Directly from Cuba and the rest of South America!!!
Not only will we be bringing films from Cuba to Providence, but we have also been fortunate enough to receive special guests as well during our event. These cinema aficionados will be contributing to the festival by sharing their expertise on Cuban film history and its production.
Joining us from the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) is Rosa Maria Rovira, who will be participating in a panel discussion about Film Production in Cuban, alongside Ernesto Daranas, Director of Los dioses rotos, and the film's principal actress Annia Bu Maure.
Alberto Ramos Ruiz from the Havana Festival of New Latin Americna Cinema and Yumey Besu Payo from the Showcase of Young Cuban Filmmakers (Muestra de Jóvenes Realizadores) will serve on the jury for the Opera Prima Competition, along with their fellow jurors, to select the winner of the Fernando Birri Award. Enrique Fernandez, co-Director of last year's winning film The Pope's Toilet (El baño del Papa) will be also among us as the Presdient of the Jury. Independent filmmaker Ulises Peña, who has been instrumental in organizing the Cuban program, will be also be among us sharing his experience as a young independent film maker within Cuba.
The list keeps growing and we will make sure to let you know who else will be joining us duirng this incredibly exciting year at PLAFF.
CLACS @ PLAFF
PLAFF enjoys a close relationship with Brown University's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, which has played an important role in sponsoring and promoting the festival in recent years. As a result of their shared interest in contemporary Latin America, the two often collaborate and host programs that overlap in theme and content.
At CLACS, there has been a recent initiative to promote the study of the Andes, in particular, Ecuador. The Enfoque Ecuador (Focus Ecuador) bulletin is complemented by PLAFF's screening and panel discussion of the documentary Crude by Joe Berlinger, which follows the progress of a $27 billion case against the Chevron Corporation, sometimes referred to as the “Amazon Chernobyl" case.
As it was mentioned before, PLAFF will also be hosting a screening and subsequent discussion of the Colombian films La milagrosa and Perro come perro, in which violence is a central theme. The contiuned discussion of violence in Latin America will take place at the CLACS sponsored conference "Violence in Mexico: Beyond Sensationalism" on October 23rd.
As you already know, PLAFF will be showcasing Cuban Cinema this year. In addition to the screening of over fifteen films from Cuban perspectives from both within the island and outside it, PLAFF will be hosting discussions about Cuban-American relations and Cuban Film Production. The focus on Cuba is also increasing at CLACS with a new Brown in Cuba study abroad program.
Last but not least, both PLAFF and CLACS place an emphasis on the presence and importance of Brazil and Brazilian culture in their programs. As one of the largest countries both geographically and population wise, Brazil is a major player in Latin America. This is reflected in CineBRASIL, the Brazilian film festival sponsored by CLACS, with the screenings of such films as Abare and Mutum at PLAFF. Students, professors, festivla guests and the comunity in general will be joining us in panel discussions that will provide a clearer outlook and context into the different subjects presented by each film.
Come celebrate with us the Hispanic Heritage Month!
Mayor David N. Cicilline, the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and the Providence Latino CommUNITY Celebration of the Hispanic Heritage Month are pleased to announce their partnership, enabling different community organizations, institutions and companies, individual artists and all those interested to create a unified celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month for the first time in many years. This collaboration will promote the different activities taking place locally during the national observation of Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15.
The City’s partnership with the Providence Latino CommUNITY Celebration of the Hispanic Heritage Month aims to showcase the art, culture, and history of the city’s diverse Latino community. Some of the organizations that have already joined the partnership include the Hispanic Heritage Committee/Rhode Island, Centro Cultural Andino, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, and ECAS Theatera and of course, the Providence Latin American Film Festival.
Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration of Hispanic Americans contributions to the United States, their heritage, and culture. The national observation started in 1968 as weeklong event under President Lyndon Johnson. Twenty years later, President Ronald Regan expanded the program to its current month-long period, September 15 – October 15. Hispanic Heritage Month was enacted as law on August 17, 1988.
For more detailed information and to start preparing your Hispanic Heritage Celebration Schedule, please visit www.hispanicheritageri.org
(This is not an RIFC event)