Spanish Language Film Series

Films will be played in Spanish with English subtitles in the Suter Science Center 106 at 6:30 p.m.
All are welcome. Admission is free!

Introductions and student-led discussions will be in English.

Spring 2023

A Place to Breathe, (2020) Dir. Michelle Grace Steinberg

Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, 6:30 p.m. - SSC 106

A Place to Breathe explores the universality of trauma and resilience through the eyes of immigrant and refugee healthcare practitioners and patients. This feature-length documentary intertwines the personal journeys of those who are transcending their own obstacles by healing others. Combining cinema vérité and animation, the film highlights the creative strategies by which immigrant communitiesin the U.S. survive and thrive. The film weaves together the arcs of Rodrigue (DR Congo), Socheat (Cambodia), Norma (Guatemala), and the young couple Edgar and Yania (Mexico and Uruguay) as they pursue their dreams of supporting their communities’ healing. Common ground and chance connections join these unique stories as the film humanizes those who have migrated here, sharing their wisdom and perspectives that enrich and strengthen our communities. This is more critical than everwith the devastating effects that COVID-19 is having on communities of color and immigrant populations. A Place to Breathe moves audiences to envision new understandings of wellness for all.

 

Speaking in Tongues, (2009) Dirs. Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider

Monday, Mar. 20, 2023, 6:30 p.m. - SSC 106

Against the backdrop of “English-only" initiatives in 31 states, one school district is proving that speaking a foreign language can be an asset. Speaking in Tongues follows students from diverse backgrounds as they become bilingual in language immersion programs. Their stories traverse a number of perennial challenges facing America: economic inequality, de facto segregation, and increasing nativist backlash towards immigrants. As bilingualism begins to change the students, their families, and their communities, it emerges as a tool for shifting whatit means to be an American and a global citizen in a rapidly changing world. To explore the contentious debates surrounding the “English-only” movement, the film turns to Ling-chi Wang, a nationally known civil rights activist who pioneered efforts to establish multilingual education in the United States, and leads the charge in this school district.

 

Spring 2022

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, 6:30pm - SSC 106
Adios Amor (2018) Dir. Laurie Coyle

In ADIOS AMOR, the discovery of lost photographs sparks the search for a hero that history forgot— Maria Moreno, a migrant mother who sacrificed everything but her twelve kids in the passionate pursuit of justice for farmworkers. Years before Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta launched the United Farm Workers, Maria picked up the only weapon she had—her voice—and became an outspoken leader in an era when women were relegated to the background. The first farm worker woman in America to be hired as a union organizer, Maria’s story was silenced and her legacy buried—until now.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 6:30pm - SSC 106
Building the American Dream (2019) Dir. Chelsea Hernandez

Across Texas, an unstoppable construction boom drives urban sprawl and luxury high-rises. Its dirty secret: abuse of immigrant labor. BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM captures a turning point as a movement forms to fight widespread construction industry injustices. Grieving their son, a Mexican family campaigns for a life-and-death safety ordinance. A Salvadorian electrician couple owed thousands in back pay fights for their children’s future. A bereaved son battles to protect others from his family's preventable tragedy. A story of courage, resilience, and community, the film reveals shocking truths about the hardworking immigrants who build the American Dream, of which they are excluded.

Spring 2020

Wednesday, February 19, 2020
They Called Me King Tiger (2017) Dir. Ángel Estrada Soto   

In June of 1967, the court of Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, was assaulted by armed men under the command of Chicano leader Reies López Tijerina. The outcome of such bold action was the largest manhunt in the recent history of the United States. This documentary uncovers the story of the assault and aftermath, exploring whether violence can be used to create fairness, and discovering more about the life of a man who is spoken of as a saint. (Santa Fe Film Festival website)

Wednesday, March 18, 2020
500 Years (2017) Dir. Pamela Yates

500 Years tells the epic story that led Guatemala to a tipping point in their history, from the genocide trial of General Ríos Montt to the citizen uprising that toppled president Otto Perez Molina. While indigenous peoples of Guatemala are no stranger to oppression, the recent events that took place over a tumultuous three-year span, change finally seems possible when their movement is met with civil society's outcry to end corruption. (500 years website)

Spring 2019

Wednesday, January 30, 2019
La jaula de oro [The Golden Dream] (2013) Dir. Diego Quemada-Díez

Summary: Juan, Sara, and Samuel, three teenagers from the slums of Guatemala, travel to the United States in search of a better life. On their journey through Mexico, they meet Chauk, an Indian from Chiapas who doesn't speak Spanish. Traveling together in freight trains and walking on railroad tracks, they soon have to face an odyssey that will change their lives forever. This film contains violence and mature content. View discretion advised. 

Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Llevate mis amores [All of Me] (2014) Dir. Arturo González Villaseñor

Summary: Mexico and the United States share the greatest border between the first and the third world. That makes it a bridge for thousands of migrants who expose themselves to every danger as they travel through the country on a train called “The Beast.” That’s where they meet the Patronas, a group of Mexican women who, every day since 1995, make food and toss it to the helpless as the train rushes by. This documentary is an intimate approach, a personal diary that draws a border between the life they were given and the life they chose. In the midst of a country at war, in a world where all hope seems lost, the Patronas breathe life into a human value that seems to be fading with each day: love for one another.

Spring 2018

January 31, 2018
La teta asustada [The Milk of Sorrow] (2009) Dir. Claudia Llosa

 

February 13, 2018
Volver [Return] (2006) Dir. Pedro Almodóvar

 

February 27, 2018
En la puta vida [In this Tricky Life] (2001) Dir. Beatriz Flores Silva

 

Spring 2017 - Theme: Water

Wednesday, January 25
H2O MX (2014) Dirs. José Cohen & Lorenzo Hagerman

Tuesday, February 7
Glacial Balance (2013) Dir. Ethan Steinman

Tuesday, February 21
Tesoros decartados [Discarded Treasures] (2009) Dir. Ethan Steinman

Spring 2016 - Theme: Repression and Hope

Wednesday, January 23
También la lluvia (2012) Dir. Icíar Bollaín

Wednesday, February 6
El laberinto del fauno [Pan’s Labyrinth] (2006) Dir. Guillermo del Toro

Monday, February 18
Machuca (2004) Dir. Andrés Wood

Spring 2015 - Theme: Historical (Re)Visions

Tuesday, January 20
La historia oficial [The Official Story] (1985) Dir. Luis Puenzo

Tuesday, February 10
Voces inocentes [Innocent Voices] (2004) Dir. Luis Mandoki

Friday, February 20
Libertador [The Liberator] (2013) Dir. Alberto Arvelo
Cost: $1.50 [Sponsored by CAC]
Guest Panelist: Dr. Mary Sprunger

Spring 2014 - Theme: Journeys

Wednesday, January 22
No (2012) Dir. Pablo Larraín
Guest Panelist: Paulette Moore, Associate Professor, Visual and Communication Arts

Wednesday, February 5
La teta asustada [The Milk of Sorrow] (2009) Dir. Claudia Llosa
Guest Panelist: Barry Hart, Professor and Academic Director, Center for Justice & Peacebuilding

Monday, February 17
Al otro lado [To the Other Side] (2004) Dir. Gustavo Loza
Guest Panelist: Vernon Jantzi, Professor Emeritus, Sociology