Grants & Awards

About the Film:

Narco Cultura explores a phenomenon blurring the lines between war and entertainment. To a growing number of Mexicans and Latinos in the Americas, the narco traffickers represent models of fame and success, the only way out of the ghetto. This film examines the cultural influences created by the cartels – the cycle of addiction to money, drugs and violence that, fueled by the drug wars, is rapidly gaining strength on both sides of the border. These are the personal stories of those entangled in this war, from the musicians and filmmakers who handsomely profit by exploiting the cartels’ brand of violence and vanity, to the man who collects the bodies the morning after.

About the Filmmakers:

Shaul Schwarz (Director) is an accomplished Israeli photographer, photojournalist and filmmaker. He began his career as a photographer in the Israeli Air Force and, after finishing his service, covered news in Israel and the West Bank before relocating to New York. Schwarz received two World Press Awards for his coverage of the conflict in Haiti in 2004. In 2005, he won the Visa D’or in Perpignan for his work photographing settlers from the Gaza Strip. His photos have appeared in numerous publications including Time Magazine’s Year In Pictures and Communication Arts.

Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen (Producers) established Parts & Labor Films in 2004. Past projects include Nik Fackler’s Lovely, Still, So Yong Kim’s Treeless Mountain, Cruz Angeles’ Don’t Let Me Drown and Bradley Rust Gray’s Exploding Girl. In 2010, they premiered Aaron Katz’s Cold Weather at South by Southwest and Cam Archer’s Shit Year in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes. Mike Mills’ Beginners was acquired by Focus Features for a spring 2011 theatrical release. Julia Loktev’s The Loneliest Planet is currently in post-production. Braden King’s HERE recently premiered in competition at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.