Entertainment

Austin Ticket Giveaway: George Lopez at Bass Concert Hall

July 28, 2015 By Austin Vida Staff

Comedian George Lopez is bringing his new “Listen to My Face Tour” to Austin for one night at the Bass Concert Hall on Friday, July 31. The best part? We have a pair of tickets to giveaway to one of our lucky Austin Vida followers.

The giveaway will be conducted via Twitter. First, make sure to follow Austin Vida on Twitter HERE. You must be a follower. Second, as a follower, look for the George Lopez promo poster you see to the left in our Twitter feed with the accompanying text.

RT for a chance to win a pair of tickets to see @georgelopez from @austinvida. Details here:http://tinyurl.com/qxqqqpx

When you see it, retweet it from our page. That retweet from our Twitter page, along with being a follower of Austin Vida on Twitter, will be your entry in our drawing. One winner be randomly selected and notified on Thursday, July 30, via Twitter’s direct message from Austin Vida.

Bass Concert Hall is located at 2350 Robert Dedman Dr. 18+ welcome as show is for mature audiences only. 8 p.m. Parking information here. Advance tickets are available for purchase online here.

“Listen to My Face Tour” featuring George Lopez comes to Bass Concert Hall

June 17, 2015 By Austin Vida Staff

Comedian George Lopez is bringing his new “Listen to My Face Tour” to Austin for one night at the Bass Concert Hall on Friday, July 31. Tickets go on-sale Friday, June 19, at noon. Tickets can be purchased online at texasperformingarts.org, charged by phone by calling 800-982-BEVO and all Texas Box Office outlets.

Lopez has risen to become one of the premier comedic talents in the entertainment industry. He has been praised by audiences and critics alike for his work in television, film and standup, as well as his extensive charity work with various foundations. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and in that same year Time magazine named him one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America.

Discovery en Español to premiere ‘Discovery A Fondo – Colombia: La Nueva Frontera’

June 7, 2015 By Estefania de Leon

Imagen de la produccion COLOMBIA: LA NUEVA FRONTERA de Discovery en Espanol. Estreno 7 de junio @10PM E/P. (PRNewsFoto/Discovery en Espanol) — COLOMBIA: La Nueva Frontra from Discovery en Español premieres June 7. (PRNewsFoto/Discovery en Español)

Discovery en Español investigates the latest migrant route in their new original production titled Colombia: La Nueva Frontera. It will premiere tonight at 10 p.m. EST during Discovery a Fondo, an investigative documentary series that works to expose issues concerning Hispanic audiences.

Colombia: La Nueva Frontera explores how this route, which starts off in Ecuador, has become fundamental for immigrants trying to get to the United States. The route moves on to Colombia to jump-start the dangerous journey in search of the American Dream. Immigrants from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Cuba mainly frequent the route and it is estimated by Colombian authorities that in 2014 more than 1,700 undocumented migrants were detained there while trying to make it to the United States.

The documentary dives into the story of Tony, a man from Cuba trying to get from Quito to the Gulf of Urabá, near Colombia’s border with Panama, with the help from a coyote called “Gregorio.” Colombia: La Nueva Frontera reveals the dangers migrants face along the route. This includes a network of highly profitable international human trafficking and the counter-operations from immigrant patrols and the Colombian Navy.

Discovery en Español is co-producing this documentary with Caracol Televisión. Discovery en Español serves to connect Spanish-speaking viewers in the United States to the world. For more information on Discovery en Español and “Colombia: la nueva frontera” visit their website discoveryenespanol.com.

[12/17] Preview: Cine Las Americas and Violet Crown Cinema present screening of ‘La Jaula De Oro’

December 16, 2014 By Austin Vida Staff

Wednesday, Dec. 17, Cine Las Americas (CLA) and Violet Crown Cinema will present the screening of La Jaula De Oro (The Golden Dream), a film by Diego Quemada-Díez. The screening will be presented as part of the Violet Crown Cinema’s Arthouse Monthly, an ongoing series showcasing internationally acclaimed art cinema. The film was a 2013 Cannes Film Festival entry, where filmmaker Diego Quemada-Diez won the A Certain Talent award for his directing work and the ensemble cast.

Synopsis:

Juan, Sara, and Samuel, three teenagers from the slums of Guatemala, travel to the United States in search of a better life. On their journey through Mexico, they meet Chauk, an Indian from Chiapas who doesn’t speak Spanish. Traveling together in freight trains and walking on railroad tracks, they soon have to face a harsh reality.

Violet Crown Cinema is located at 434 West 2nd Street. Film begins at 7:30 p.m. The film duration is 108 minutes. Spanish with English subtitles. CLA members will receive a $2 discount on tickets purchased at the box office or by phone at (512) 495-9600. Visit the Facebook event page here.

