A film festival put on by the University of Louisville’s Department of Classical and Modern Languages will be virtual this year.
The 27th edition of the “Reel” Latin American Film’s theme is “Resisting Tradition: Hope and Renewal in Latin American Film.” It will feature six films by filmmakers from the United States, Columbia, Guatemala, Chile, Argentina and Mexico. It starts streaming Saturday. and runs through November 20th.
It’s typically held on campus, but like so many arts events during the pandemic, you’ll be able to enjoy this year’s films from your own couch.
“People are watching a lot of films from the safety of their living rooms, and we hoped to reach an even larger audience that we ordinarily get,” festival organizer and associate professor Manuel Medina said in an email.
Medina said most of the films will stream for a week, culminating with a Zoom Q&A event.
He began the festival years ago, when he first came to the university, and “noticed the lack of this kind of programming.
“It was extremely difficult to access Latin American films; Netflix and the rest of the streaming services that exist today hadn’t been developed to the extent they had today,” he said. “We had to show films in classes using a special VCR that played video cassettes sold in the Spanish Speaking countries.”
He organized the festival with the help of two other then colleagues.
Medina hopes this year’s six-film lineup will “promote a dialogue among our college community about social issues, education, economical conditions and opportunities in that area of the world.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si8vUFK9Uww&feature=emb_logo
A trailer for "Ciro & Yo," one of the films featured in the festival. (Courtesy YouTube)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoATfLGGvw8&feature=emb_logo
A trailer for "Xquipi' Guie'dani," one of the films featured in the festival. (Courtesy YouTube)
