One of the major voices of contemporary Mexican cinema (and currently a film professor at UC Berkeley), Nicolás Pereda has been featured in retrospectives around the world. This program offers a rare opportunity to view some of his evocative short films on the big screen, from his early Interview with the Earth, a docu-fiction hybrid look at how two children deal with tragedy, to the recent Flora, where an onlooker demands a role in Pereda’s films. The Palace opens the doors to a large house shared by multiple women, while Dear Chantal renders a moving, magical homage to Chantal Akerman.