THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA Galas

In a stunning directorial debut, actor Tommy Lee Jones also stars in THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA, an exquisitely crafted Western realist myth written by Guillermo Arriaga (AMORES PERROS, 21 GRAMS), who won on award at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival for his screenplay.

Jones ploys Lee Perkins, a fiercely independent Texas ranch hand living near the Mexican border. When his best friend, illegal immigrant Melquiades Estrada, is murdered in the wilderness, Perkins is painfully disconsolate in mourning his friend’s death while furious with the local Border Patrol authorities, who are unwilling to investigate the death of “just another” Mexican immigrant. Capturing the perpetrator and unearthing Melquiades’ hastily buried body, Perkins sets off across the vast Rio Grande expanse on horseback with his charges, back to Estrada’s hometown in Mexico to keep a promise and afford his friend a proper burial.

A Texas native, Jones has a tremendous personal investment not just in this taut and enthralling jigsaw of a tale, but also in his depiction of the vibrant West Texas landscape surrounding this dreary, deadened border town which is visited only occasionally by buses that are heading someplace else.