By MICHAEL GINGOLD
A documentary on the director and the mystery of his life is coming as well.
“Love, Blood, & Aztec Demons: The Lost Films of Juan F. Moctezuma II,” a retrospective showing of five lost short films, will take place next Monday, September 9 at The Los Angeles Film School (6363 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood). You can RSVP for this free screening, with doors opening at 5:30 (with gratis food and photos at 5 p.m.), here. The event was put together by Alaric S. Rocha, who says, “The underground cult figure Juan F. Moctezuma II was a Mexican horror director from the 1960s and ’70s [no relation to ALUCARDA/THE MANSION OF MADNESS filmmaker Juan López Moctezuma]. He spent his life trying to make a Hollywood film to win back the heart of his love and muse, actress Lisa De La Luna, who was stolen from him by a luchador–the masked Mexican wrestler renowned for his showmanship. In 1977 Moctezuma finally made the Hollywood film 1000 PATHS OF DEATH for Lisa, but for some reason, he stole the footage and disappeared.
“After 10 years of tedious restoration, I have finished collecting and restoring Moctezuma’s lost films. This work will culminate in a documentary film entitled WHERE IS JUAN MOCTEZUMA?, which includes in-depth interviews with those who knew him best. As a Moctezuma scholar and the primary restorer of this project, this has been a deeply personal, 10-year journey for me. As the child of Mexican immigrants, I have sought to reconnect with my heritage through this project and engaging with Moctezuma’s works; in its completion, I hope to earn the privilege of calling myself Mexican.” We’ll keep you posted on the doc’s progress!
