The Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Gustavus Adolphus College will hold its first ever Hispanic Film Festival over the course of five weeks in February and March of 2013. The film festival is the result of grant money received from PRAGDA, a film distribution company funded by Spain’s Ministry of Culture.
“We are excited to hold our first Hispanic Film Festival on campus and we hope that through these beautifully narrated and crafted films, the larger Gustavus community will be invited to ponder the diversity within the Spanish-speaking world,” Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies (LALACS) Angelique Dwyer said.
Films included in the festival will feature different Spanish-speaking countries and topics related to human rights, social justice, race, gender and sexuality studies. Screenings will take place on Monday evenings at 7 p.m. in Wallenberg Auditorium and will be free and open to the public. The schedule for the film festival is as follows:
- February 25 – “Even the Rain”
As a director and his crew shoot a controversial film about Christopher Columbus in Cochabamba, Bolivia, local people rise up against plans to privatize the water supply.
- March 4 – “The Fish Child”
A desperate love story between two young women of different social backgrounds who, unable to find a place for their love in the world they live in, are pushed to commit a crime.
- March 11 – “La Yuma”
The story of Yuma, a strong-willed and rebellious girl from the working-class neighborhoods of Managua, Nicaragua, who dreams of being a boxer.
- March 18 – “Undertow”
An unusual ghost story set on the Peruvian seaside where a married fisherman struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his town’s rigid traditions.
- March 25 – “Chico and Rita”
Chico is a young piano player with big dreams, while Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey – in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero – brings heartache and torment.
“The films selected are all fiction feature films, representing different countries and providing a glimpse into the complex and contemporary realities of Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Peru, Cuba, Mexico, and Spain,” Dwyer said. “We hope these films will be excellent conversation starters for many future dialogues.”
PRAGDA is a Spanish film distribution company created to promote, disseminate, and maintain the legacy of Spanish and Latin American cinema through unique cultural initiatives. One of the organization’s goals is to promote Spanish and Latin American cultures in cities, towns, and institutes of higher education, which otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity or resources.
“It is an honor to receive support from the Spanish government as part of the Ministry of Culture’s collaboration program with U.S. colleges and universities to engage international audiences in topics of concern in the Hispanic world,” Assistant Professor of Spanish, LALACS and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies Ana Adams said.
In addition to the funds supplied by PRAGDA, other sponsors include MLLC, LALACS, English, History, Communication Studies, GWS, Theater & Dance, Scandinavian Studies, Religion, Peace Studies, Admission, Marketing and Communication, the Center for Servant Leadership, and the Nicollet Historical Society.
For more information about the Hispanic Film Festival at Gustavus, contact Dwyer at adwyer@gustavus.edu or 507-933-7419.
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