Film presentations highlighting works by Latino writers and directors. Screenings were followed by a discussion of the work moderated by CSUN faculty from Chicana/o Studies and Central American Studies, with special guest speakers.
Monday, September 19
1:00 pm - Chocolat (2000). Director: Lasse Hallström
When a single mother of Mayan heritage and her young daughter move to rural France and open a chocolate shop – with Sunday hours – across the street from the local church, they are met with some resistance from the rigidly moral community. But as soon as the townspeople discover their delicious products, their attitudes begin to change. 122 minutes. English with Spanish subtitles. Discussion moderated by Gerard Meraz, Chicana/o Studies Department.
3:00 pm - Spy Kids (2001). Director: Robert Rodriguez
When their international spy parents are kidnapped by Fegan Floop, Carmen and Juni Cortez must criss-cross the globe in a quest to save their parents. 88 minutes. In English. Discussion moderated by Gerard Meraz, Chicana/o Studies Department.
Tuesday, September 20
4:20 pm - Luminarias (1999). Director: José Luis Valenzuela
Four professional Latinas meet at an East Los Angeles restaurant called Luminarias to share secrets about their careers, love, family, and sex. 100 minutes. English with Spanish subtitles. Discussion moderated by Roberta Orona Cordóva, Chicana/o Studies Department.
Wednesday, September 21
11:00 am - 1932: Cicatriz de la Memoria (2002). Directors: Jeffrey L. Gould, Carlos Henríquez Consalvi
In 1932, the army and “citizen militias” in El Salvador brutally crushed an uprising of peasants in western El Salvador, killing 10,000 people. Survivors share their harrowing memories, many for the first time. The trauma resonated through six decades of military rule, until the 1992 peace accords ended a brutal, 12-year civil war. The film is based on 200 interviews with survivors and on archival research in El Salvador, Great Britain and the United States. 53 minutes. Narrated in English; interviews in Spanish with English subtitles. Discussion moderated by Beatriz Cortez, Central American Studies Department.
1:30 pm - Aventurera (1950). Director: Alberto Gout Abrego
Elena tries to make a new life for herself after her mother leaves her alone, but she is drugged, seduced, and forced to work as a dancer/call girl in a nightclub in Mexico. She soon rises to stardom as a dancer, but still plots revenge and escape. 101 minutes. Spanish with English subtitles. Discussion moderated by Ramón García, Chicana/o Studies Department.
Tuesday, September 27
12:30 pm - Romero (1989). Director: John Duigan
Romero is a compelling and deeply moving look at the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who made the ultimate sacrifice in a passionate stand against social injustice and the oppression in his country. This film chronicles the transformation of Romero from an apolitical, complacent priest to a committed leader of the Salvadoran people. 105 minutes. Discussion moderated by Douglas Carranza, Central American Studies Department.
Thursday, September 29
11:00 am - El Norte (1983). Director: Gregory Nava
A brother and sister, two young Indians from Guatemala, set out to find a better life when their father is killed by government soldiers and their mother is taken away. Their journey to the north, the “promised land,” is fraught with dangers and when they reach Los Angeles they are “illegals” submerged in an alien culture. 141 minutes. Spanish and English dialogue; English subtitles. Discussion moderated by Douglas Carranza, Central American Studies Department.
Monday, October 3
10:00 am -
- Requiem 29 (1971). Director: David Garcia
- Chicano Moratorium: March in the Rain. Director: Victor Millan
These two anti-Vietnam War documentaries tell the story of the August 29th, 1970 National Chicano Moratorium in Los Angeles and the death of Los Angeles Times journalist Ruben Salazar. 30/31 minutes. Discussion moderated by Jaime Pelayo, Chicana/o Studies Department.
12:00 pm - The Motorcycle Diaries (2004). Director: Walter Salles
An inspirational adventure based on the true story of two young men whose thrilling dangerous road trip across Latin America becomes a life-changing journey of self-discovery. Based on the books Notas de Viaje by Ernesto “Che” Guevara, and Con el Che por Sudamérica, by Alberto Granado. 127 minutes. Spanish with English subtitles. Discussion moderated by Vincent Gutierrez, Chicana/o Studies Department.
Wednesday, October 5
10:00 am - Maid in America (2004). Director: Anayansi Prado
An intimate look into the lives of three Latina immigrants working as nannies and housekeepers in Los Angeles, three of the nearly 100,000 domestic workers living in that city today. These women’s stories vividly reveal how immigrants are redefining their lives, and underscores the vital role they play in many American households. The issue of worker’s rights is introduced in the film through Dynamic Workers, a collective of the women who have formed their own business to provide job security and benefits, and Domestic Workers Association, a support organization providing information and advocacy. 58 minutes. English and Spanish with English subtitles. Discussion moderated by José Luis Benavidez, Journalism Department, with special guest Anayansi Prado, director.
1:00 pm - The Gatekeeper (2002). Director: John Carlos Frey
A racist, bitter U.S. Border Patrol Agent, moonlighting with a vigilante group, goes undercover posing as a Mexican migrant worker in an effort to expose an illegal alien smuggling operation. When the plan blows up, he is trapped with the aliens, in a web of desperation and tyranny that forces him to confront his secret past. 103 minutes. English with Spanish subtitles. Discussion moderated by writer, director and producer John Carlos Frey.
Tuesday, October 11
12:30 pm - A Bowl of Beings: Revolutionary comedy about life, death and pizza (1997). Directors: Bruce Logan and José Luis Valenzuela
Humorous presentation of the situation of Mexican Americans in modern society. Based on the play produced by Culture Clash. 58 minutes. In English and Spanish. Discussion moderated by Beatriz Cortez, Chicana/o Studies Department.
2:00 pm - Latino (1985). Director: Haskell Wexler
A Chicano Green Beret, sent to fight secretly in Nicaragua, begins to question what he is doing and why, especially when it becomes clear that many of the war’s victims are civilians. 108 minutes. In English with some Spanish. Discussion moderated by Annette Cardona, Chicana/o Studies Department.
Thursday, October 13
12:30 pm -
- Ánima (1989). Director: Frances Salomé España
Video art piece inspired by Dia de los Muertos. 1989; 5 minutes - El Espejo (1987). Director: Frances Salomé España
Video art piece in which distorted pictures and sounds are interspersed with the filmmaker discussing her childhood in East L.A. 6 minutes. English with some Spanish.
Discussion moderated by Elias Serna, MFA, Chicana/o Studies Department
2:00 pm - Night of the Dead in Michoacán (2002)
This film highlights the origins and customs of the Night of the Dead as it is practiced in the State of Michoacán, Mexico. 21 minutes. In English. Discussion moderated by Lara Medina and Yreina Cervántes, Chicana/o Studies Department