Alex Riveraย’s new film Sleep Dealer won two awards at this yearย’s Sundance Film Festival, but thatย’s not why heย’s being featured in the November Cinema and Media Arts Festival. Heย’s here because curator Richard Herskowitz thinks he represents the future of media arts. Rivera makes feature films for theatrical release, but he also does work online, installations for galleries and video art. ย“[The festival] emphasizes media that was birthed out of the theater and into the streets,ย” Herskowitz says. ย“Alex Riveraย’s new feature film, Sleep Dealer, is a knockout. The premise is that weย’re in the future and the United States is importing Mexican labor from Mexicans that robotically control mechanical laborers. So weย’re getting their labor, but without their bodies.ย”

After todayย’s screening, you can hear Rivera speak tomorrow at ย“Video and New Works,ย” a conversation between the filmmaker and film curator Margarita de la Vega-Hurtado at the Aurora Picture Show. Lynn Hershman Leeson is the other filmmaker featured in the festival with screenings and talks (see www.cinemartsociety.org for details).

Todayย’s first screening of Sleep Dealer is at 2:30 p.m., Rice Media Center, 6100 Main. For information, call 281-888-3854 or visit www.cinemartsociety.org. Free. The second screening is at 7 p.m. River Oaks Landmark Theater, 2009 West Gray. For information, call 713-866-8881 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com. $8 to $10.

Thu., Nov. 20, 7 p.m., 2008

This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2008.