Watch the trailer for La Jaula De Oro below.

‘Frontera’ to be released via on demand and iTunes on July 31

July 28, 2014 By Austin Vida Staff

On Thursday, July 31, Magnolia Pictures will release FRONTERA starring Michael Peña and Eva Longoria in their first Spanish speaking roles alongside Academy Award® nominees Ed Harris (Pollock) and Amy Madigan (Twice in a Lifetime). The film was directed and written by Michael Berry and co-written by Louis Moulinet. For a full list of on demand providers showing FRONTERA, visit the Magnolia website HERE.

Official synopsis:

Set along the tumultuous Arizona-Mexico border, FRONTERA follows Miguel (Michael Peña), a hardworking father and devoted husband who crosses the border illegally and is wrongfully accused of murdering the wife of a former sheriff (Ed Harris). Miguel’s pregnant wife (Eva Longoria) lands in the hands of corrupt Mexican “Coyote” smugglers as she tries to help her husband, while the ex-lawman investigates his wife’s death and unearths evidence that could destroy one family’s future.

Watch the official trailer for FRONTERA below.

Celebrated musical ‘In the Heights’ comes to Austin

April 7, 2014 By Alyssa Morin

The Tony award winning musical In the Heights will be running from Apr. 9 through Apr. 19 at the B. Iden Payne Theatre. The University of Texas at Austin Theatre and Dance department along with director Jerry Ruiz present this celebrated and critically acclaimed musical.

In 2008, In the Heights won four Tony Awards out of its 13 nominations including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations. Creators Lin- Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegría Hudes (book). The celebrated musical chronicles the spirited Washington Heights community in New York. The score combines colorful Latin pop and hip-hop that brings energy and life to the story about exploration and identity.

Again, performance dates begin April 9 and end April 19 at the B. Iden Payne Theatre located at 300 E. 23 St. Ticket prices range from adults to UT students and staff. Prices begin at $15. Tickets can be purchased online at Texas Performing Arts or through JoinTheDrama.org, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Offices.

Below is a snippet of the play circa 2008.

[11/15] Preview: Cine Las Americas and ACC to screen ‘Granito: How to Nail a Dictator’

November 15, 2013 By Alyssa Morin

‘Granito’ will screen at the Austin Community College Eastview Campus on Nov. 15

Cine Las Americas International Film Festival along with the Peace and Conflicts Program at Austin Community College will present the social movement documentary Granito: How to Nail a Dictator on Friday, Nov. 15.

Filmmaker Pamela Yates unveils the story of former Guatemalan dictator Efraín Rios Montt whom was charged by the court for committing war brutality against the country’s Mayan people in the 1980s. His genocide crimes were documented by Yates in ’83 in her documentary When the Mountains Tremble, which provided and provoked evidence during his trial. Roughly 30 years later, Granito: How to Nail a Dictator captures the story of how a film, planting a new seed of human rights activists, became granito- a tiny grain of sand- that helped bring justice.

The Peace and Conflicts Program at the Austin Community College provides the community with knowledge and empowerment through films that relate to social justice, conflict and sustainable peace. As a part of their program they host a year-long screening series for the community.

The event will be held at the Austin Community College Multipurpose Room 8500 (Eastview campus) located at 3402 Webberville Rd.The event is free and open to the public. Screening at 8 p.m. followed by a talk about the Guatemala National Police Archive by guest speaker Kent Norsworthy, digital scholarship coordinator at LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections. For additional updates on upcoming screenings and information on the event visit the Peace and Conflicts Program’s website.

(11/6) Preview: Cine Las Americas screens PBS Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement Documentary

November 5, 2013 By Alyssa Morin

Cine Las Americas International Film Festival along with The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican-American Cultural Center present Chicano! History of the American Civil Rights Movement Part Three: Taking Back the Schools and Part Four: Fighting for Political Power. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the Civil Rights documentary will be screened at 8 p.m.

Both films capture the challenges and discriminations Mexican-Americans were faced with during a time of social change. Part three: Taking Back the Schools unravels Mexican-Americans struggling to reform an educational system that was failing to properly educated Mexican-American students, which leads to the 1968 walkout.

Part Four: Fighting for Political Power captivates the creation of La Raza Unida Party as a rising political party empowering Mexican-Americans on the importance of their rights. The episode focuses on the 1972 election and the Raza Unida convention that helped inform thousands.

The event is free and open to the public and will be held at the Mexican-American Cultural Center located at 600 River St. For more information and updates no upcoming events visit Cine Las Americas’ website.