Scorched Water

Atl Tlachinolli 1

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Atl Tlachinolli 2

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Atl Tlachinolli 3

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Atl Tlachinolli 4

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Alexander Hick

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Atl Tlachinolli

Fischer

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Atl Tlachinolli

Fisch

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Plakat

Kino Plakat

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"In order to escape being sacrificed, the God Xólotl transforms himself into a salamander, fleeing from what he once was. His death was necessary in order to bring forth a new era."

So relates the voice in the essay film Atl Tlachinolli (Scorched water), which tells of the search for the Axolotl, a salamander that lives in the lakes surrounding Mexico City. The Axolotl- an Aztec word for "water monster"- lives its entire life in the water, refusing to undergo metamorphosis and conform to terrestrial life. The animal was seen for the last time in its natural habitat in 2014. A fishermen who survives on the outskirts of the megalopolis tells of its disappearance. Cognizant of the mythological immortality that surrounds the strange creature, he expresses the desire to transform into one himself.

Taking up this mythology of transformation from god to animal as a metaphor for Mexico City itself, the director accompanies a corrupt policeman and brutal gang members in the sprawling suburbs of the megalopolis. He examines the struggle for survival in what was the former lake of Mexico but is today the habitat of 23 million people. As an essayistic inquiry into survival and adaptation, the film casts its gaze on that which remains.

Nyon Visions Du Réel Festival für Dokumentarfilm //21.4.2015

Nomination in the category Regard Neuf

DOK Leipzig//27.10.2015

Nomination in the category Deutscher Wettbewerb

Les Ecrans Documentaires, Paris//5.11.2015

Nomination in the category 1er Film

Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia//24.10.2015

Signes de Nuit Film Festival Paris//27.11.2015

Award in the category Cinema in Transgression, Main Award

Riviera Maya Film Festival//25.6.2016

Nomination in the category Plataforma Mexicana

Encuentros del otro cine, EDOC//20.5.2016