Celebrate the New Wave of Hispanic Cinema at the Australian National University
2016 Hispanic Film Festival
Tuesdays at 6:00pm
February 16, 23 and March 1, 8, 15, 22
The Australian National University
The Auditorium, CIW Building 188
Fellows Lane, Acton
With more than 400 million native speakers around the world, Spanish stands second in the world’s most
spoken languages. Backing such a strong position come unimaginable cinematic experiences. Come
know the new wave of cinema from Latin America and Spain, on us!
The ANU School of Literature, Languages, and Linguistics, in collaboration with Pragda’s Spanish Film
Club Series, The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain, and SPAIN Arts & Culture, is celebrating its first Hispanic Film Festival. Prof. Alfredo Martinez Exposito will visit us from the University of
Melbourne to open the event with a commentary on the Spanish brand of cinema, while filmmaker Cesar
Espada will close the event with a Q & A following the screening of his film, Spot.
THIS FILM SERIES IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2016
BAJARÍ: GYPSY BARCELONA
Eva Vila / Spain / 84 min / 2013 / Spanish with English subtitles
Opening commentary by Prof. Alfredo Martinez Exposito (University of Melbourne)
http://languages-linguistics.unimelb.edu.au/about/staff/professor-alfredo-martinez-exposito
6:00 PM
As believed by the Gypsies, Flamenco cannot be learned in a dance school or by reading music. It is
lived within the home; it is created at the bar; its artistry is perfected on the street corner. Bajarí goes
to all those places, following in the steps of its two main subjects: Karime and Juanito. The young
bailaora (flamenco dancer) Karime Amaya is working with some of the most talented up-and-coming
musicians and dancers to create a show that blends the Gypsy Flamenco tradition with Barcelona’s
Rumba tradition. Little 5-year old Juanito Manzano takes his first steps to dance in the show and earn
his flamenco boots, despite kidney problems and against his parents’ wishes. Their adventures and
experiences become a journey of discovery of this living tradition and create an intimate portrait of
how flamenco’s legacy is kept alive within Barcelona’s tight-knit Gypsy community. A must see documentary for music and dance lovers, Bajarí: Gypsy Barcelona is a private window into the intimate
world of this vibrant and living art form.
More information: https://pragda.com/film/bajari-gypsy-barcelona/?sfc=1
Official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BibV3tYo0U
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016
THE RETURN (El Regreso)
Hernán Jiménez / Costa Rica / 95 min / 2011 / Spanish with English subtitles
6:00 PM
The Return is the story of a delightful and life-changing journey back to Costa Rica. After living 10
years in New York, 30 year-old Antonio returns to San José where he is forced to deal with the realities
he ran away from. He is welcomed by his intense sister, Amanda--whose husband recently abandoned her--and their young son Inti--who is apprehensive about Antonio’s presence. When things
take an unexpected turn, Antonio is forced to remain home far longer than he had anticipated.
More information: https://pragda.com/film/the-return/?sfc=1
Official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-xlt7ODRS4&feature=youtu.be
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016
LA YUMA
Florence Jaugey / Nicaragua / 91 min / 2011 / Spanish with English subtitles
6:00 PM
Nicaragua’s first full-length feature in 20 years, La Yuma tells the story of a young woman who dreams
of transcending her bleak life in the slums of Managua by becoming a boxer. Looking beyond the
meager possibilities that seem available to her (and ignoring the advice of her gang-member friends),
she finds solace and hope in her training and falls in love with a middle-class journalism student.
More information: https://pragda.com/film/la-yuma/?sfc=1
Official trailer: https://vimeo.com/92420708
Celebrate the New Wave of Hispanic Cinema at the Australian National University
2016 Hispanic Film Festival
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016
THE CINEMA HOLD UP
Iria Gomero Concheiro / Mexico / 124 min / 2011 / Spanish with English subtitles
6:00 PM
Negus, Chale, Sapo and Chata are teenagers who grew up in the same rundown district of Mexico
City. They spend their days listening to hip-hop, smoking marihuana and fantasizing about the opposite sex. One day they have the bright idea of robbing a movie theater, jeopardizing the one sure thing
they have in life – their friendship.
More information: https://pragda.com/film/the-cinema-hold-up/?sfc=1
Official trailer: https://vimeo.com/92426956
TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016
COWS WEARING GLASSES
Alex Santiago Pérez / Puerto Rico / 90 min / 2014 / Spanish with English subtitles
6:00 PM
Marso, a lonely, eccentric painter and art professor, is losing his sight. As the world as he knows it
comes to an end, he is now forced to re-examine an existence filled with professional successes but
unsatisfying personal relationships. He tries to reestablish a relationship with his only daughter while
his thoughts are filled with longing for simpler times.
More information: https://pragda.com/film/cows-wearing-glasses/?sfc=1
Official trailer: https://vimeo.com/103199965
TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016
SPOT
Followed by a Q & A session with film director Cesar Espada
Cesar Espada / Spain, South Korea, USA / 90 min / 2013 / English, Spanish, Korean with
English subtitles
6:00 PM
Daniel (Daniel Levitt), is a young American actor who is hopelessly in love and hopelessly manipulated
by his girlfriend Natalia (a captivating Natalia Miranda). Their break-up pushes Daniel to the edge, and
he performs the unthinkable with a bottle of Vanish stain remover in a youtube video for all the world
to see, including two young Korean girls dealing with their own relationship problems. A flashback
reveals the circumstances that took Daniel to breaking point via what is all at once an engrossing,
disturbing and twistedly comedic story of deliberate cruelty that leaves an indelible stain behind.
More information:
http://www.spookmagazine.com/cesar-espandas-spot-at-the-spanish-film-festival/
The 2016 Hispanic Film Festival was made possible with the support of Pragda, The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain, and SPAIN arts & culture.
In collaboration with the ANU School of Literature, Languages, and Linguistics
For more information about the Film Festival, contact Dr Consuelo Martinez Reyes:
[email protected]
SUPPORTED BY