Week of film and music is back for the 15th year running
Photo courtesy of Dan Russek.
From Sept. 16 to 21, the Hispanic Film Society of Victoria will celebrate the 15th annual Latin American and Spanish Film Week on campus at Cinecenta.
Dr. Dan Russek, UVic Hispanic Studies professor in the UVic School of Languages, Linguistics, and Cultures (SLLC) and president of the Hispanic Film Society of Victoria (HFS), started the event in 2010 as a way of introducing Latin American cinema to new audiences.
“It’s a way of going beyond the classroom, going beyond the conference venue,” he said.
Throughout the week, six films will be shown at Cinecenta, showcasing a variety of stories from Spain, Argentina, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The movies range from documentaries about local communities banding together to protect the environment (Una canción para mi tierra) to a gripping political action movie about a young woman who infiltrates a terrorist ring (La infiltrada), and lots in between!
This celebration of film presents the unique opportunity to see vibrant stories on the big screen — stories that often cannot be found on streaming services, or in local theatres. “Many of the films we bring will not reach Victoria if we don’t bring them,” said Russek.
Each film has been handpicked with both quality and diversity of story in mind. “We find a balance between something the public will like [and] something that’s saying something,” Russek told the Martlet.
This year the range includes everything from political and social commentaries to dramas exploring human relationships.
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, there will be a showing of Corazón Azul (Blue Heart), a “dystopian political sci-fi” film set against a backdrop of Castro-era Cuba. The director of the film, Miguel Coyula, will be in attendance and available for a Q&A after the screening. Coyula is also hosting an additional talk on campus titled “Deconstructing Blue Heart: Guerrilla Filmmaking in Cuba” on Sept. 17, for those further interested in the film and Coyula’s work.
The week of festivities will conclude with a “A Night of Cuban Rhythms,” a musical performance featuring Miguelito Valdés and his Quintet, and featuring guest singer Adonis Puentes. The concert will take place in the Phillip T. Young Recital Hall and will be followed by a Q&A session with the musicians.
“We need to offer something more than movies to make it more interesting, more interactive,” said Russek. To that end, they have hosted similar concerts with Latin American musicians, dances, and even poetry readings.
Russek wanted to emphasize the social aspect of the film week, and explained how the Cuban Rhythms performance fits into that. “Even though it’s not film, it’s culture, it’s music,” he said. “It’s also a way of supporting local artists.”
The live events, such as the concert and director’s talk, are part of the HFS and Russek’s goal to gather different groups of people and make the event more interactive for the audience. They want to eliminate barriers, both in terms of access to Latin American and Spanish culture, and access to arts events. For this reason they do not call the Film Week a “festival.”
“Festival sounds a bit intimidating, like a big event,” said Russek, who considers the label to be a misnomer. Unlike a film festival, the Latin American and Spanish film week is only six nights long, and includes no competition element for local filmmakers; their focus remains on sharing culture through movies. The Film Week is a small affair, and they intend to keep it that way.
The film week organizers would like to invite all students and community members to join the 15th anniversary of the festivities this year. All films will be shown with English subtitles, so those who are not Spanish-speakers may still enjoy the event.
Those who attend the films will be required to become members of the Hispanic Film Society of Victoria. The membership is valid for all film screenings, but is not required for the concert.
Student discounts are available for the concert with the presentation of a valid student ID.
Cinecenta said in an email to the Martlet that they are “thrilled to once again be the venue for this wonderful [event],” which Russek described as a “moving, real life work of art.”
