Canoa: A Shameful Memory

Canoa: A Shameful Memory

Directed by Felipe Cazals • 1976 • Mexico

One of Mexico's most highly regarded works of political cinema, CANOA: A SHAMEFUL MEMORY reimagines a real-life incident that had occurred just eight years before its release, when a group of urban university employees on a hiking trip were viciously attacked by residents of the village of San Miguel Canoa who had been manipulated by a corrupt priest into believing the travelers were communist revolutionaries. Director Felipe Cazals adopts a gritty documentary style to narrate the events in CANOA while referencing the climate of political repression that would lead to the massacre of student protesters in Mexico City shortly thereafter. The resulting film is a daring commentary on ideological manipulation, religious fanaticism, and mass violence, as well as a visceral expression of horror.

Canoa: A Shameful Memory
  • Canoa: A Shameful Memory

    Directed by Felipe Cazals • 1976 • Mexico

    One of Mexico's most highly regarded works of political cinema, CANOA: A SHAMEFUL MEMORY reimagines a real-life incident that had occurred just eight years before its release, when a group of urban university employees on a hiking trip were viciously att...

Extras

  • Guillermo del Toro on CANOA

  • Felipe Cazals and Alfonso Cuarón on CANOA

    This conversation between CANOA director Felipe Cazals and filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón took place in March 2016 at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, as part of the film’s fortieth anniversary celebration. It touches on CANOA’s inception and production, visual style, and relevance today, a...