Nine international films representing seven countries will be showcased May 9-13 in Lawrence University’s first annual Latin American and Spanish Film Festival.
The theme of the festival focuses on the body and sex. All films will be shown with English subtitles and are free and open to the public.
Highlighting the festival will be a presentation by Paul Julian Smith, internationally recognized literary and film critic in Hispanic cultural studies. Smith will discuss the work of acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar in the address ” Almodóvar’s Women” Friday, May 11 at 6 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium.
Smith has written dozens of reviews as the Spanish film critic for the British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound magazine. The author of “Desire Unlimited: The Cinema of Pedro Almodóvar,” he has established himself as one of the world’s leading scholars on the work of the Spanish filmmaker. Smith is currently a Distinguished Professor in the Ph.D. program in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Languages at City University of New York
The film festival schedule includes:
• May 9 — “The Skin I Live In” (Spain)
A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession. Warch Campus Center cinema, 6 p.m.
• May 9 — “The Fish Child” (Argentina)
A desperate love story between two young girls. Unable to find a place for their love in the world they live in, they are pushed to commit a crime. Warch Campus Center cinema, 8:30 p.m.
• May 10 — “Reverón” (Venezuela)
The story of the famous visual artist Armando Reverón from 1924 to 1954, including his personal relationship with the woman named Juanita who would become his inseparable companion. Warch Campus Center cinema, 6 p.m.
• May 10 — “Leap Year” (Mexico)
Laura’s personal life consists of one affair after another. She meets Arturo, and the pair begins an intense sexual relationship. As the days go by, Laura crosses them off on a calendar, revealing her secret past to her lover. Warch Campus Center cinema, 8:30 p.m.
• May 11 — “A Year Without Love” (Argentina)
A writer living with AIDS searches for a cure and human interaction in the hospitals and sex clubs of Buenos Aires. Wriston Art Center auditorium, 8:30 p.m.
• May 12 — “Undertow” (Peru)
An unusual ghost story set in the Peruvian seaside. A married fisherman struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover with his town’s rigid traditions. Warch Campus Center cinema, 6 p.m.
• May 12 — “Love For Sale” (Brazil)
In order to raise money, a young woman in the northeast of Brazil decides to raffle her own body. Warch Campus Center cinema, 8:30 p.m.
• May 13 — “Mosquita y Mari” (USA)
In a fast-paced immigrant community where dreams are often lost to economic survival, two young girls contemplate life as they awaken sexual desires in each other. Warch Campus Center cinema, 6 p.m.
• May 13 —“Chico & Rita” (Spain)
Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey – in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero – brings heartache and torment. Warch Campus Center cinema, 8:30 p.m.
Spanish Department page about the Festival
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges by Forbes, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,445 students from 44 states and 35 countries. Follow us on Facebook.
