Latino Film Festival Comes to SSU With Six Films In Two Days

The last indigenous peoples of Chile, warriors turned peace activists, and resistance in the face of repression are some of the themes presented when the Latino Film Festival arrives at Sonoma State University campus on Nov. 1 and 2.
The screenings take place both on Friday and Saturday evenings in Stevenson 1002 at 7 p.m. Admission is $5. Refreshments will be available.
The schedule is:
7 P.M., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, STEVENSON 1002.
(Anthropology Program devoted to ethnography and life narratives.)
Viva Mi Tierra Caliente, The Music of Juan Reynoso (65 minutes) – Juan Reynoso is the last and perhaps the greatest of the traditional “calentano” violin virtuosos in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan in Mexico. Playing in the bandstand of Cutzamal, talking in his home among his large family, meeting at the workshop of a master violin maker in Mexco City and at the National School of Music, Don Juan is joined by the American violinists Paul Anastasio and David Tobin.
Algo Familiar, Something Familiar (26 min.) – An extended family in Guadalajara, Mexico opens its courtyard to the camera, revealing the warm and varied human relationships that make up their large household. Awarded the Best Mexican Film at the International Film School Festival and Third Prize at the National Short Film Festival, Cuadro 2002.
La Ultima Hella – The Yagan people once inhabited one of the worlds most inhospitable regions on the southernmost tip of America. Today, their numbers have dwindled to just two direct descendents, Ursula and Cristina Calderon. Paola Castillo went in search of the remaining traces of the Yagan, documenting the lives of these two old women and describes in poetic manner the culture of one of Chile’s last indigenous peoples.
7 P.M., SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, SATURDAY, STEVENSON 1002
(Human Rights Program)
The New Patriots – A Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, a woman West Point graduate and three other U.S. military veterans focus on training in terrorism, patriotism and their transformation from warriors to peace activists. The veterans describe the training of Latin American soldiers in counter-insurgency techniques, often directed at civilians, at the U.S. Army School of the Americans located at Ft. Benning, Georgia, now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.
Sol de Noche – A beautifully produced documentary, both chilling and inspiring, about vicious repression and heroic resistance. The Ledesma refinery in Jujuy Province, Argentina is the world’s largest sugar refinery. Its bosses control the town and the entire province, tolerating no opposition, and using their own goon-cops to “disappear” any one whose views they suspect. Luis Aredez, an altruistic doctor and radical, beloved by the common people, disappears during the “Blackout of Horror,” when Ledesma cuts off electricity. In that darkness some 300 persons vanish. Luis’ widow and her family carry on the voice of protest having somehow survived the regime of the Argentine military.
Casita (59 minutes) – “Seven years ago I made a video for UNICEF on street girls living in Managua, Nicaragua. Interested in them as people, in their stories and choices, I have followed their lives as they have made their way towards adulthood. My motivation is a certain acknowledgement and admiration for their courage. I admire the steadfastness with which they pursue love—as mothers, daughters, or lovers. I find a deep hope in that despite the cruelty of their childhood, they pursue love, with relentless perseverance and conviction.” (Ana Coyne Alonso, Director)
For further information, phone Tom Rosin, Professor of Anthropology, (707) 664-3963
PHOTO CAPTION ABOVE: Scene from “The New Patriots”