The Latin American Film Series turns 40 this year. It’s Milwaukee’s oldest annual film festival and one of the longest running of its kind in the U.S. Beginning modestly 40 years ago by screening three films in one room on the UW-Milwaukee campus, the Latin American Film Series now spans nine evenings and includes 14 selections.
The 40th year was programmed by E.J. Basa, who came onboard the series three years ago and rose to become the event’s curator. The series may have grown in scale but its mission remains the same four decades on. “It’s an asset for gaining exposure to social, cultural and political movements in Latin America,” Basa says. “We’ve always been interested in using film as a lesson-building and community-building event to teach about other cultures. Education has always been its mission.”
The series is organized by UWM’s Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies but Basa works closely with some two-dozen UWM departments and offices as well as several off-campus community groups. Like her predecessors in programming, Basa tries for a cross-section of films including features and documentaries and representing diverse cinematic styles and topics as well as nations of origin. Locating prospective selections has grown easier over the past 40 years. Says Basa, “we can access films on USB drives, on Blu-ray, the cloud, but you wouldn’t believe the difficulty we had in getting the one Peruvian film we have this year!” Detective work leading from one contact to another is still sometimes necessary. “If it’s on Netflix I won’t show it,” she adds. “We’re here to expand, not to replay.”
All films are screened at the UWM Union Cinema. Admission is free. For more information, visit uwm.edu/clacs/public-engagement/film-series/40th-annual-latin-american-film-series-2018/.
The Surge (Vazante)
7 p.m., April 6
Director Daniela Thomas (Brazil)
Another Story of the World (Otra historia del mundo)
9:15 p.m., April 6
Director Guillermo Casanova (Uruguay)
Moving Parts
5 p.m., April 7
Director Emilie Upczak (U.S.) (filmed in Trinidad and Tobago)
Sealed Cargo (Cargada Sellada)
7 p.m., April 7
Director Julia Vargas-Weise (Bolivia)
Havana’s Forgotten Jewels, A Haven in Havana
5 p.m., April 8
Directors Robin Truesdale and Judy Kreith (U.S.) (filmed in Cuba)
When the Mountains Tremble
7 p.m., April 8
Directors Newton Thomas Sigel and Pamela Yates (U.S.) (filmed in Guatemala)
500 Years: Life in Resistance
7 p.m., April 9
Director Pamela Yates (U.S.) (filmed in Guatemala)
New Cinema (Cinema Novo)
7 p.m., April 10
Director Eryk Rocha (Brazil)
Magallanes
7 p.m., April 11
Director Salvador del Solar (Peru)
Raising Zoey
8 p.m., April 12
Director Dante Alencastre (Peru)
Return to Cuba (Volver a Cuba)
7 p.m., April 13
Director David Fabrega (France) (Filmed in Cuba)
Amalia, the Secretary (Amalia, la Secretaria)
9 p.m., April 13
Director Andrés Burgos (Columbia)
Treasures (Tesoros)
5 p.m., April 14
Director María Novaro (Mexico)
Zama
7 p.m., April 14
Director Lucrecia Martel (Argentina)
