The Department of Modern, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Gustavus Adolphus College and the Spanish Section are excited to announce that it will be hosting it’s third Latino Film Festival throughout February and April. All five films fall under a central theme of “Life on the Edge” in many senses of the phrase. Screenings will take place in Wallenburg Auditorium for the next five weeks beginning on Monday, February 27 and ending on Monday, April 3.
All films are free and open to the public and a list of films with their corresponding dates and times can be found below:
Monday, February 27, – Guaraní [Guarani], Luis Zorraquin, 2016 | Paraguay, Argentina
A heartfelt story, Guaraní follows fisherman Atilio as he travels with his granddaughter Lara to Buenos Aires. His great desire is to have a grandson to transmit the Guaraní culture. When he discovers that Lara’s mother, Helena is pregnant, he decides to go on a long journey and cross borders, with the aim to convince Helena to give birth in the Guaraní land…
Monday, March 6, – Ixcanul [Volcano], Jayro Bustamante, 2015 | Guatemala, France
A dreamlike depiction of the daily lives of Kaqchikel speaking Mayans on a coffee plantation on the base of an active volcano. Immersing us in its character’ customs and beliefs, Ixcanul chronicles unblinking realism, a disappearing tradition and a disappearing people.
Monday, March 13, – Who is Dayani Cristal, Marc Silver, 2013 | UK, Mexico
Deep in the sun-blistered Sonora desert beneath a cicada tree, Arizona border police discover a decomposing male body. Lifting a tattered t-shirt they expose a tattoo that reads “Dayani Cristal”. Who is this person? What brought him here? How did he die? And who – or what – is Dayani Cristal? As the forensic investigation unfolds, Mexican actor and activist Gael García Bernal retraces this man’s steps along the migrant trail in Central America. In an effort to understand what it must have felt like to make this final journey, he embeds himself among migrant travelers on their own mission to cross the border. He experiences first-hand the dangers they face and learns of their motivations, hopes, and fears. As we travel north, these voices from the other side of the border wall give us a rare insight into the human stories which are so often ignored in the immigration debate.
Monday, March 20, Bajarí [Gypsy Barcelona], Eva Vila, 2013 | Spain
Vila’s training as a musician and the Master in Art Critique that she holds, bring about the symbiosis between other arts and cinema that has helped her create audiovisual pieces like the Space of One Same (2009), portrait of the Catalan composer Josep Soler. Flamenco is one of the world’s few art forms that is believed to be passed down exclusively through bloodlines. For Barcelona’s Gypsy community, it cannot be learned at a school at a school or on paper. It is lived within the home, created at the bar, and perfected on the street corner. Bajarí goes to all those places with the dancer Karime Amaya who is working with some of the most talented up-and-coming musicians and dancers to create an innovative show and little 5-year old Juanito Manzano who takes his first steps to dance in it and earn his white flamenco boots. Their experiences form a journey of discovery of this living tradition and create an intimate portrait of how flamenco’s legacy is kept alive within Barcelona’s tight-knit Gypse community.
Monday, April 3, Malacrianza [The Crow’s Nest], Arturo Menéndez, 2014 | El Salvador, Canada
Don Cleo, a humble piñata salesman receives an extortion letter at his doorstep. If he doesn’t pay $500, a small fortune for him, within 72 hours, he will be killed. Don Cleo quickly decides to gather the money through friends, but the harder he tries to raise the funds, the deeper into trouble he gets. If Don Cleo hopes to survive, he’ll have to face his fears and stand up to his tormentors.With a magnificent use of deadpan humor and charm, The Crow’s Nest depicts a unique and realistic version of El Salvador, where evangelical churches, reverence for the concept of the American Dream, the local struggling economy, and violence are everyday experiences for its most vulnerable population.
Shot on location in neighborhoods controlled by gangs, the script was based on a collection of real stories.
Bring your friends and join us! There will be popcorn as well!
All synopsis taken from the Spanish Film Club website (pragda.com) and IMDb.
