As October 2 passed this year, I considered writing a bit about the 1968 attack in Mexico City, about the incredible 1989 movie Rojo Amanecer, and the saying “2 de Octubre, no se olvide”. But I didn’t.

So when the news story about the upcoming film, Tlatelolco: Mexico 68, came across my desk this week, I knew that I should give it a little coverage.

First, a little background, quoted from the ABC News article:

Remembered as the Tlatelolco massacre, the 1968 attack remains shrouded in mystery. The [October 2] student protest in Mexico City ended in slaughter just days before Mexico hosted the 1968 Olympic Games. Witnesses said troops shot dead hundreds of protesters, while officials say communist agitators fired first, provoking a shootout that killed about 30.

The government has basically never ‘fessed up to the crime, and it’s possible that as time goes on, all that were involved are getting older, and the truth may die with them. Since the attack, Mexico has the famous saying, “2 de Octubre, No Se Olvide”, “October 2, Never Forgotten”.

An incredible Mexican movie was made in 1989 about these attacks, all scenes shot basically inside an apartment that looks out onto the square where the massacres occur, and how it affected the family that lived there. This movie, Rojo Amanecer, supposedly will be out on video this December.

And now, bringing more attention to the topic, American and Mexican filmmakers have teamed up to bring us Tlatelolco: Mexico 68, which will take a different spin on the day, by having an American journalist cover the 1968 Mexico Olympics get caught up in the massacre.

Starring John Leguizamo and Ryan Phillippe, the film should be out next year.

Rojo Amanecer; Tlatelolco: Mexico 68

ABC News Via / Hispanic Tips