Grove City College’s Department of Modern Languages is hosting a film festival this spring featuring five movies from Spain and Latin America.
Pragda at Grove City College: Celebrating Ibero American Cinema is free and open to the public.
The festival kicks off Feb. 1 with the Argentinian comedy “Chinese Take Away” and continues with screenings of different films through May. All shows are at 7:30 p.m. in Sticht Lecture Hall of the Hall of Arts and Letters on campus and will be moderated by faculty members to provide insight and lead discussion.
Other festival offerings include the documentary “From the Land to Your Table,” which features different directors from Spain and South America, on Feb. 15; the Mexican drama “Here and There” on March 15; “Guarani,” a drama from Paraguay and Argentina on April 12; and the Spanish drama “The Country of Fear” on May 3.
These films portray experiences, people and landscapes specific to their countries of origin while presenting perspectives about common issues that affect people regardless of place or nationality. They provide insight about how other people think about key issues such as religious experience, resources, jobs, opportunity, family dynamics, identity, belonging and migration.
“The festival allows us to bring the world to Grove City College students and our community,” Dr. Rebecca Harmon, chair of the Department of Modern Languages, said. “These films will give us insights into the human experience in parts of God’s world otherwise inaccessible to many of us. As we see the world through others’ eyes, we can more accurately understand our own place in this world that we share.”
As well as a cultural education, the festival will provide exposure to foreign cinema. Many viewers will see a different film syntax in scene composition, pacing and editing than they are used to with English-language movies.
“The experience of seeing these five films will be eye opening for those interested in knowing more about current issues of Spain and Latin America, as well as for those willing to witness how other cultures think about common concerns. In the end, it will be a great opportunity to appreciate a diverse way of understanding the nature of a film,” Harmon said.
The festival is supported by a competitive grant from Pragda, a major distributor of Hispanic films to U.S. college campuses, and Grove City College through the Office of the Provost, the Office of International Education, and the Office of Multicultural Issues.