This semester, several departments have come together to put on the 4th Gustavus Latinx Film Festival which is a screening five films ranging from documentaries to drama, each directed by a latina woman. For this event, students gather in Wallenberg Auditorium every Monday to watch and enjoy a new film for class or just for fun. Each film incorporates Spanish or Latin American culture, or it addresses relevant issues in Spanish speaking countries. For example, Tempestad follows two women through their experience with the Mexican Drug War, and Estiu 1993 tells the story of a young girl adapting to a new family dynamic in a rural area of Catalonia, Spain. So far, the festival has featured Tempestad, El futuro perfecto, and Estiu 1993, and the remaining films to be shown are Que horas ela volta? and El techo.
Overall, students have enjoyed attending these events. After watching Estiu 1993, sophomore Spanish major Carly Turnquist said, “I really enjoyed the film this week” because “[it] felt real and vulnerable, [it displayed] a mixture of joy and pain.” Another Spanish student who is watching the films for his Spanish class, Reid Olson, said that he has enjoyed “see[ing] the differences between foreign films when comparing them to the typical Hollywood storylines,” storylines that most students are used to.
In total, the Latinx Film Festival provides students and the public with the opportunity to gain perspective on Spanish and Latin American culture, improve Spanish skills, and have a good time in the process. Faculty and students alike are already eager to see what movies will be selected for the coming year.
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