Presented by Bread Garden Market, Little Village, and FilmScene
DIALOGUE: Director Luke Lorentzen in person
Sunday, October 20, 7pm
Vino Vérité moves to The Chauncey with a thrilling cinematic exploration of emergency care in Mexico. Director Luke Lorentzen rides through the streets of Mexico City, sirens blaring, in the Ochoa family's private ambulance in this riveting film.
The Vino Vérité series features talented new voices and established filmmakers influenced by the vérité tradition in person to present their thought-provoking, chance-taking, and visually-arresting films. Each selection is paired with hand-selected wines from Bread Garden Market.
Tickets: $25 public / $20 for members. Includes wine tasting, film, hors d'oeuvres and filmmaker reception.
6:30 Hors d'oeuvres & wine tasting
7:00 Theater open for seating
7:15 Screening
8:30 Q&A + Reception with filmmaker, wine and dessert
"Fantastically shot by the director Luke Lorentzen, the documentary develops an urgency that suits the life-or-death stakes onscreen. By turns terrifying and exhilarating, Midnight Family unfolds with such velocity that it may take a while for your ethical doubts to catch up to what’s happening. When they do, they leave you gasping." —The New York Times
"Profound and thrilling cinema verité filmmaking." —RogerEbert.com
ABOUT MIDNIGHT FAMILY
In Mexico City’s wealthiest neighborhoods, the Ochoa family runs a private ambulance, competing with other for-profit EMTs for patients in need of urgent help. Racing through the streets to save lives is only part of the battle, as the Ochoas must also pursue payment from their clients upon arrival at the hospital. Lorentzen's lens captures both the heart-pounding thrills and heart-aching drama of a system fraught with moral ambiguity and institutional dysfunction. As the Ochoas struggle to balance patient care and making a living in this cutthroat industry, the film examines this collision of selflessness and selfishness with high-stakes immediacy.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Luke Lorentzen is a graduate of Stanford University's department of Art and Art History. His first film, Santa Cruz del Islote (2014) – a short documentary about a small and densely populated fishing community in Colombia – won awards at over ten international film festivals including the San Francisco International, Full Frame Documentary, Camden International, and Chicago International. Midnight Family (2019), tells the story of a family-run ambulance business in Mexico City. The film won a Special Jury Award for Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival, played as part of New Directors/New Films. Luke is also a director and producer on the Netflix documentary series, Last Chance U (Season 4). His work explores elements of everyday life, often through rigorous formal means, questioning and experimenting with the ways in which non-fiction stories are told. Originally from Connecticut, Luke currently lives on the road, most recently working on projects in Kansas, Mexico City and Italy.?
Sundance (2019) — U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography
CPH:DOX (2019) — Special Jury Mention, F:act Award
Sheffield Doc/Fest (2019) — Grand Jury Award
Guadalajara International Film Festival (2019) — Premio Mezcal for Best Film
True/False (2019) — Official Selection
"Midnight Family is outstanding alone for being one of the most remarkably filmed documentaries of the decade." — Film Inquiry
"A compelling documentary that blends the engaging family dynamic of a Kore-eda drama with the socio-economic realities of a Ken Loach classic." —Screen International