The result of a 1935 commission from the Mexican government for the production of a documentary film that portrayed the social reality of the fishermen of Alvarado, near the city of Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico, Redes is today recognized as one of the most relevant works in the history of Mexican cinema, namely for its pioneering approach to themes and social ideas that had arisen during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) and, here in particular, for the description of the way the local businessmen exploited the fishermen.
Although certain changes to the initial project transformed the documentary into a work of fiction, co-directed by Emilio Gómez Muriel and Fred Zinnemann (both, at the time, at the beginning of their careers), the script was based in real facts and the film featured acting by the actual fishermen of the community, anticipating the Italian neorealist movement and inspiring the birth of classic Mexican cinema.
Redes’ soundtrack, by Silvestre Revueltas, is considered one of his finest compositions and makes for an expressive addition to the visual work of director of photography Paul Strand.
The copy which will be screened at this edition of the Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival is a result of a restoration performed by the Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project at the Cinemateca de Bolonha/L’Immagine Ritrovata’s lab, in association with the UNAM Filmotheque and financed by Armani, Cartier, Qatar Airways and Qatar Museum Authority.