Permanencia Voluntaria has rescued hundreds of films and is seeking to challenge attitudes of neglect and classism towards their legacy while bringing awareness to the impact of cross-border collaborations.
From demons, ghosts, and vampires to Martians, mad scientists and spurned lovers, the heroes, and heroines of 20th-century Mexican popular cinema faced more than their share of enemies.
Few foes, however, have proved quite as formidable as the combined adversaries of time, critical snottiness, and oblivion – not to mention the odd earthquake of 2017.
Had they not been rescued from a dusty storehouse seven years ago, the original negatives of hundreds of Mexican movies featuring the likes of the silver-masked crime-fighting wrestler El Santo, a bikini-clad Batwoman, and the Satan-worshipping Panther Women would have been lost forever.
Salvation came in the form of Viviana García Besné, a filmmaker, archivist, self-described “popular film activist” and descendant of El Paso cinematic Calderón clan. Not only did her forebears own and operate 36 cinemas, but they also built a film studio and ran a production company, Cinematográfica Calderón, which turned out more than 250 films over seven decades.
We invite you to embark on a quest to rescue and reappraise Mexico’s cine popular at the time we unearth El Paso's unknown but incredible cinematographic past.
Tangible personal property. Examples may be real estate, oil, gas, or mineral interests.
Bequests, appreciated securities, life insurance, retirement plans, and charitable remainder trusts, and more.
Paso del Norte Community Foundation Film Funds help expand filmmaking projects in El Paso area
