Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Whisky and Hijos de la Guerra - free screenings of Latin American films at Vanderbilt

Whisky: 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes

Hijos de la Guerra: window into MS-13

“We want to reach out to members of the community who take an interest in foreign films, including immigrants to Middle Tennessee.”

Whisky and Hijos de la Guerra are two Latin American works among 14 foreign films to be screened for free during a foreign film series at Vanderbilt University every Wednesday evening until April 16 except for spring break. Two bonus screenings will occur on Mondays.

The International Lens series begins Wednesday, Jan. 23, with Milano Calibro 9, an Italian crime caper from 1972.

All films begin at 7 p.m. in Sarratt Cinema in the Sarratt Student Center on the Vanderbilt campus and are free and open to the public. Most will feature introductions by experts from Vanderbilt and other universities, and some will have discussion periods after the screenings.

“One of Vanderbilt’s missions is to make our students true global citizens,” said Sherif Barsoum, director of international student and scholar services. “One way to do that is through the lens of film.

“We also want to reach out to members of the community who take an interest in foreign films, including immigrants to Middle Tennessee.”

The series is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students and various departments at Vanderbilt collaborated to select the films and line up guest commentators. In some cases, the films are coordinated with the syllabuses of Vanderbilt courses and incorporated into classroom work.

“We hope these screenings complement the strong offerings at the Belcourt Theatre near Vanderbilt, with whom we continue to have a partnership,” said JoEl Logiudice, director of the office of arts and creative engagement.

The Latin American lineup for the International Lens series:

Wednesday, March 12, Hijos de la Guerra (2007) from the United Kingdom, directed by Alexandre Fuchs. Presented by the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies. A documentary about the violent gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.

Wednesday, April 16, Whiskey (2004) from Uruguay, directed by Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll. Presented by the Spanish and Portuguese Department. One reviewer called it "one of the ten best South American movies in recent years" and "a film about Uruguay, represented here in Jacobo's character. This once prosperous country, nicknamed "the Switzerland of South America", is now a country in dire need of technological updating, of restoration of its architectural treasures, and of serious political planning and execution of its economic and social future, and is paying high stakes for decades of unrealistic labor legislation." -IMDB. As of January 23, Whisky's Rotten Tomatoes rating is a perfect 100%.

The full lineup is here.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...