Bowdoin College Hosts Latin American Film Festival: Bowdoin College’s LACLaS Program will organize “Cine Hoy: A Fresh Look at Contemporary Latin Films.” a six-week Latin American film festival. This festival will show films about social and cultural issues. LACLaS at Bowdoin’s 25th anniversary celebrations will run all year, including the fair. PRAGDA Spanish Film Club and other student organizations are organizing it.
The festival will begin with “Los Lobos,” a Mexican family drama on southern U.S. border immigration. “Ail,” a documentary based on Bowdoin postdoctoral teaching fellow Cuellar’s research, will premiere in the U.S. at the last showing. When El Salvador was in civil strife in the 1980s, many women were sexually raped. This movie looks into this.
El Salvadoran Cuellar said the festival aims to “highlight and honor the presence of the Latin American and Latinx population not only in the U.S. but also in Maine.” She thanks Bowdoin College, especially the LACLaS Program, and its director, Margaret Boyle. Teachers and students will answer questions after watching all the movies on campus or at the Eveningstar Cinema in downtown Brunswick.
The documentary “Ail,” which will premiere in the U.S. at the festival, is crucial to Cuellar. She has extensively studied raped women during the Salvadoran civil war. The video is part of her academic mission to “make visible the stories of those women whose voices have been overlooked, neglected, and silenced for so long,” she added. Julio López Fernández, the film’s director, and Margaret Boyle, the LACLaS Program director, will discuss the film afterward.
Cuellar gave a summary of “Ail” by saying, “Once upon a time, an indigo spirit stopped in El Salvador and heard the story of a country hurt by centuries of violence and tired of it. The thing that surprised the spirit the most is that there are still so many cuts. The spirit then chose to bring together three young actresses to share the stories of women who were raped during that country’s civil war. This is what happened.”
The festival is a neighborhood event and a school project. Margaret Boyle commented, “We are excited to celebrate new Latin American films and have meaningful conversations about these stories with the Brunswick community.” The festival is expected to boost Brunswick’s and the college’s culture. It will let individuals discuss critical social issues and get to know each other.
The festival’s first film, “Los Lobos,” is about migrants at the U.S.’s southern border. The festival aspires to highlight social and cultural issues, and this Mexican family drama sets the tone. A Q&A for audience interaction and learning will follow each movie.
The Bowdoin College Latin American Film Festival aims to be a cultural and educational landmark. It will discuss significant social issues while celebrating Latin American and Latinx communities. The event should be fun for everyone with department and community support.
Our Reader’s Queries
What is the largest Latino film festival?
LALIFF is the top global event for celebrating the Latino cultural experience through various forms of artistic expression such as film, TV, music, and visual art. It’s all about embracing the diverse and rich Latino human experience.
What is the LACLaS major at Bowdoin?
The LACLaS program at Bowdoin enhances comprehension of the varied cultures and intricate historical and present-day connections of Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Latinas and Latinos in the United States.
What is the Lleida Latin American Film Festival?
The Lleida Latin-American Film Festival (Catalan: Mostra de Cinema Llatinoamericà de Lleida, or Mostra de Lleida) is a cinematic event held in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain, dedicated to recognizing and honoring Latin American films.