‘LALACS’ Category

Meet our Spanish Departmental Assistant: Itzell Martinez

  Hi, my name is Itzell Martinez, I am a senior pre-dental Spanish major and LALACS minor here at Gustavus. On campus I am involved in the tri sigma sorority, secretary and publicist for the pre-dental club, OLAS, and a Gustie Greeter. I am from Maplewood, MN and this year I have the pleasure of […]

5th Gustavus Latinx Film Festival: Ema, a Woman on Fire

  The film “Ema” starts with a fire. Specifically, it begins with the visage of a burning stoplight, and the screen pans out to reveal a woman holding a blowtorch. This woman, Ema, is setting fire to the streets. The film, directed by Juan de Dios Larraín, tells the story of this fire-starter, a dancer […]

Guie’Dani’s Navel : 5th Gustavus Latinx Film Festival

The film, Guie’Dani’s Navel is a story quite different from others in its category with a strikingly intense main character. The movie is directed and written by Xavi Sala who portrays a story of a young girl rebelling her reality while yearning for more than servitude. The film uses long silences that may seem dull […]

Neither Hero Nor Traitor : 5th Gustavus Latinx Film Festival

  The film Ni Héroe ni Traidor, directed by Nicolas Savignone, is a powerful look into the pressures on a young Argentinian thrown into the conflict over the Falkland Islands with Great Britain in 1982. Initially, the audience is introduced to the protagonist, Matias, who is in the midst of a life typical to that […]

Perro Bomba: : 5th Gustavus Latinx Film Festival

Despite being the directorial debut of Juan Cáceres, Perro bomba manages to present an  extremely compelling and nuanced look at the vulnerabilities experienced by Haitian immigrants  in Chile. The film follows Steevens, an established Haitian immigrant who, at first glance, seems  to be leading a reasonably comfortable life. He has friends, a job, a roof […]

Birds of Passage: 5th Gustavus Latinx Film Festival

Pájaros de verano (Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra) is an indigenous narrative, detailing the corrosion of a native Wayuu family caught within the 1970s drug trade. This film is not meant to be an easy watch, but a slow digestion that leaves the audience craving more about Colombia’s economic and social situation. After viewing the […]

Cultural Event Reflection: The Honduran Exodus and Climate Crisis

This presentation was one of many given by representatives from multiple activist organizations, including Comunidades Organizado el Poder y La Acción Latina (COPAL) and La Vía Campesina, throughout Minnesota in order to inform Americans about the exodus and climate crisis in Honduras. Since the 2009 military coup, the new Honduran government has adopted neo-liberalist policies that have led […]

Eradicating Peace: The Other Side of the Colombian War on Drugs

At this event, representatives from Witness for Peace, a human rights organization, gave a presentation on human rights violations in Colombia. Leider Valencia, a representative from Coordinadora Nacional de Cultivadores de Coca, Amapola, y Marihuana (COCCAM), led the presentation. As a small farm owner in rural Colombia, he, along with many of his fellow farmers, were forced to cultivate […]