Natalia Almada creates intense, genre-bending films that blur boundaries and the line between personal and the social. Drawing heavily on her Mexican background, Almada’s films bring together disparate elements — archival audio recordings, home movie footage, literature, and closely observed moments — to create a distinctive and powerful body of work.

The recipient of a 2012 MacArthur Foundation “Genius” award and two-time Sundance winner, Mexican-American director Natalia Almada is one of the most celebrated documentary filmmakers of the last two decades.

The 5-disc DVD box set includes:

Disc 1: 

AL OTRO LADO (TO THE OTHER SIDE) (2005)

A Mexican musician faces a stark choice between drug trafficking and escaping to the US. “Lyrical” — Variety.

ALL WATER HAS A PERFECT MEMORY (2001)

A family tragedy leads to an exploration of remembrance. “Stunningly beautiful” — Visual Anthropology Review

Disc 2: EL GENERAL (2009)

The story of Almada’s great-grandfather — a revolutionary general and one-time President of Mexico with a complicated legacy. “Brilliant” — The Austin Chronicle

Disc 3: EL VELADOR (2011)

A documentary from the perspective of staff watching over a cemetery where many of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords lie. “Exquisite” — Variety

Disc 4: TODO LO DEMÁS (EVERYTHING ELSE) (2016)

Almada’s first feature drama, following a solitary lifelong bureaucrat and her inner world. “Makes a strong impression.” — IndieWire

Disc 5: USERS (2021)

A fascinating exploration of the unintended and often dehumanizing consequences of the belief technological progress will benefit humanity. “Mind-blowing” — Rolling Stone

“Rich, new perspectives… insightful and poetic.” —MacArthur Foundation

"A remarkable set... [Natalia Almada's] private expression of self and life is worth a good, long look." —Fulvue Drive-in.com

“One of the best things about living in the age of home viewing is the access it provides to films and filmmakers who aren’t multiplex material but are all the more interesting for it. Case in point: a new box-set release from Icarus that introduced me to the work of Mexican-American director Natalia Almada.” —theartsstl

“If cinema is the key to our emotions, then Natalia Almada has crafted the master skeleton key. Like the opening pages of a diary, every film offers a fresh scene, a new emotion, and a chapter of Mexican history brought vividly to life.” —Overly Honest Movie Reviews

“A visionary director dedicated to connecting form and message. Through this conscious construction, her movies, like a good corrido, merge the personal and the political.” —The Spool

“Illuminating! Humanity and empathy shine through in all of her films.” —The Flip Side

“An excellent introduction to a thoughtful filmmaker with an impeccable sense of framing and rhythm.” —Oregon ArtsWatch