The 22^nd Annual International Latino Film Festival will be held March 3-5, at the Mill Creek Cinema in McKinleyville from 6-10:20 p.m.

This long-standing community event is a collaboration of College of the Redwoods Humanities Department and Humboldt State University’s Department of World Languages & Cultures. Students and the general public are invited to view three outstanding films relating to the theme “Travel as Metaphor: Caminos Latinos”—“Y Tu Mamá También” (Alfonso Cuarón, 2001), “Truman” (Cesc Gay, 2015), and “Vivir Es Fácil Con Los Ojos Cerrados” (David Trueba, 2013). All films will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles.

The festival is free to students enrolled in SPAN/ HIST/ ES 396 and SPAN 9 courses. General Admission is $5 per film for the general public. For all questions regarding this event, please contact the HSU Department of World Languages & Cultures at 707-826-3226.

The guest speaker for this year’s festival is freelance cultural manager, writer, and teacher César Martínez-Lorenzo. Each evening, he will introduce the films and provide insight into the content and key social issues portrayed in the films. Following the screening, CR and HSU professors will share their impressions of the films, and together with Martínez-Lorenzo, they will engage the audience in a panel discussion in English.

As a linguist, Martínez-Lorenzo majored in Multimedia Language and Narratives and as a cultural manager, he has written papers on “Fiction in the global Village, new Paradigms” and “Liquid Life and Culture of the Intangible” among others.

As a cultural agent, he has designed projects involving the pairing of wine and culture, such as “El Vino y los 5 Sentidos” (La Rioja, Spain) and other cultural events for local wine makers where film, dance or theatre are used as storytellers, wine being the backbone of the story.

The films and panelists for this year’s festival:

March 3: "Y Tu Mamá También” (Alfonso Cuarón, 2001)

A coming-of-age story in which two Mexican teenage boys and an older woman embark on a road trip together and learn about life, sex, friendship, and each other. It offers an interesting portrait of the social, economic, and political forces that have shaped these characters throughout their lives. 

Panelists will include keynote speaker Martínez-Lorenzo, Freelance Cultural Manager, writer and teacher; Suzanne Pazstor, HSU Professor of History; and April Ruth Hoffman, CR Instructor of Geography and History. The moderator will be Nora Mounce, CR Instructor of Cultural Anthropology.

March 4: “Truman” (Cesc Gay, 2015)

Julián receives an unexpected visit from his friend Tomás, who lives in Canada. The two men, accompanied by Julián's faithful dog, Truman, will share emotional and surprising moments prompted by Julián's complicated situation.

Panelists will include keynote speaker Martínez-Lorenzo, Lilianet Brintrup, HSU Program Director and Professor of Spanish; and Gabrielle Gopinath, CR Instructor of History of Cinema and Art. The moderator will be Francisco Javier de la Cabada, HSU Professor of Spanish.

March 5: “Vivir Es Fácil Con Los Ojos Cerrados” (David Trueba, 2013)

   In Spain in 1966, an English teacher picks up two hitchhikers on his quest to meet John Lennon.

Panelists will include keynote speaker Martínez-Lorenzo; Marie Stoll, HSU Instructor of French & Francophone Studies; and Ryder Dschida, CR Instructor of History. The moderator will be Jonathan Maiullo, CR Instructor of English and English as a Second Language.

For more information on this event, please call Humboldt State Department of World Languages & Cultures at 707-826-3226.

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