When he came to speak at UCLA several months ago, performance
artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña probably never realized his
words would fuel an elaborate film festival.
World arts and cultures students listening to his lecture were
struck by a single, much-debated question Gómez-Peña
posed to them: “Is the classroom an activist
space?”
JoAnn Staten, a culture and performance graduate student, used
Gómez-Peña’s question as inspiration for the theme
of this year’s Vitas Film Festival.
The festival responds to his query with a definitive
“yes,” as it blends activism with artistic expression
on campus and tackles contemporary issues of race, gender,
homosexuality, religion, immigration and cultural expression. It
takes place from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today in Glorya Kaufman Hall.
With the theme “Choreographing the Margins,” the
festival aims to bring many art disciplines to the forefront in the
form of video, art and dance. UCLA and Otis College of Art and
Design students and alumni, prominent professional artists and art
critics are all scheduled to participate. The festival will also
offer attendees the rare opportunity to examine a wealth of issues
presented through exhibitions, performances, screenings and
discussions.
Organized by the Department of World Arts and Cultures ““
with sponsorship from Otis College, the Center for Student
Programming and the UCLA Folklore Society ““ the festival is
much larger than last year’s event. Today also marks
Vitas’ first collaboration with Otis College.
“It’s more of an extravaganza this year,” said
Scott Edmondson, technical chair of the festival and a culture and
performance graduate student at UCLA.
The festival originally ran as part of the now-dismantled
Folklore and Mythology Program.
The department has incorporated this folklore element, while
redefining its role, with some of the festival’s dance pieces
and ethnographic videos.
“It’s not really your father’s or your
grandfather’s folklore,” Edmondson said.
As chair of the festival, Staten also emphasized its modern
folklore component.
“We’re trying to reshape it into something more
contemporary, more fluid. Since our department is cultural studies
and performance, we’re trying to incorporate a lot of
different things,” Staten said.
Beyond just film or folklore, the event includes an art
exhibition in the department’s lobby, showcasing both UCLA
and Otis College student work.
“We thought, “˜If we’re all sitting here
creating things, what would happen if we all got together in the
same room? If people who were writing and painting and drawing
started to talk about it, what would come out of that?’ (The
festival) will serve to break down boundaries,” Staten
said.
Vitas stresses artistic expression, with activism as a key
component.
“Activism is just something that seems to continue to come
up in the department, and we wanted to acknowledge that as well as
the creativity,” Staten said.
The morning installment of the festival is scheduled to feature
dance, video and visual art followed by a discussion and
conference, with an opening dance performance by world arts and
cultures graduate alumna, Sri Susilowati.
“(Susilowati’s) dance piece deals with violence
against women and some of the ways women are constrained through
clothing and controlled movements,” Staten said. “She
has a philosophy about artistry and social statement, and it comes
out in this dance.”
Lunchtime will spark more awareness and conversation, as the
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of self-described
“queer nuns,” will be featured in the Garden Theater.
With its members serving as social activists, the group raises
funds for charities, promoting awareness and understanding.
Student films will run through the evening, focusing on a
variety of issues.
“Muslim Women” will explore the hijab in Islamic
cultures. Another piece, “Throwing Stones,” presents a
dance centered on the issue of racial politics. “Commodifying
Lolita” exposes the sexual marketing of girls at increasingly
younger ages.
More ethnographic works will also be presented, dealing with
subjects that include making tamales and confronting racism on
campus.
Those organizing the festival hope visitors will not only gain
an appreciation of culture and an understanding of the issues, but
will also be motivated to act.
“There may be people who never thought about taking a
political media course or using a camera or a computer to edit, and
(with) how easy the technology is getting, anyone can take
something they’re passionate about and make a piece on it and
get it out there. I would hope this would inspire people to do that
““ inspire some sense of excitement,” Edmondson
said.
“It would be nice to bring a lot of that energy to the
department, just to open people from other realms up who might not
have done it otherwise.”