15th Latin American and Spanish Film Week + Night of Cuban Rythms

Synopsis:

In an alternate reality, Fidel Castro uses genetic engineering to build the new man and thus save utopia. The experiment fails as the new creatures are highly intelligent but also cruel and uncontrollable. Rejected by their own creators, a group of these beings organizes a series of terrorist actions, and chaos reigns on the island. Elena, one of its members, traces the origin of her genes and begins a journey to try to discover her humanity. Corazón azul is a dystopian political sci-fi that reflects contemporary Cuba’s tribulations.

Director in attendance! Stay for a conversation and Q&A session with director Miguel Coyula after the show.

If you are interested in the behind-the-scenes making and distribution of Corazón azul, check out the award-winning documentary Crónicas del absurdo (Chronicles of the Absurd), also by Mr. Coyula. It will be available online for free to a limited audience during three days (from noon on Tuesday Sept 16 to Friday Sept 19). To get an access code, email Prof. Dan Russek ([email protected])

The public is invited to attend Mr. Coyula’s talk entitled “Deconstructing Blue Heart: Guerrilla Filmmaking in Cuba” on Wednesday September 17 from 11.30 to 12.20 at MacLaurin D103 on the UVic campus. The presentation is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Lansdowne Visiting Scholar Program in the Faculty of Humanities, UVic.

Synopsis:

In 2004, Nevenka Fernandez, 24, Finance councillor in the Ponferrada City Council, was relentlessly harassed, sentimentally and professionally, by the mayor of her city, a man used to doing as he pleased, politically and personally. Nevenka decided to report him, knowing she would pay a very high price: those around her don’t support her, Ponferrada turns its back on her and she endures public trial in the media. Her case marks the beginning, in Spain, of the #metoo movement long before the term was coined. A story based on real events. The person at the heart of it becomes a pioneer, the first woman to take a powerful, popular politician to court for sexual abuse and harassment in the workplace.

Synopsis:

Patrol is a character-driven documentary that follows communities on the frontlines of an intensifying environmental conflict in Nicaragua. On one side, the Rama Indians, in alliance with the Afro-descendent Kriol community, are fighting to stop illegal cattle ranchers from destroying the virgin rainforests of the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve. Patrol is a gripping documentary film in the frontline of contemporary environmental struggles. Access more information about the project behind the film, here: https://www.patrolmovie.com/

Synopsis:

In a rural town in Argentina, Ramiro Lezcano, a charismatic music teacher, discovers a disturbing reality affecting the region: airplanes and ground fertilizing machines spray pesticides near rural schools, endangering the health of students. Determined to act, Ramiro joins his pupils to write songs that denounce this silent tragedy and raise awareness. However, his initiative faces resistance by the local community, dependent on the prevailing agricultural model. The media ignores his cause. Faced with censorship, Ramiro decides to take his protest further and attempts to organize an "Environmental Woodstock" in the countryside. The result is a heartwarming documentary film where music, community engagement, and the defence of the environment join forces for a worthy cause.

Synopsis:

Set in Panama City, this delicate drama explores the evolving relationship between two dissimilar lonely souls who develop a touching and unexpected bond. Ana María, a Colombian immigrant, employed as a home caregiver and harboring a secret, crosses paths with Mercedes, a high-class woman (played by acclaimed Chilean actress Paulina García, known for her role in Gloria), who is grappling with encroaching dementia that is slowly erasing her identity and past.

As their lives intertwine, they embark on a journey of mutual discovery and support, delving into the fraught complexities of mother-daughter relationships. Together, they navigate the challenges of caregiving and the profound need for connection, learning to survive and care for one another amid their personal struggles.

Synopsis:

After several years undercover, lurking in the circles of the Basque left as she pretends to be a young sympathizer of the ETA terrorist group, a police officer finally gets the chance she’s been gunning for: ETA gets in touch with her. They need to use her apartment for two ETA members whose objective is to prepare several attacks. The most difficult mission of her life begins now: to inform her superiors while cohabitating with two terrorist who, if at any point they suspect her, would kill her at the drop of a hat. The movie was based on real events.

"A Night of Cuban Rhythms"

Featuring Cuban trumpet player Miguelito Valdés and his Quintet, with special guest singer Adonis Puentes at the Phillip T. Young Recital Hall, Department of Music, UVic

Attendees to the 15th Film Week are required to become members of the Hispanic Film Society of Victoria. The membership is one dollar, payable when you purchase your ticket.

The membership is valid for the six films of the event. No need to be a member of the Society of attend the music show.