This series of films offers a spotlight on issues in Mexico, Colombia and Cuba. The series is organized in collaboration with Vancouver’s Latin American Film Festival and the UBC Department of History. All films are in Spanish with English subtitles and free with MOA admission.
All screenings are at 7pm in the Michael M. Ames Theatre Gallery at the Museum of Anthropology (6393 N.W. Marine Drive Vancouver, B.C.).
Eufrosina’s Revolution (La revolución de los alcatraces
Director: Luciana Kaplan (Mexico, 2012, 96 min)
Tuesday, January 21, 2014, 7pm
As a young woman, Eufrosina Cruz Mendoza decided to embark on a campaign to break the cycle of teenage pregnancy and domestic poverty that she saw growing up in Santa María Quiegolani, Oaxaca. To this end, the charismatic Eufrosina ran for town mayor in 2007, but her victory was rejected because she was a woman. Determined not to be ignored, she began a personal crusade for gender equality in indigenous communities, questioning the current system of “Uses and Customs” and becoming a controversial icon for many women. This inspiring film is a portrait of her courageous journey and social awakening, and her struggle against the seductive offerings of political power.
Choco
Director: Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza (Colombia, 2012, 80 min)
Tuesday, Feburary 25, 2014, 7pm
Chocó is 27 years old; she has two children, a tiny hut on the edge of a Colombian village, an underpaid job in a gold mine, a second job laundering clothes, and a marimba-playing husband who gambles away their money and forces himself onto her at night when he’s had too much to drink. Nonetheless, Chocó is a fighter and she is determined to make a better life for her family. As her daughter’s seventh birthday approaches, Chocó promises to buy her a cake. However, fulfilling that promise proves to be much more difficult than expected.
Nada
Director: Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti (Cuba, 2001, 88 min)
Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 7pm
Carla, a young postal worker in Havana, spends her days postmarking thousands of letters and dreaming of the day when she can be reunited with her parents, who moved to the US when she was fifteen. To fulfill her longing for intimacy, she opens random letters and rewrites them into soulful prose, believing she is helping her fellow Cubans understand one another better. Beautifully filmed in black and white accented by brilliant colours, Nada is a stunning visual composition. With its delightful mix of visual humour, theatrical characters, bureaucratic satire and a lighthearted love story, it has a distinctly Cuban flair.