For The Opponents

From Viennale

Federico Luis follows Damián, a young boxer from Tepito, a Mexico City neighbourhood renowned for its boxing tradition. Captured on richly textured 16mm and shot almost entirely in close up, this intimate portrait emerged from a visit to a children’s boxing match with writer Mario Bellatin, aptly credited as the film’s lazarillo or guide. Winner of the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes, PARA LOS CONTRINCANTES finds tenderness amid the intensity of the ring, as Damián bobs and weaves between childhood play and the expectations of adult masculinity. (Hyun Jin Cho)