OPUNTIA

A Film by David Fenster

Sunday, March 11, 2018 - 7:00pm

OPUNTIA, a film by David Fenster (In Attendance)

Co-Presented by Cactus Store

Doors Open 6:30 P.M., Event Starts 7:00 P.M.

Tickets $14 General Admission / $12 VPES Members ==== ADVANCE TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT AS OF 3:00 PM ====

======A VERY, VERY, EXTREMELY LIMITED AMOUNT OF TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR==============

In 1528 Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca crossed the Gulf of Mexico on a raft made of melted armor and slaughtered horses. Over the next eight years, he walked across what is now the American Southwest and Northern Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. Experiences with various Native American groups transformed him from conquistador to shamanic healer. When he returned to Spain he wrote La Relación, a chronicle of his experiences in the "New World” and the first European book devoted completely to North America.

Tracing his route and the physical markers of his journey, OPUNTIA imagines his spiritual transformation along the way. Artist David Fenster uses psychics, mediums and poetic techniques to channel the struggles of Cabeza de Vaca as he wanders lost and naked from Florida all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Writer/Director/Cinematographer David Fenster will be in attendance to introduce the film and discuss with viewers during a post-screening garden reception. David’s films have screened at festivals and museums including: The Sundance Film Festival; The Museum of Modern Art; The Pérez Art Museum Miami; Machine Project; and The Hammer Museum. 

This screening is presented by the Cactus Store to celebrate being nominated by the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (CBHL) for their 2018 annual literature award, for their new book XEROPHILE, Cactus Photographs from Expeditions of the Obsessed. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. 

Images from the event!

This production is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs, by the California Arts Council, a state agency, and by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.