The fifth Hispanic film series, "Global Migrations Through the Lens of International Politics and Human Rights," was launched last week with the first of five films from Spanish-speaking countries.
With Hispanic Heritage Month now underway, the “Global Migrations Through the Lens of International Politics and Human Rights” film series is an opportunity to celebrate cinema originating from Hispanic culture.
The film series began Friday, Sept. 10 with the first of five films from Spanish-speaking countries and will continue through Nov. 18.
The series is hosted by the Department of World Languages and Cultures in collaboration with and co-sponsored by the Global Neighborhood, Global Education Center, Latin American Studies, Sigma Delta Pi, Peace and Conflict Studies, International and Global Studies, CREDE, El Centro and Poverty and Social Justice Studies.
The first film, “A este lado del mundo” (in English “On This Side of the World”), is directed by well-known and celebrated Spanish novelist and filmmaker, David Trueba. It was released in 2020 and was a contestant for the best film and best screenplay at several international film festivals, including the Goya Awards and the Festival de Málaga (Malaga Film Festival).
The story follows a young engineer who is fired from his job and begins to work as a freelancer to Melilla, a Spanish enclave in North Africa and a gate to Europe to help with the reinforcement of the fence that is supposed to keep undocumented immigrants from Spain and then Europe. Trueba turns his gaze and our attention towards the “natives,” the ones living on the privileged side of the world and reflects on their responsibilities, as well as their complicity with the dehumanizing scene on the border.
More information about the other four films, including their screening locations, dates and times, can be found here.
The film series was made possible with the support of Pragda, The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain and SPAIN Arts and Culture. It was organized by associate professor of Spanish Mayte de Lama, lecturer Ricardo Mendoza and senior lecturer in Spanish Ketevan Kupatadze.