Spanish Language Film Series
Films will be played in Spanish with English subtitles in the Suter Science Center 106 at 6:30 p.m.
All are welcome. Admission is free!
Introductions and student-led discussions will be in English.
Our annual spring film series is a venue for introducing the 糖心Vlog community to diverse cinemas and ways of storytelling. Professors introduce and contextualize films from different parts of the Spanish-speaking world, and after the screening, engage the public in a discussion. The films and discussion deal with contemporary issues like war, peace, justice, cultural identity, race, class, gender, and environmental sustainability. Past film series themes include Water, Repression and Hope, Journeys, Historical Revisions, and Surviving Childhood.
Spring 2025
El Cacao: The Challenge of Fair Trade, (2015) Dir. Michelle Aguilar
Monday, Feb.10, 2025, 6:30pm. - SSC 106
EL CACAO exposes the dark side of chocolate production in Latin America by examining the economics of Fair Trade from the point of view of the indigenous farmers as they attempt to sustain their community through the growth, harvest, and trade of cacao beans in the global market.
No place to grow, (2020) Dir. Michelle Aguilar
Monday, Mar. 17, 2025, 6:30pm. - SSC 106
No Place to Grow follows a group of Latinx farmers who find themselves representing a movement to
save the last green space centered within a neighborhood facing gentrification in
Santa Cruz, Ca. Over time we find out what happens when migrated farming traditions
intersect with the 鈥渦rban growth machine鈥. Set in a small city known for its liberal
ideology, a community becomes conflicted as the fate of the garden is in jeopardy.
Spring 2024
Ricochet, (2021) Dirs. Jeff Adachi and Chihiro Wimbush
Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, 6:30pm. - SSC 106
RICOCHET is a documentary feature film about the trial of an undocumented immigrant, Jose In茅s Garcia Zarat茅, for the accidental shooting of a young woman, Kate Steinle on Pier 14 in San Francisco in July of 2015. The incident gains national attention when Donald Trump exploits this on the campaign trail for the anti-immigration movement that he rides to the Republican nomination and eventually, the White House. At the same time, the national media takes the story and makes it a referendum on San Francisco鈥檚 sanctuary city policy. So the stakes are high when the trial finally begins in fall 2017, with the defense led by two San Francisco public defenders: Chief Attorney Matt Gonzalez and Francisco Ugarte, head of the office鈥檚 Immigration Defense Unit.
The Condor and The Eagle, (2019) Dirs. Sophie Guerra & Clement Guerra
Monday, Mar. 18, 2024, 6:30pm. - SSC 106
Four leaders from impacted communities embark on an extraordinary trans-continental
adventure
from the Canadian Boreal forests to deep into the heart of the Amazonian jungle to
unite the
peoples of North and South America and deepen the meaning of justice. THE CONDOR &
THE
EAGLE documentary offers a glimpse into a developing spiritual renaissance as the
film's four
protagonists learn from each other鈥檚 long legacy of resistance to colonialism and
its extractive
economy. Their path through the jungle takes them on an unexpectedly challenging and
liberating journey, which will forever change their attachment to the Earth and one
another.
Spring 2023
A Place to Breathe, (2020) Dir. Michelle Grace Steinberg
Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, 6:30 p.m. - SSC 106
A Place to Breathe explores the universality of trauma and resilience through the eyes of immigrant and refugee healthcare practitioners and patients. This feature-length documentary intertwines the personal journeys of those who are transcending their own obstacles by healing others. Combining cinema v茅rit茅 and animation, the film highlights the creative strategies by which immigrant communitiesin the U.S. survive and thrive. The film weaves together the arcs of Rodrigue (DR Congo), Socheat (Cambodia), Norma (Guatemala), and the young couple Edgar and Yania (Mexico and Uruguay) as they pursue their dreams of supporting their communities鈥 healing. Common ground and chance connections join these unique stories as the film humanizes those who have migrated here, sharing their wisdom and perspectives that enrich and strengthen our communities. This is more critical than everwith the devastating effects that COVID-19 is having on communities of color and immigrant populations. A Place to Breathe moves audiences to envision new understandings of wellness for all.
Speaking in Tongues, (2009) Dirs. Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider
Monday, Mar. 20, 2023, 6:30 p.m. - SSC 106
Against the backdrop of 鈥淓nglish-only" initiatives in 31 states, one school district is proving that speaking a foreign language can be an asset. Speaking in Tongues follows students from diverse backgrounds as they become bilingual in language immersion programs. Their stories traverse a number of perennial challenges facing America: economic inequality, de facto segregation, and increasing nativist backlash towards immigrants. As bilingualism begins to change the students, their families, and their communities, it emerges as a tool for shifting whatit means to be an American and a global citizen in a rapidly changing world. To explore the contentious debates surrounding the 鈥淓nglish-only鈥 movement, the film turns to Ling-chi Wang, a nationally known civil rights activist who pioneered efforts to establish multilingual education in the United States, and leads the charge in this school district.
