The 16th annual film week featured a ‘film conversation’ for the first time this year
Photo by Sabina Mendoza.
From Sept. 23 to 27, the Hispanic Film Society of Victoria hosted the 16th Latin American & Spanish Film Week at UVic’s Cinecenta.
The Latin American & Spanish Film Week began in 2010 as a way to promote UVic’s Spanish, Latin American and Hispanic Studies courses, and has since grown into a community event. The Hispanic Film Society of Victoria was established in 2013 with the goal of promoting Latin American and Spanish culture to Victoria.
Dr. Dan Russek, professor of Hispanic Studies and the Film Society’s president, said that “We bring movies from all over Latin America, […] and films from Spain. So it’s a small event, it’s not a film festival…. But I think we contribute to the art scene at UVic and in town.”
Russek explained that when curating the film lineup, “the idea is to cover the most bases possible without having one idea in particular.” This year’s lineup included two documentaries, a dry comedy, a psychological thriller based on a true story, and a family drama. To Russek, the movies brought to Film Week must be interesting first and foremost.
This year, the films shown were ¡Las Sandinistas! (The Sandinistas) (2018), Un cabo suelto (A Loose End) (2025), Marco, la verdad inventada (Marco, the Invented Truth) (2024), Reinas (Queens) (2024), and La Salsa Vive (Salsa Lives) (2025), with one film per night.
The film week ended with a concert in the Phillip T. Young Recital Hall, featuring Mariachi sin Frontera, Cuban piano player Pablo Cárdenas, and marimba player Robin Layne and the Rhythm Makers.
My personal standouts this year were ¡Las Sandinistas! and Marco, la verdad inventada.
¡Las Sandinistas! is a documentary about the female revolutionaries of the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. Featuring interviews with the now-60-year-old women in 2014, ¡Las Sandinistas! highlights their experiences pre- and post- revolution, and their ongoing fight for equal rights under the authoritarian rule of Daniel Ortega and his wife. The documentary is carried by the charisma of the revolutionary fighters combined with archival footage. The story recounted belongs to the revolutionaries, and the documentary recognizes their continued dedication to a better Nicaragua.
Marco, la verdad inventada is based on the true story of Enric Marco, the former chairman of the Spanish Association of Holocaust victims, who was exposed in 2005 for not being a Holocaust survivor. Using truly incredible cinematography and the motif of mirrors, Marco, la verdad inventada creates high tension. The film, as a masterful character study, sits with Marco as the weight of his lies comes to light.
“The event has evolved,” said Russek. “Each year we try to bring more than movies. We bring a director to interact with the audience. It’s always very interesting to hear from a director. Maybe a panel, invite people to speak after the movie. This year [we did] something that we’ve never done…. a film conversation.”
This film conversation took place after Marco, la verdad inventada. Before the film conversation, Dr. Kristin Semmens, associate professor of history, gave a short presentation on Holocaust memory in Spain, exploring the context and posing questions about it. With Russek and Semmens as moderators, audience members were welcomed up to the stage in two groups to engage in the discussion. While the questions served as a starting point, the group I was part of also found our own topics to discuss.
“I think the film world has changed a lot,” said Russek. “Young people watch movies on their phone, at home — there’s no need to go to the movie theatre. But we wanted to create some interaction among audience members and make people talk to each other.
“This was a good opportunity — and I’m a professor, so I believe in talking and listening and sharing ideas — and it’s so revealing when you listen to someone else. They might see something you didn’t see.”
Overall, the 16th Latin American & Spanish Film Week was a week of fascinating films, with a fun concert to cap off the week. It didn’t disappoint, and I’ll definitely be attending next year to see what more they have to offer.
