Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Eight Latin American Films to Take the Stage at PCC

Photos and story by James Hill

CASCADE CAMPUS – Students from Portland Community College’s Latino Club at the Cascade Campus have organized a film festival event that will feature eight films. The Second Annual Latin American Film Festival will run from April 19 to May 4 with films showing in room 122 of Terrell Hall on the Cascade Campus, located at 705 N. Killingsworth St. All movies are free to students and the public. The subtitled films are in either Spanish or English.The opening reception for this year’s event will be at 6 p.m. on April 19, also in room 122 of Terrell Hall. Author V’ctor Villase’or will be the keynote speaker for the ceremony. His presentation will be followed by a brief preview of the films in the festival, and a book signing. Villase’or has written nine novels and 65 short stories, and penned the critically acclaimed screenplay for PBS and Embassy Pictures, "Ballad of Gregorio Cortez,"which starred Edward James Olmos.Last year, the film festival began as an instructor-driven event designed to help students in Spanish classes and attracted between 200-250 students. This year, students from the Latino Club took charge and have worked hard to involve the Latino community and open the event to the public."It’s an opportunity for Latino students to develop skills and get involved with a worthwhile project,"said Jorge Espinosa, PCC speech instructor and advisor to the Latino Club. "This film festival has finally found a home and the feedback we’ve been getting has been incredible, from individuals in the private sectors to inside the college. We have tripled the amount of money we received from last year, but the key is that we have directly involved the students. That’s a wonderful thing."The Second Annual Latin American Film Festival at PCC is sponsored by the Metropolitan Group, Oregon Department of Education, PCC Affirmative Action Office and the Cultural Diversity Committee at the Cascade Campus. Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects designed and produced the posters and flyers as well as donated $500 toward this year’s film festival project. For more information, contact Espinosa at 503-978-5086.###PCC Latin American Film Festival ScheduleThe City – Four stories of deep, universal humanity are told in David Riker’s auspicious debut feature. The stories were developed in acting workshops with Spanish-speaking immigrants and based on their impressions of building a new life in New York City.It will be shown noon on Friday, April 20 and 2 p.m. on Monday, April 30. The Super – A hilarious comedy set in New York, but made by two Cuban exiles. Roberto, a Cuban, has been a building superintendent in New York City for 10 years but, from his basement-level point of view, he has eyes only for Cuba or Miami.It will be shown at 2 p.m. on Monday, April 23 and 5 p.m. Friday, May 4.Nueba Yol – This charming film about disappointment, triumph and the American dream broke all box office records in the Dominican Republic. When Balbuena (Luisito Marti) moves from Santo Domingo to New York ("Nueba Yol?) hoping to make a fortune, he is in for a harsh disappointment, but finds the inner resources to succeed and find love.It will be shown at 2 p.m. on Monday, April 23, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 28 and 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 3.Nueba Yol II – In this sequel to the hit Dominican film Nueba Yol, Luisito Marti returns as a hard-working immigrant Balbuena. Continuing his quest for a better life in his new home of New York, Balbuena must try to circumvent new, tougher U.S. immigration laws. His efforts, which include trying to find someone to marry him, lead to many comical complications.It will be shown at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 25, 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 28 and noon on Wednesday, May 2.The Perez Family – Alfred Molina, Anjelica Huston, Marisa Tomei and Chazz Palminteri star in this super sexy comedy about family, emigration and love, set amidst the Cuban community in Miami. Molina is finally leaving Cuba after 20 years to join his wife, Huston, but a beautiful woman, Tomei, leads him astray.It will be shown at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 26 and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1.My Family – A powerful, three-generation, epic saga of the Sanchez family as told by the eldest son (Edward James Olmos). From the very beginning of his father’s adventurous journey from Mexico to California in the 1920s, to his brother Chucho’s (Esai Morales) tragic rebellion of the 1950s, to the stark realities of modern days, the struggle to live the American dream is sometimes darkened, but never diminished.It will be shown at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 27 and 11 a.m. on Friday, May 4.And the Earth did not Swallow Him – Based on Tomas Rivera’s classic novella, this is a beautiful and moving semi-autobiographical account of 12-year-old Marcos Gonzales (Jose Alcala), the son of Mexican-American migrant workers in the 1950s. It is about their annual ritual of leaving Crystal City, Texas, for the harvest season work that will take them throughout the Midwest during summer and fall.It will be shown at noon on Friday, April 27 and 2 p.m. on Friday, May 4.Featured documentary:To The Roots: A Maya Reunion – Two Itza Maya elders from a northern Guatemala village meet their relatives from the rain forest of Chiapas, Mexico for the very first time. "An excellent stimulus to discussion about the fate of indigenous peoples, their cultures, and their homeland around the world,"Luisa Maffi, Northwestern University. The showing of the documentary will be followed by a panel discussion comprised of students at the college.It will be featured at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 4.