Spring 2022
Wednesday, February 23, 2022, 6:30pm - SSC 106
Adios Amor (2018) Dir. Laurie Coyle
In ADIOS AMOR, the discovery of lost photographs sparks the search for a hero that history forgot鈥 Maria Moreno, a migrant mother who sacrificed everything but her twelve kids in the passionate pursuit of justice for farmworkers. Years before Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta launched the United Farm Workers, Maria picked up the only weapon she had鈥攈er voice鈥攁nd became an outspoken leader in an era when women were relegated to the background. The first farm worker woman in America to be hired as a union organizer, Maria鈥檚 story was silenced and her legacy buried鈥攗ntil now.
Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 6:30pm - SSC 106
Building the American Dream (2019) Dir. Chelsea Hernandez
Across Texas, an unstoppable construction boom drives urban sprawl and luxury high-rises. Its dirty secret: abuse of immigrant labor. BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM captures a turning point as a movement forms to fight widespread construction industry injustices. Grieving their son, a Mexican family campaigns for a life-and-death safety ordinance. A Salvadorian electrician couple owed thousands in back pay fights for their children鈥檚 future. A bereaved son battles to protect others from his family's preventable tragedy. A story of courage, resilience, and community, the film reveals shocking truths about the hardworking immigrants who build the American Dream, of which they are excluded.
Spring 2020
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
They Called Me King Tiger (2017) Dir. 脕ngel Estrada Soto
In June of 1967, the court of Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, was assaulted by armed men under the command of Chicano leader Reies L贸pez Tijerina. The outcome of such bold action was the largest manhunt in the recent history of the United States. This documentary uncovers the story of the assault and aftermath, exploring whether violence can be used to create fairness, and discovering more about the life of a man who is spoken of as a saint. (Santa Fe Film Festival website)
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
500 Years (2017) Dir. Pamela Yates
500 Years tells the epic story that led Guatemala to a tipping point in their history, from the genocide trial of General R铆os Montt to the citizen uprising that toppled president Otto Perez Molina. While indigenous peoples of Guatemala are no stranger to oppression, the recent events that took place over a tumultuous three-year span, change finally seems possible when their movement is met with civil society's outcry to end corruption. (500 years website)
Spring 2019
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
La jaula de oro [The Golden Dream] (2013) Dir. Diego Quemada-D铆ez
Summary: Juan, Sara, and Samuel, three teenagers from the slums of Guatemala, travel
to the United States in search of a better life. On their journey through Mexico,
they meet Chauk, an Indian from Chiapas who doesn't speak Spanish. Traveling together
in freight trains and walking on railroad tracks, they soon have to face an odyssey
that will change their lives forever. This film contains violence and mature content. View discretion advised.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Llevate mis amores [All of Me] (2014) Dir. Arturo Gonz谩lez Villase帽or
Summary: Mexico and the United States share the greatest border between the first and the third world. That makes it a bridge for thousands of migrants who expose themselves to every danger as they travel through the country on a train called 鈥淭he Beast.鈥 That鈥檚 where they meet the Patronas, a group of Mexican women who, every day since 1995, make food and toss it to the helpless as the train rushes by. This documentary is an intimate approach, a personal diary that draws a border between the life they were given and the life they chose. In the midst of a country at war, in a world where all hope seems lost, the Patronas breathe life into a human value that seems to be fading with each day: love for one another.
Spring 2018
January 31, 2018
La teta asustada [The Milk of Sorrow] (2009) Dir. Claudia Llosa
February 13, 2018
Volver [Return] (2006) Dir. Pedro Almod贸var
February 27, 2018
En la puta vida [In this Tricky Life] (2001) Dir. Beatriz Flores Silva
Spring 2017 - Theme: Water
Wednesday, January 25
H2O MX (2014) Dirs. Jos茅 Cohen & Lorenzo Hagerman
Tuesday, February 7
Glacial Balance (2013) Dir. Ethan Steinman
Tuesday, February 21
Tesoros decartados [Discarded Treasures] (2009) Dir. Ethan Steinman
Spring 2016 - Theme: Repression and Hope
Wednesday, January 23
Tambi茅n la lluvia (2012) Dir. Ic铆ar Bolla铆n
Wednesday, February 6
El laberinto del fauno [Pan鈥檚 Labyrinth] (2006) Dir. Guillermo del Toro
Monday, February 18
Machuca (2004) Dir. Andr茅s Wood
Spring 2015 - Theme: Historical (Re)Visions
Tuesday, January 20
La historia oficial [The Official Story] (1985) Dir. Luis Puenzo
Tuesday, February 10
Voces inocentes [Innocent Voices] (2004) Dir. Luis Mandoki
Friday, February 20
Libertador [The Liberator] (2013) Dir. Alberto Arvelo
Cost: $1.50 [Sponsored by CAC]
Guest Panelist: Dr. Mary Sprunger
Spring 2014 - Theme: Journeys
Wednesday, January 22
No (2012) Dir. Pablo Larra铆n
Guest Panelist: Paulette Moore, Associate Professor, Visual and Communication Arts
Wednesday, February 5
La teta asustada [The Milk of Sorrow] (2009) Dir. Claudia Llosa
Guest Panelist: Barry Hart, Professor and Academic Director, Center for Justice &
Peacebuilding
Monday, February 17
Al otro lado [To the Other Side] (2004) Dir. Gustavo Loza
Guest Panelist: Vernon Jantzi, Professor Emeritus, Sociology
