School of American and Global Studies World Languages and Cultures Film Festival:
A variety of films from many different countries
in their own languages
Click the dates and titles below for more information
[Laura Amelia Guzán / Domin. Rep. / 2023 / 92 min]
Watch this film on the virtual film festival website between Oct. 9 and Oct. 16.
- UserID: SFC@SouthDakotaStateUniversity
- Password: SouthDakotaUniSFC2024!
Trailer:https://vimeo.com/904453645
Synopsis:
Spanish with English subtitles
With Cecilia García, Aleska Vásquez, Xiomara Fortuna
Set in an upper-class neighborhood of the Dominican Republic, Babygirl is an unsettling portrait of a middle-aged woman, Dominique, and her relations with family, servants, and entourage.
From the very first scene, the film manages to astutely depict her privilege and buried longings. As a woman whose identity is deeply attached to her role, Dominique finds herself alone after the departure of her children. One day, the maid brings home her granddaughter and, shortly after, inexplicably disappears. The little girl re-awakens Dominique’s maternal instinct – but neither her relatives nor her friends seem to think it a good decision to keep her.
With neat precision and calculated detachment, Babygirl paints a society of strong racial and class differences. Appearances and disappearances are shrouded in mystery; hints at corporate corruption are left unresolved; and nods to Lucrecia Martel’s The Headless Woman (2008) can be felt.
[Violeta Salama / Spain / 2021 / 119 min]
SDSU Campus, Founders Recital Hall, The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center
- 6 p.m.
Trailer:https://vimeo.com/907933753
Synopsis:
Spanish with English subtitles
With Cecilia Suárez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Laia Manzanares, Sarah Perles, Joe Manjón
Alegría’s life takes a profound shift upon discovering that her orthodox Jewish brother insists on holding his daughter’s wedding in Melilla. Guided by Dunia, her Arab housekeeper, and Marian, her Christian confidante, Alegría embarks on a journey to connect with her roots while assisting her niece, Yael, in navigating womanhood within a highly conservative male-dominated environment.
Renowned Mexican actress Cecilia Suárez (The House of Flowers, 3 Caminos) takes the lead, infusing the film with her charisma and impeccable comedic timing, amidst a backdrop of familial tumult and conflicting traditions. The film sensitively depicts her coming to terms with her roots and the cultural past she has rejected. She may not want these traditions for herself, but she comes to understand the value they have in her community.
Alegría is also about Melilla, an autonomous, multicultural Spanish city on Africa’s north coast, where Jews, Muslims, and Christians mix and mingle and come together to make the wedding happen. It is a gorgeous evocation of a fascinating and beautiful corner of the world not often seen on-screen.
Shaped entirely by women – from the director and screenwriters to the producer, director Violeta Salama follows in the footsteps of esteemed directors like Nadine Labaki in Lebanon (notably with Caramel), Mira Nadir in India, and Leila Marraki in Morocco.
[Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli / US / 2022, 120 min]
*Co-hosted with the American Indian Student Center, School of Communication and Journalism and Wokini
SDSU Campus, Founders Recital Hall, The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center
- 5 p.m.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/eV9Oeut62vw?si=lnqFHL2caSJvYCB6
Synopsis:
“The Lakota fight to protect their sacred land. A provocative, visually stunning testament to a land and a people who have survived removal, exploitation and genocide – and whose best days are yet to come.”
[Catalina Razzini / Bolivia, Spain, Germany / 2022 / 84 min]
Watch this film on the virtual film festival website between November 6, 2024 and November 13, 2024.
- UserID: SFC@SouthDakotaStateUniversity
- Password: SouthDakotaUniSFC2024!
Trailer:https://vimeo.com/899731066
Synopsis:
Spanish, Aymara, with English subtitles
With María Belén Callisaya, Karina Paco, Luis Aduviri
Ten-year-old Lucía’s family lives in the Island of the Sun (Isla del Sol) in the middle of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia; a place that’s as mystical as it is picturesque. When her father breaks from their routine one morning and leaves for the city to make money, Lucía finds it difficult to cope with his absence, building her daily life around the expectations of their reunion.
After school, Lucía and her younger sister Maribel weave Totora reeds into figurines that her mother sells to numerous tourists. But the rhythm of life on the island and the passage of time help her realize her father is no longer the person she longed to have back. She must find her own path. Lucía is thinking of going to the city herself, but she has no money. It’s time she took her destiny into her own hands.
With a subtle commentary on environmental tourism and the exploitation of “the other” that goes two-way, Catalina Razzini’s touching rural tale masterly captures the landscape of Isla del Sol.
The Spanish Film Club Series was made possible with the support of Pragda, SPAIN arts and culture, and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain.
