, Fajardo; Eduardo, Pellicer; Pina, Jiménez; José Luis, Gálvez; José, López Tarso; Ignacio, Frank; Consuelo, Rodríguez; Mario Alberto

Art direction: Fontanals; Manuel