Latino film and culture will be on display at Sonoma State University as the 5th Annual Latino Film Festival comes to Sonoma County with two special weekends of cinema on Nov. 2, 3 and Nov. 9, 10 on the Rohnert Park campus.
This year, SSU has focused its lineup on themes from Mexico, to coincide with Day of the Dead celebrations and to honor the contribution of Mexican culture to local communities.
Filmmaker Oscar Guajardo, an SSU graduate, is bringing his own efforts back home with the premiere screening of his "Golden Era of Mexican Cinema."
The festival on campus begins with a weekend of ethnographic films in Darwin Hall. These documentaries explore the everyday lives of the indigenous cultures of Mexico and Puerto Rico. Both evenings, co-hosted by the SSU Anthropology Club, will include discussion groups led by anthropology professor Al Wahrhaftig.
Latino Film Festival organizers say this year's program promotes "cinematic crossroads where Latino artists from around the world exchange ideas, projects, and successes."
In the last five years, the festival has grown from just a couple of films in San Rafael to dozens of screenings in San Rafael, San Francisco, San Jose, and at Sonoma State University.
The schedule of film screenings includes:
FRIDAY, NOV. 2, 7 P.M.
$5, DARWIN HALL
Discussion led by SSU anthropology professor. Al Wahrhaftig to follow screening.
MEXICO UNMASKED: two powerful films provide a fascinating look into Mexico?s struggles, past and present.
"PANCHO VILLA AND OTHER STORIES" (Phillip Rodriguez, Mexico/USA 1999, 40 min.) This oral history of the Mexican Revolution and one of its most charismatic figures, Francisco "Pancho" Villa, features interviews with those who lived and fought alongside him.
"VOICES OF THE SIERRA TARAHUMARA" (Felix Gehm & Robert Brewster, Mexico/USA 2001, 50 min.) The Tarahumara, an isolated tribe in Mexico?s Sierra Madre range, struggles to regain control over its land and resources against the overwhelming outside forces of drug cartels, the World Bank, and the logging industry.
SATURDAY, NOV. 3, 7 P.M.
$5, DARWIN HALL
Discussion led by SSU anthropology professor. Al Wahrhaftig to follow screening.
"VIEQUES?A FEATURE FILM" (William Nemcik, Puerto Rico 2000, 92 min.) "Not one bomb more!" is the loud and insistent cry heard on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. Earlier this year the Puerto Rican people voted for an end to the bombing. President Bush offered to comply with that request?by 2003. Assaulted for 60 years by constant noise, dangerously off-target and unexploded munitions, noxious chemicals, harassment by rapacious sailors, and a sharp increase in cancer rates, the people of Vieques are inspiring in their unity, use of civil disobedience, and proud shout of "Not one bomb more!" This potent documentary presents the people of Puerto Rico and their case against the Navy with rare eloquence.
FRIDAY, NOV. 9, 7:30 P.M.
$12/$10, EVERT B. PERSON THEATRE
"DIA DE LOS MUERTES PARTY" follows screening with filmmaker and SSU graduate Oscar Guajardo. Featuring Day of the Dead altars by Latino Stars and Sonoma Stars in collaboration with the Sonoma County Museum.
"THE GOLDEN ERA OF MEXICAN CINEMA" (Oscar Guajardo, USA 2001, 45 min)
Celebrate Mexican cinema?s "glory days"?the ?30s, ?40s, and ?50s?with this terrific documentary. Mexican cinema truly blossomed during this golden age. In 1949 alone Mexico produced over 100 features. Actors like Cantinflas, Jorge Negrete, Dolores del R?, Pedro Armend?iz, Pedro Infante, and Maria Felix brought a dramatic flair to the screen that thrilled moviegoers on both sides of the border. The film explores such near-forgotten popular genres as the wonderful musical rancher?s. Rare footage and revealing interviews make this both a great introduction to the era and a stimulating stroll down memory lane.
"A DAY WITHOUT A MEXICAN" (Yareli Arizmendi and Sergio Arau, USA 1998, 28 min.) A light-hearted mockumentary about what happens when Californians wake up to find that all of the Mexicans have disappeared without trace.
SATURDAY, NOV. 10, 4 AND 7:30 P.M.
$5, EVERT B. PERSON THEATRE
"FLIGHT OF FANCY" (Noel Qui?nes, Puerto Rico 2000, 90 min.) Filmed entirely in Aguadilla and Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, this captivating, magical film tells the story of Gabriel, a young boy in search of a father. Gabriel is unhappy that his mother, the beautiful widow Mercedes, is about to marry Frank, a rich landowner. While Gabriel unintentionally ruins his mother?s wedding, a sudden storm grounds a handsome pilot (ex-Superman Dean Cain). Also thickening the plot is the fable-like influence of an enigmatic "Merlin," who narrates the film. As is often true in life, it is the children who teach the adults?about love, honesty, and magic. Featuring the isolated glory of coastal Puerto Rico, this is an exciting, beautifully shot film for the entire family. (Bay Area Premiere)
"THE LAST ZAPATISTAS, FORGOTTEN HEROES" (Francesco Toboada, Mexico, 2001, 70 min.) Organized in 1910 by Emiliano Zapata, peasants of Morelos took up arms and directly challenged 400 years of Spanish-styled Mexican rule. Elders of the Mexican revolution tell us the story one more time. Only this time, we listen 100 years deeper into the struggle for indigenous and peasant rights. In this rare opportunity, several Veteranas and Veteranos showcase their personal memories and retell them as international treasures, retracing the contested histories of people, land and struggle.
Tickets are available at the Center for Performing Arts box office, (707) 664-2353 or the day of the screening.
For further information, contact Karen Pierce Gonzalez, (707) 792-4376 or professor Al Wahrhaftig, (707) 664-2319.
NOTE: Interviews and a digital photo of director Oscar Guajardo are available upon the request.
