Directed by Gregory Nava. “Enrique and Rosa are brother and sister Mayan Indian peasants, living in the mountains of Guatemala. When the village attempts to organize for better treatment, Enrique and Rosa are forced to flee as the Guatemalan army is sent in to punish the townspeople. Receiving clandestine help from friends and humorous advice from a veteran immigrant, they make their way to Los Angeles, hoping to make a new life as young, uneducated, and illegal immigrants.“
Directed by Juan José Campanella. “Recently retired criminal court investigator Benjamín decides to write a novel based on a twenty-five-year-old unresolved rape and murder case which still haunts him. Sharing his plans with Irene, the beautiful judge and his former colleague, Benjamín’s initial involvement with the case is shown through flashbacks as he sets out to identify the murderer.“
Directed by Icíar Bollaín. “Idealistic filmmaker Sebastian and his cynical producer Costa, arrive in Bolivia to make a revisionist film about Christopher Columbus’ conquest of the Americas. But as filming commences, the local citizens begin to riot in protest against a multi-national corporation that is taking control of their water supply. With the film shoot in jeopardy, both men find their convictions shaken. Inspired by the real-life water wars in Bolivia in the year 2000.”
Directed by Pablo Larraín. “Military dictator Augusto Pinochet calls for a referendum to decide his permanence in power in 1988, the leaders of the opposition persuade a young daring advertising executive – René Saavedra – to head their campaign. With limited resources and under the constant scrutiny of the despot’s watchmen, Saavedra and his team conceive of a bold plan to win the election and free their country from oppression.”
Directed by Guillermo del Toro. “Spain, 1944. Officially, the Civil War has been over for five years, but a small group of rebels fights on in the northern mountains of Navarra. Dreamy 10-year-old Ofelia and her pregnant mother Carmen move to Navarra, joining her new stepfather, Captain Vidal. A Fascist officer, he is under orders to destroy the rebels. Ofelia discovers an overgrown, tumbledown labyrinth and meets an ancient faun who claims to know her true identity and secret destiny. She can learn them if she completes three tasks before the full moon. “
BOOKS:
Massacre of the Dreamers: Essays on Xicanisma
Author: Ana Castillo. “Giving voice to Mexican and Amerindian women silenced for hundreds of years by the dual censorship of being female and indigenous, Castillo replaced the term “Chicana feminism” with “Xicanisma” to include mestiza women on both sides of the border. In history, myth, interviews, and ethnography Castillo revisits her reflections on Chicana activism, spiritual practices, sexual attitudes, artistic ideology, labor struggles, and education-related battles.”
Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change Authors: Norma E.Cantú, Olga Nájera-Ramírez. “A collection of essays on Chicana culture features contributions from native scholars, performing artists, folklorists, archivists, museum coordinators, and community activists, exploring how Mexican American women continue to invent, reshape, and transcend their traditional culture.”
Mexican-Americans Across Generations Author: Jessica M. Vazquez. “Interviewing three generations of middle class Mexican American families, Jessica Vasquez focuses on the family as a key site for racial and gender identity formation, knowledge transmission, and incorporation processes, exploring how the racial identities of Mexican Americans both change and persist generationally in families.”
Youth, Identity, Power: the Chicano Movement
Author: Carlos Muñoz. “Study of the origins of the 1960s Chicano civil rights movement. Written by a leader of the Chicano student movement who also played a key role in the creation of the wider Chicano Movement, this is the first full-length work to appear on the subject. It fills an important gap in the history of political and social protest in the United States.”
