Thursday, February 13, 1997
FILM:
Diverse selection offers creative alternative to Hollywood
offeringsBy Ricky Herzog
Daily Bruin Contributor
One of the benefits of UCLA is experiencing all of the cultures
that thrive on campus, as well as having the opportunity to find
out what is happening around the world.
The Contemporary Latin American Film Series, organized by the
UCLA Film and Television Archive, is the latest of UCLA’s cultural
offerings.
Through the film series, students will have a chance to view
several aspects of Latin culture. The film series will showcase six
movies, all of which are products of Latin American cinema and
utilize interesting methods of filmmaking.
"The goal of our festival is to try to take the pulse of Latin
American filmmaking," series coordinator Chieng Sim Lim says. "It
is a very modest pulse because of the limited number of films, but
each of the films showing are very strong selections."
Though the series only contains a limited number of films, it
encompasses a wide scope of ideas. One of the aims of the program
is to provide a large range of cinematic forms and themes. This
year’s series provides films in diverse genres from postmodern
science fiction to magic realism to social satire.
"We basically like to get as large a cross-section of every
theme and style as we can," Lim says. "We are always keeping an eye
out for a good new Latin American film."
The interesting subjects dealt with by these diverse films offer
a thought-provoking alternative to the Hollywood films shown in
Westwood.
"I think that what’s important about this series, and something
that makes me wish the students would take more advantage of it, is
that we’re providing an alternative to Hollywood entertainment,"
UCLA Film and Archive Programming Coordinator David Pendleton says.
"I think what’s interesting about these films is that they offer a
certain amount of entertainment and spectacle, but they also
encourage people to think about what’s going on around them in new
ways. The films are not meant just to make a lot of money."
In addition to the fact that these films offer more intelligent
entertainment than typical Hollywood fare, the series also provides
a rare chance to see these films in the United States. Because the
films were produced in Latin America, it is uncertain whether they
will receive distribution here.
"Five of the six films don’t have U.S. distribution," Lim says.
"It is unlikely that people will be able to see them outside of
this festival."
While most of the films will not be seen elsewhere in the United
States, one of the selections, "Guantanamera," stands out in the
series because it is an exclusive screening. The director, Tomas
Guiterres Alea, passed away recently, and the film world is
mourning his death.
"Tomas Guiterras Alea is a very talented and respected
filmmaker," Lim says. "His death is a huge loss to the film
community. And ‘Guantanamera’ is a very special selection for us
because it is a sneak preview of his last film."
In addition to "Guantanamera," another interesting film in the
series, "Moebius," is a science fiction thriller which examines the
effects of modern technology. The film is unique because it is a
collaboration between two filmmakers and 45 students at a Buenos
Aires film school.
"’Moebius’ was a very interesting project because Gustavo
Mosquera and Maria Angeles Mira supervised students at a Buenos
Aires film school in the making of this film," Lim says. "The
students were involved in every stage of it and it is a really
interesting production because of that. You wouldn’t know it was
done by such a large group of students because it is so
polished."
The series also offers a film located in Buenos Aires, which
focuses on the troubled world of Argentina’s Generation X. "Buenos
Aires Vice Versa" deals with the alienated children of the
Argentine dictatorship’s victims.
"’Buenos Aires Vice Versa’ has a very interesting take on the
idea of the disappeared," Lim says. "It can be described as a
verite/Generation X film, but it is not trite in any way. It is
quite a profound film. It emphasizes the emotional aspect of what
these kids feel. The generation gap is treated in a very
interesting way. The kids are innocent of what transpired, but they
are facing the worst consequences of the events."
Another film dealing with youth is the Brazilian film "How
Angels are Born." It focuses on two Brazilian children dealing with
a bizarre set of circumstances.
"’How Angels are Born’ is a very interesting film that deals
with kids from the slums," professor and chair of the Spanish and
Portuguese Department and Brazilian film specialist Randall Johnson
says. "Through an absurd series of events, these kids kidnap an
American lawyer and his child. It says a lot about cultural
relations between the Americans and the Brazilians. It is also very
fast-moving and hip. It is one of the best examples of current
Brazilian filmmaking."
The series is diverse, offering films that deal with issues
ranging from alienated generations to cultural, political and
historical events. But there are some common threads between all
the films. According to Pendleton, the films carry overtones of
unrest and anxiety.
"One thing that you find in a lot of these films is a certain
sense of concern or anxiety about the past and about the effects of
all different kinds of unrest," Pendleton says. "Whether the unrest
is about totalitarian regimes, military dictatorships, or
confrontations with the U.S. or even internal anarchy, there is a
certain amount of anxiety about the violence and chaos of the past
and what that means for the present as well as the future."
These themes are common to Latin American films. In fact, this
historical and political realism forms the basis of Latin American
cinema.
"Latin American cinema is always concerned with social
problems," Johnson says. "They have a commitment to critical
discussion of political, personal and historical realities."
These compelling themes serve as an important reason to see the
Contemporary Latin American Film series. The films are undeniably
relevant to UCLA students for their cinematic expertise and
cultural issues.
"Students need to see these movies because they can get a good
sense of Latin American reality," Johnson says. "The filmmaking is
different from Hollywood. It is creative and original and there is
always the potential to see truly exciting filmmaking."
FILM: The Latin American Film Series will be shown at UCLA’s
James Bridges Theater (formerly Melnitz Theater), Feb. 13 Â
March 2. Gustavo Mosquera, the director of "Moebius," will be in
attendance of his film for a question and answer session. For more
information call 206-801.
UCLA Film and Television Archive
Gustavo Mosquera, who directed "Moebius" will be available when
the film is shown to answer questions about the film.
"Buenos Aires Vice Versa," is a film about the alienation felt
by the children of the Argentinian dictatorship.
"Latin American cinema is always concerned with social
problems."
Randall Johnson
Brazilian film specialist