The Grand Rapids Latin American Film Festival may be sponsored by several local colleges and universities, but just about anybody can get a little world studies education from the planned lineup of films.
The festival will run Thursday through Sunday, April 3-6, at the Wealthy Theater. In all, 17 films will be screened, all free to the public and all with English subtitles.
Including short but mostly feature length films, the spectrum of offerings run from a family drama led focused on an Elvis impersonator (El Ultimo Elvis), to the sort-of true story of early 20th century Venezuelan painter Armando Reverón (Reverón), to the story of sisters' journey to find lifesaving liquid interrupted by a handsome man (El Auga del Fin del Mundo or The Water at the End of the World).
The goal of the festival, now in its fifth year, remains the same, to provide the opportunity for acquaintance with the latest in acclaimed and up-and-coming Latin American films and filmmakers. But it is also an opportunity to gain some exposure to Latin and Latino culture.
"We have put together a selection of exceptionally poignant, beautiful and entertaining films," said Melba Hoffer, a member of the festival organizing committee.
Maybe the most varied and interesting evening of films will be Sunday when Argentine filmmaker Armando Bo's 2012 feature length film El Ultimo Elvis (The Last Elvis) is screened at 4 p.m., followed at 6 p.m. by Dr. Fernando Holguin discussing the border conflict between the Dominican Republic and Haiti in a lecture titled "Our Neighbors, the Primitives" laying the groundwork for a screening of Dominican filmmaker Laura Amelia Guzman Guzmán will present her film Jean Gentil at 7 p.m.
Films to be screened originate from a wide range of Latin counties: Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
The Grand Rapids Latin American Film Festival is sponsored by Aquinas and Calvin colleges, and Ferris State, Davenport and Grand Valley State universities. For more information and a complete list of films and show times, visit grlaff.org.
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