Our Make it a Double series returns Friday, December 13 with two off-the-wall, Afro-Futurist satires from the eclectic mind of Miguel Llansó that mock and redefine mythology, identity and popular culture, Crumbs (2015), and Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway (2019).  

Does life in the 21st Century feel like being trapped in an inescapable dystopian technoculture? Director Miguel Llansó seems to think so, and his films are original and hilarious riffs on that very idea. A philosophy student born in Spain, working in Ethiopia and currently living in Estonia, Llansó’s satirical spoofs are as diverse in their ideas and visual styles as are the people and cultures represented on screen. His ability to mix pop culture artifacts and film genres with sharp political satire and a diverse sense of world culture makes for an evocative and deeply entertaining experience for film lovers. FACETS is screening two of his most wildly ambitious features; Crumbs (2015) and Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway (2019) – both smart, thought-provoking and often outlandish satires. 

Crumbs follows a scavenger in a post-apocalyptic Ethiopia, gathering up consumer goods that are the artifacts of western pop cultures that have come and gone. In Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway, a CIA agent in the future is trapped in a virus-corrupted virtual reality simulation. Both features star Ethopian stage and film star Daniel Tadesse, who collaborated closely with Llansó on and offscreen. 

With eccentric and distinctive visual styles, these delirious punk visions poke fun at media and power structures with all countries, film genres and satirical targets placed on equal footing. His ability to bend and repurpose pop culture to hit his targets is amply apparent in this exciting double bill. FACETS is proud to introduce audiences to the lively, endlessly inventive world of this uniquely gifted filmmaker in presenting these two unforgettable features. 

This screening was programmed by FACETS Customer Service Representative, Lee Kepraios.