Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at 9:30 PM

MARIACHIS CON PANTALONES by Sonia Fritz

Bronx Film Wednesdays – Independent films you will love.

Mariachis con pantalones (Mariachis With Pants) is the story of Mireya Ramos, singer, violinist, arranger, and founder of Grammy winning all-women Mariachi band Flor de Toloache, and the band’s vocalist and vihuela player, Shea Fiol. The film travels with the acclaimed musical group for performances in New York City, California, and India — all the while challenging stereotypes in the music world and beyond!

Working against the grain of deeply entrenched masculinities and nationalisms in traditional music, the women of Flor de Toloache wear pants instead skirts, don big flowers instead of wide-brimmed sombreros, and are not apologetic about wearing high heels or looking gorgeous!  The band gives new meaning to traditional Mexican music and charro attire through their gender expression, diverse racial and national backgrounds, and daring contemporary musical fusions. Following the personal stories of key band members, the film takes us on a journey of passion, talent, and awe-inspiring struggle as the brava women of Toloache open doors for today’s and tomorrow’s artists and audiences.

  • 2020 Philadelphia Latino Film Festival
  • 2019 LOLA Award Honorable Mention

Director Sonia Fritz, longtime resident of Puerto Rico and an acclaimed name in contemporary documentary cinema, takes great gusto in telling the Flor de Toloache story, not least because it challenges traditions and mores of her native Mexico and its diaspora. Sonia’s rich filmography is known for tracking important and impactful stories at the intersections of culture, migration and gender.

MARIACHIS CON PANTALONES. 2019. Puerto Rico. 28 min. Spanish with English titles.

9:30 PM | Bronx Film Wednesdays Digital on BronxNet TV — This month’s films celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Hosted by Sonyi Lopez, featuring interviews with both musician Mireya Ramos and film director Sonia Fritz.

Also featuring shorts from 21 Islands International Film Fest:

Oslo. Director: Luis Ernesto Doñas. Cuba. 13 min
We’re Going To Paris. Director: David Norris. Puerto Rico. 9 min.

WAYS TO WATCH:

Pregones/PRTT
—Facebook Live: www.facebook.com/pregonesprtt
—Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/pregonesprtt

—YouTube: www.youtube.com/pregonesprtt

BronxNET TV
—Cable: 69 Optimum
—Cable: 2135 FIOS
—Web: www.bronxnet.org/watch/Ch4

Bronx Film Wednesdays (BxFW): Curated by film and media artist Melisa Ramos, this series screens new, little-seen, and standout indie films that you will love! Travel the world and open your mind to stories as wild and from as far as the imagination can go — romance, comedy, action, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, thriller, drama, music, sports, animation, documentary, and more! Carefully selected to illustrate cultural, aesthetic, and geographic diversity, each night includes specially selected features and winning films from our Bronx-based 21 Islands International Short Film Fest. Starting this month, BxFW goes digital in partnership with BronxNet Community Television, bringing its monthly screenings to online and cable television channels!

More About The Artists – Click To Open

SONIA FRITZ is an award-winning Mexican filmmaker and longtime resident of Puerto Rico, with a body of work that smartly addresses issues of gender, migration, culture, and the environment. She began her filmmaking career at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and later earned her MFA in visual arts from the Vermont College of Norwich University. Sonia is Professor of Literature and Cinema Studies at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Santurce. She has directed and produced numerous documentary and fiction films, including Mona, tesoro del Caribe (2017), 15 Lighthouses of Puerto Rico (2015), América (2011), El beso que me diste (2000), and Luis Capetillo: Pasión de justicia (1995). Her film Después de María: Las 2 orillas (2018), a hopeful look at Puerto Rico eight months after the devastation of Hurricane María, was screened at for Bronx Film Wednesdays at Pregones Theater in 2019. Sonia is also a co-director of acclaimed PBS series Latin Americans, winner of both the Peabody and Imagen Awards.

FLOR DE TOLOACHE make New York City history as its first and only all­-women Mariachi group. Founded in 2008, the band is lead by singers Mireya I. Ramos (founder) & Shae Fiol (founding member). Reminiscent of the early days of Mariachi the group started as a trio, Harp, Violin and Vihuela. Today, Flor de Toloache performs as a full mariachi ensemble. The members hail from diverse cultural backgrounds such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Australia, Colombia, Germany, Italy and the United States. This defines their unique flavor and sound. The result of this cultural bouquet is an edgy, versatile, and fresh take on traditional Mexican music. They coalesce as would a band of sisters, with a grace and vibrant beauty that casts a spell over their audiences not unlike the legendary Toloache flower still being used in Mexico as a love potion. While working to preserve centuries old traditions of Mariachi, their melange of the traditional and the modern pushes the boundaries of the genre and brings Mariachi music to new audiences. Flor de Toloache’s performances have illuminated world renowned stages in Europe and India. In November 2015, the group embarked on an extensive European and U.S. tour as the opening act of Black Keys’ singer Dan Auerbach’s new band, The Arcs. After performances to sold-out audiences in the UK, Germany, Holland, Italy, France, they continued to captivate crowds in the U.S. at legendary venues such as First Avenue in Minneapolis, The Vic in Chicago, Terminal 5 in New York, DC’s 930 Club, and Nashville’s Ryman Theater (The Grand Ole Opry). A spring 2016 West Coast Tour with The Arcs included Coachella Festival. The band headlined the March Is Music series at Pregones Theater in 2019. www.mariachinyc.com

Our Esteemed Funders – Click To Open

Special thanks to our media broadcast partners at BronxNet Community Television.

This program is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Southwest Airlines is the official airline of Pregones/PRTT. For a full list of our funders, visit www.pregonesprtt.org.

Logos of funding agencies.

Event Details

  • Location

    ONLINE & CABLE TV:
    Facebook Live
    Vimeo
    YouTube
    BronxNet Ch4
    69 Optimum
    2135 FIOS

  • Date & Time

    OCTOBER 7, 2020
    9:30 PM Eastern

  • Bronx Film Wednesdays

    FEATURED DIRECTORS:
    Sonia Fritz
    Luis Ernesto Doñas
    David Norris

    GUEST INTERVIEW:
    Mireya Ramos
    Sonia Fritz

    HOST:
    Sonyi Lopez