Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival

We are thrilled to announce the 2024 Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival at Towson University. Resilience and Transformation: Stories of Identity, Resistance, and Empowerment. It is proudly organized, and presented by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures at Towson University. This event is made possible by the generous sponsorship of PRAGDA, the Spanish Film Club, the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of History, the Center for Student Diversity, and the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures.

On September 27th and 28th, this festival will immerse our community in the richness and diversity of Hispanic culture through a carefully curated selection of acclaimed films directed by talented individuals from the US and Latin America. This edition centers around the theme of Resilience and Transformation: Stories of Identity, Resistance, and Empowerment. Besides portraying the significance of heritage in shaping the identity of the Latin American and Latine/x communities, each film in the lineup captures profound narratives of individuals and communities striving to preserve their identities, fight for justice, and transform their lives in the face of adversity. These stories reflect the complex socio-political landscapes of the Americas and the resilience of the Latino and Latin American communities. The festival invites audiences to engage with diverse perspectives and deepen their understanding of the region’s cultural and historical contexts, paying tribute to the unyielding spirit of our community.
 
Each film screening will be a special occasion, introduced by members of our Towson University community. Following each screening, we invite you to participate in engaging Q&A sessions, where you'll have the unique opportunity to interact with some of the directors of some of the films presented. They will join us via Zoom to answer any questions and share insights into their remarkable works.
 
Screenings will take place on Friday, September 27th and Saturday, September 28th in CLA 1201.
Admission is free and all films will be subtitled in English.

Let’s celebrate the power of film to bridge cultures and foster understanding. We look forward to seeing you at the Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival!

Significance to humanities and arts programs at Towson University

With a growing Hispanic population, both in Maryland and the US, this Festival celebrates their presence, influence, and heritage through a series of films that will spark conversations, which ultimately will help us understand the importance of this community in the US. From political to social and personal stories, these films explore what it means to be human, beyond cultures and languages, offering the opportunity to promote discussions from all disciplines in the Humanities.

Film Dates and Descriptions

Cassandro

Dir. roger ross williams (USA, 2024)
Friday, September 27 (3:00 p.m.)

Based on the true story of Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, who rises to international stardom after he creates the character ‘Cassandro,’ the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world, but also his own life.

Directed by Academy Award winner Roger Ross Williams, the film follows Saúl as he plugs away on the amateur circuit, in gaudy, neon-lit dives just across the border, but with his drab grey costume and his unprepossessing name – El Topo (or the Mole) – he’s not making much progress. But Saúl reinvents himself as the flamboyantly campy character of Cassandro. His new alter ego is an “exótico,” a wrestler who fights unmasked, wearing extravagant makeup and provocatively incorporating his gay sexual identity into his wrestling persona.

Starring Gaél García Bernal in one of the most iconic roles of his career, Cassandro is a giddily entertaining and celebratory drama that hints at the emotional bruises under the sparkly lurex leotard and false lashes to ultimately create space for unapologetically queer men in a male-dominated sport and society.

Home is Somewhere Else

Dir. Carlos Hagerman y Jorge Villalobos (Mexico, USA 2023)
Friday, September 27 (5:30 p.m.)

Film introduced by Dr. Elizabeth Clifford, followed by Q&A with Carlos Hagerman after the screening.

An estimated 11 million undocumented migrants are living in the United States under the constant threat of sudden deportation. What is it like to grow up in such a situation?

Home Is Somewhere Else shares the rich complexity of the emotional experiences of immigrant children and families to better understand and empathize with them. It invites discussion about the need for a new US migratory model based on respect for human rights for all.

In this documentary animation, three young immigrants tell their stories. Eleven-year-old Jasmine fears being separated from her undocumented parents and sets off to become an activist to protect families like her own. Sisters Evelyn and Elizabeth. Evelyn was born in the USA but has chosen to return to Mexico, while her sister Elizabeth, an illegal immigrant in Los Angeles, is struggling to realize her ambitions. Finally, Lalo shares the story of his childhood, deportation experience, finding a way back, and transforming his challenges through his work as an artist and activist.

Voiced by the actual children and their families, the stories are woven together by spoken word poet José Eduardo Aguilar, also known as Lalo “El Deportee,” the film’s host and MC whose vibrant “Spanglish” breaks codes, switches standards, and pushes the viewer to decipher his poems. Their painful experiences and vibrant hopes and dreams lend themselves well to animation. A powerful reminder of how the color of your passport determines your life.

El Caso Padilla

Dir. pavel giroud (cuba, 2022) 
saturday, September 28 (11:00 a.m.)

The film will be introduced by Dr. Diego del Pozo, from the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures, and follow by Q&A with the audience.
 
In the spring of 1971 in Havana, poet Heberto Padilla is released from prison and attends a Cuban writers’ guild meeting. During the gathering, he delivers what he describes as a “heartfelt self-criticism,” admitting to being a counterrevolutionary agent and accusing many colleagues, including his wife, of the same offense.

Just a month earlier, Padilla’s arrest on charges of endangering the security of the Cuban state had sparked a global response from the intellectual community. Supporters, who had previously sympathized with Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution, wrote a letter demanding the poet’s freedom. Padilla’s only “sin” was expressing dissent and criticism through his poetry.

The Padilla Affair, punctuated by interventions from Gabriel García Márquez, Julio Cortázar, Mario Vargas Llosa, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jorge Edwards, Carlos Fuentes, and Fidel Castro, stands as an astonishing documentary. It provides a window into exploring facets of Cuba’s history that continue to resonate in the present.

Albertina y los muertos

Dir. cesar borie (chile, 2022)  
saturday, september 28 (1:30 p.m.)

The film will be introduced by Dr. Laura Callahan, from the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures, and follow by Q&A with the audience.
 
San Miguel is a village built over indigenous tombs and Albertina (78) is its spiritual leader. She is in charge of communicating with the Ño, a deity whose physical form is a rag doll, which the inhabitants worship during carnival week. The old woman organizes the rituals in his honor with the help of her family and neighbors.

With this premise, César Borie captures the attention of everyone in a documentary that seems more like a mystery film. In several interviews, the main character tells the story of her life, full of magic, significant vulnerability, and a speech of empowerment worthy of any woman who knows she is a leader. While Albertina delivers her personal experience with this magical entity, Ño, her daughters, grandchildren, and neighbors tell how it is to live and witness this tradition, and at the same time reflect on their own beliefs and faith in what their beloved matriarch has told them for years.

However, the protagonist’s old age hides the uncertainty of what will happen to these traditions at the moment of her death.

Mujer perseverante

Dir. soledad san julian (argentina, 2022)
saturday, september 28 (4:00 p.m.)

The film will be introduced by Dr. Emma Cervone, from Languages, Literatures & Cultures, followed Q&A with the director, Soledad Julián, after the screening.
 
How can one create a future when there is none? That’s the question Nobel Peace Prize nominee Rosario Quispe, a Kolla woman, asked herself in 1994 when the mines were closing, and the people of Northern Argentina were left without work, forcing them to migrate to the south. This impactful documentary pays tribute to Rosario, who, through a micro-credit system that was later recognized by Harvard University, established an enterprise in Abra Pampa that supports thousands of families from the aboriginal communities of the region.

Together, in alliance with national entrepreneurs, they market 95% of the llama wool fiber produced in Puna, Argentina, to Europe and Latin America. Today, Warmi Sayasungo supports more than 6,000 families from 80 native communities.

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Acknowledgments

This event is possible thanks to the generous and kind support of:

• College of Liberal Arts
• Department of Languages, Literatures and Culture
• Department of History
• Center for Student Diversity
• Pragda
• Spain Arts and Cultures