Introducing the Spanish Film Festival at Nipissing University

Discover new cinema from Spain and Latin America at Nipissing University during the Spanish Language Film Festival, November 29 – December 2.The event is organized in a collaboration between students in Nipissing’s Hispanic Culture and Civilization course and World Cinema course.
Viewer discretion is advised due to mature themes, strong profanity, sexual activity, drug use and explicit violence.
All films are screened in room H104. Admission is free. Seating is limited. Donations of non-perishable goods for the Nipissing University Food Bank are appreciated.THE ISLAND INSIDE [La Isla Interior]Thursday, November 29, 7 p.m.
Dunia Ayaso and Félix Sabroso / 93 min. / 2010
In this dark family drama directed by kitschy-camp filmmaker duo Dunia Ayaso and Félix Sabroso, three siblings are forced to confront their disparate and dysfunctional lives when the sudden death of their schizophrenic father brings them back to the bleak landscapes of Spain’s Canary Islands.I TRAVEL BECAUSE I HAVE TO, I COME BACK BECAUSE I LOVE YOU [Viajo porque preciso, volto porque te amo]Friday, November 30, 7 p.m.
Marcelo Gomes & Karim Aïnouz / 71 min. / 2009
In this hauntingly melancholy film, geologist José Renato, travels to Sertão, an isolated region in Northeastern Brazil. His goal is to assess possible routes for a water canal from the region’s only river. For many of the region’s inhabitants, the canal will be a lifeline, the chance of a future and source of hope. But for those living on the canal’s direct course, it means only requisitions, departure and loss.FROM THE LAND TO THE TABLE [¿Qué Culpa Tiene el Tomate?]Saturday, December 1, 2 p.m.
Alejo Hoijman, Marcos Loayza, Josué Méndez, Carolina Navas, Paola Vieira, Alejandra Szeplaki and Jorge Coira / 107 min. / 2009
What do you get when you take seven directors from seven different countries with seven different cultures and points of view? From the Land to Your Table is the first documentary of its kind in that it shows the perspectives of seven majorly talented filmmakers and directors from all over Latin America as they capture the conditions and cultural diversity of popular produce markets in their individual countries.THE CINEMA HOLD UP [Asalto al Cine]Saturday, December 1, 7 p.m.
Irina Gómez Concheiro / 124 min. / 2011
Negus, Chale, Sapo and Chata are teenagers who grew up in the same rundown district of Mexico City. They spend their days listening to hip-hop, smoking marihuana and fantasizing about the opposite sex. One day they have the bright idea of robbing a movie theater, jeopardizing the one sure thing they have in life—their friendship.UNDERTOW [Contracorriente]Sunday, December 2, 2 p.m.
Javier Fuentes León / 100 min. / 2010 / Perú, Colombia, France, Germany
Miguel is a handsome, young and beloved fisherman in Cabo Blanco, a small fishing village in the Northern coast of Perú, where the community has deep-rooted religious traditions. Miguel is married to the beautiful Mariela, who is 7-months pregnant with their firstborn, but Miguel harbors a scandalous secret: He is having a love affair with another man, Santiago, a painter who is ostracized by the townsfolk for being agnostic and open about his sexuality. When Santiago drowns accidentally in the ocean’s strong undertow, he cannot pass peacefully to the other side. He returns after his death to ask Miguel to look for his body and bury it according to the rituals of the town. Miguel must choose between sentencing Santiago to eternal torment or doing right by him and, in turn, revealing their relationship to Mariela and the entire village.
For more information go to:www.spanishfilmfestival.weebly.com or follow us on twitter @spanishfilmnip
The Spanish Film Club series was made possible with the support of Pragda, the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain, and its Program for Cultural Cooperation with United States' Universities.