movies

[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.

[3/7] Preview: A Tribute to César Chávez 2014

March 7, 2014 By Austin Vida Staff

The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center recognizes the civil rights and farm workers’ labor leader, César E. Chávez, with “A Tribute to Cesar Chavez: 2014.” It consists of two-day presentations of documentary films on the Mexican-American civil rights movement.

“What Would César Chávez Tweet?” opens the event with the panel discussion “Latinos and New Media,” which examines Latino-led campaigns and the effect that social media has had on them. Speakers include: Paul Chavez, son of César Chávez, Estuardo Rodriguez, Melody Gonzales and Aasil Ahmad. The panel will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m. March 7 at the Holiday Inn Town Lake Sunflower Room 20. The panel will be followed by a reception at 5 p.m. Final remarks will be made by Paul Chavez and Estuardo Rodriguez at 6 p.m. at the Sam Z. Coronado Gallery.

Following the panel discussion will be documentary screenings. The first of the night is A Class Apart, directed by Carlos Sandoval and Peter Miller. It tells the story of Pete Hernández, who killed a tenant farmer, and the civil rights case that emerged from the murder in the small town of Edna, Texas in 1951. The hour long screening starts at 7 p.m. March 7 at the Black Box Theater.

The second documentary of the night is The Fight in the Fields: César Chávez and the Farmworkers’ Struggle directed by Ray Telles & Rick Tejada-Flores. The documentary tells the story of César Chávez, founder of the United Farm Workers of America, and his non-violent civil rights movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s that inspired farm workers to fight for their rights. The documentary runs for 116 minutes and will be screened at 8:30 p.m. Friday March 7 and Saturday March 8 at the Black Box Theater.

The final screening of the tribute will be Antonia Pantoja: ¡Presente¡ a film by Lillian Jiménez. The film recognizes the work of Antonia Pantoja, a Puero Rican educator, activist and early proponent of bilingual education. Despite the obstacles she faced as a black Puerto Rican woman, she founded ASPIRA, an organization that empowers Puerto Rican youth, as well as other leadership and advocacy organizations. The 53-minute film is in Spanish with English subtitles. It will screen at 7 p.m. March 8 at the Black Box Theater.

All events will be free and open to the public. The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center is located at 600 River St. The center is dedicated to the preservation, creation, presentation, and promotion of Mexican American cultural arts and heritage.

[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.

(11/3) Preview: Cine Las Americas presents dinner and a movie featuring ‘Cronos’

November 1, 2013 By Alyssa Morin

Cine Las Americas International Film Festival hosts a dinner and a movie in celebration of Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 6 pm. Join Cine Las Americas as they present the notable director Guillermo del Toro’s first feature film, Cronos.

Cronos, with its psychologically haunting style, has become a timeless thriller, and seemingly one of the best Latin American horror films. When a mysterious device, designed to provide its owner with eternal life, resurfaces after almost four hundred years, it causes a stir of destruction and chaos.

The event will be held at Cantina el Milamores at Takoba. Doors open at 5:30 p.m, following the dinner at 6 p.m. and the film at 7 p.m. General Admission prices are $25 and Cine Las Americas member prices are $15. All proceeds will help benefit the 17th annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival. For more information and event details visit Cine Las Americas’ website.

Watch the unofficial movie trailer for Cronos below.

(8/27) Preview: Mexican American Cultural Center Screens ‘Pepe El Toro’

August 26, 2013 By Alyssa Morin

The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC) presents its Cine De Oro film series the last Tuesday of each month. This Tuesday, Aug. 27, the ESB-MACC for the premiere of Pepe El Toro (Pepe the Bull) to the series.

The 1953 classic film tells the story about Pepe, a boxer, who struggles with the physical and mental strains of his profession as well as the difficulties his career is bringing to his everyday life. Director Ismael Rodriguez captures the affects boxing has on people who live humbly. The film stars Pedro Infante, a renowned Mexican star for his acting talents.

All films are open to the public and free of charge. The Cine De Oro film series is scheduled the last Tuesday of each month. The film begins at 9:30 a.m at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center located at 600 River Street. For additional updates on upcoming films or events visit the Cultural Center’s website.

[7/9] Preview: Puro Chingon Social Club presents a free screening of ‘Frida’ at The North Door

July 9, 2013 By Alyssa Morin

The North Door invites movie-goers to their weekly Free Film Tuesday series. Tonight the Puro Chingon Social Club will be hosting the event with a special interactive screening of Frida.

The Puro Chingon Social Club has previously showcased films Mi Vida Loca, Machete and Y Tu Mamá También. Their Latino-themed program and interactive screenings allow audiences to get a more intimate connection with the film. The club was formed by the Puro Chingon Collective, an Austin Art Collective that works in specializing on zines, interactive theater and public art interactions. They’ve created a ChingoZine, which is an art zine that promotes apsiring Latino artists.

Salma Hayek portrays the influential artist Frida Kahlo whose life-altering bus accident transforms her work as an artist and wife. The film vividly chronicles Frida’s transformation as a painter and person through her emotional and physical change. Frida highlights her eminence as a Chicana, activist, artist and person.

Doors open at 7 and the screening starts at 7:30 at the main stage. There will be props, prized and goodies provided! For more information and updates on the event visit the North Door’s website or the Facebook event.