The 10th annual Hispanic Film Festival, put on by the University of Puget Sound’s Hispanic Studies department, showcases five different critically regarded Spanish language films. The festival began on Oct. 22 and will run through November 19th.
The films that have already been screened include Con la para quebrada, an award winning documentary about portrayal of women in Spanish cinema, and La Yuma, a Nicaraguan drama film whose subject is an 18 year old girl who wants to be a boxer.
The Hispanic Film Festival is open to the public, free of charge, and films will be screened in Rausch every Wednesday at 6:30 PM until November 19th.
The films that are yet to be shown include 7 Cajas a Paraguayan crime drama; A Busca, a Brazillian film about family tensions and father son relationships; and finally, Chico & Rita, an animated adventure story about musicians who travel to New York and Las Vegas for the good of their careers.
All of the films being screened are rich in language and culture, and many have received critical recognition.
The Hispanic Film Festival gives students exposure to films they would not normally see. While the festival primarily caters to Hispanic Studies students at University of Puget Sound, all are encouraged to attend and the festival is open to the public.
Many students both inside and outside of the Hispanic Studies department appreciate the opportunity to see Spanish language films.
“I’m very sad to have missed the first two films, but I’m excited to see the next three. I definitely plan on attending all of them. I had already seen La Yuma and really appreciated it, but the rest of the films I’ve never even heard of. I’m a Spanish major and I love the exposure to the culture that the festival offers,” said sophomore and Hispanic Studies student Myles Rivera-Flam.
Students outside of the Hispanic Studies department are also excited about the festival.
“I love foreign films in general. I like that there are so many I haven’t even heard of being screened. I can’t wait to see Chico & Rita. It sounds really interesting,” said sophomore Jack Kelly.
This year, the Spanish Film Club at University of Puget Sound is involved with the festival. The festival’s objective is to expose students with varying backgrounds and interests to Hispanic and Latino cultures. The films are not exclusively in Spanish. The Portugese language and the Guraní language (an indigenous Paraguyan language) are also represented within the film selection. The films are subtitled giving all audiences, regardless of their Spanish language speaking ability, a chance to participate.
“I’m really excited to see 7 Cajas because, while I speak Spanish fairly well and have been exposed to many Spanish films, I have yet to see a film in Guraní. I also haven’t been very exposed to the Guraní language in general, so I’m excited to see how that sounds,” said Rivera-Flam.
The film festivals put on by the foreign language departments at University of Puget Sound give not only foreign language students an opportunity for cultural immersion, but also give students interested in film, politics, etc. a chance to explore and discuss films they might not otherwise have been exposed to.
“I’ve attended many foreign film festival events here at Puget Sound. I really like film and the opportunity to discuss it. It’s great from both a cultural and a film standpoint,” said sophomore Audrey Kaufman.
Of the remaining three films, 7 Cajas will be shown on November 5th; A Busca will be shown on November 12th; and the festival will end with Chico & Rita which will be shown on November 19th.
