City of God and Chicano Cinema

New Wave is a term used to describe a group of films emerging at certain times out of specific cultural and historical contexts. New Wave films are categorised as having a distinctive style, ideology or attitude. These films can stretch the boundaries of film-making with low-budget films conveying an exuberance and freedom lacking in more mainstream films. Often such New Waves can help to revitalise the mainstream industries. In recent years, a New Wave in Mexican and Latin American, sometimes called CHICANO cinema has emerged with City of God, Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Y Tu Mama Tambien. These films are notable for their often anti-Hollywood and pro-movement ideals of promoting ethnic political consciousness and pride. They can also be defined as 'HETEROGENEOUS' emphasising difference, contradiction and plurity. This is in contrast to HOMOGENEOUS cinema (Hollywood) that tends to assert HOMOGENEITY - representing similar groups, stories and ideologies (The American Dream) through film. Here are three Chicano films - what similarities can you identify between these and City of God? What comparisons can you draw in terms of MESSAGES AND VALUES, THEMES, MISE-EN-SCENE, CINEMATOGRAPHY, EDITING, STYLE etc.?