¡Viva Cuba!
- Directed by: Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti, Iraida Malberti Cabrera
- Country: (2005) Cuba
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 80 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG
- Website: http://www.vivacuba-lefilm.com/
- Synopsis:
The film tells the story of two young friends who find their youthful innocence and enjoyment of spending time together impacted by disapproving parents regarding the children’s division of class, religion and political beliefs. When the religious, snobbish single mother of Malu (Tarrau Broche) decides she wants to leave Cuba after the death of her mother, Malu enlists the help of the working class, socialist Jorgito (Milo Avila) in running away to the other end of the island in order to persuade Malu’s estranged lighthouse-keeper father not to sign the paperwork that would allow her mother to leave the country and all the friends her daughter has come to know. Children’s Program.
¿Puedo Hablar?/ May I speak?
- Directed by: Christopher Moore
- Country: (2006) Venezuela
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 70 minutes
- MPAA Rating: Not rated
- Website: http://www.solproductions.com
- Synopsis:
A snapshot portrait of a Venezuelan society at a crossroads; a re-elected president,Hugo Chavez, being challenged by a mounting opposition; a valuable starting block for any debate on current Venezuelan politics. The co-director, Christopher Moore, is scheduled to attend.
Buena Vista Social Club
- Directed by: Director Wim Wenders
- Country: (1999) Cuba
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 105 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG
- Website: http://www.pbs.org/buenavista
- Synopsis:
A group of legendary Cuban musicians, some as old as their nineties, were brought together by Ry Cooder to record a CD. In this film directed by Wim Wenders, we see and hear some of the songs being recorded in Havana. There is also footage from concerts in Amsterdam and New York City’s Carnegie Hall. In addition, many of the individual musicians talk about their lives in Cuba and about how they got started in music. Winner of 18 awards and nominated for an Oscar.
Bus 174
- Directed by: Jose Padilha and Felipe Lacerda
- Country: (2002) Brazil
- Language: Portuguese (English subtitles)
- Running time: 122 minutes
- MPAA Rating: R
- Website: http://www.bus174.com/
- Synopsis:
On June 12th, 2000, a bus full of passengers was kidnapped in Rio de Janeiro in broad daylight. The kidnapper, Sandro do Nascimento, terrorized his victims and when he finally agreed to surrender and the episode was close to an end, a policeman tried to shoot him, killing one of the hostages instead, a young woman. The whole episode was broadcast live, causing revolt among the population. The documentary is about the incident, with interviews, focusing on Sandro do Nascimento, his childhood, and how unavoidably he was doomed to become a bandit. Winner of many awards.
El Hijo de la Novia / The Son of the Bride
- Directed by: Juan Jose Campanella
- Country: (2001) Argentina
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 123 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG
- Website: http://www.elhijodelanovia.com/
- Synopsis:
At age 42, Rafael Belvedere (Ricardo Darín) is having a mid-life crisis.
A minor heart attack forces him to slow down, and a reunion with Juan Carlos (Eduardo Blanco), a childhood friend who tries to keep a positive attitude in the wake of a personal tragedy in his own life, helps Rafael to reconstruct his past and look at the present in new ways. Most importantly, when his father makes the decision to fulfill his mother’s dream of getting married in a church, it gives him a chance to get to know her better.
El Silencio de Neto / The Silence of Neto
- Directed by: Luis Argueta
- Country: (1996) Guatemala
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 106 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
- Website: http://www.mayamediacorp.com/
- Synopsis:
The Silence of Neto is Guatemala’s exciting first foray onto the international screen. Filmed entirely on location in that country, the film tells the very human story of a young boy’s coming of age in Guatemala in the 1950’s, a period marked by political upheaval, CIA meddling, and Cold War paranoia. Directed and co-written by native Guatemalan Luis Argueta, The Silence of Neto features the U.S. and international television star, Eva Tamargo Lemus along with a cast of some of Guatemala’s most famous stage actors. A film of great dramatic power and stunning visual beauty, The Silence of Neto was shot in the handsome colonial city of Antigua and in the lush hills and staggering volcanic landscapes surrounding it. The film not only tells a compelling story, it gives audiences a fascinating inside look at a people about whose culture the rest of the world knows little beyond the occasional sensational headline.
Gaby: A True Story
- Directed by: Luis Mandoki
- Country: (1987) Mexico
- Language: English
- Running time: 110 minutes
- MPAA Rating: R
- Website: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093067/
- Synopsis:
The life story of Gabriela Brimmer, a victim of cerebral palsy. Born in Mexico just after the Second World War, Gaby, as she’s called, is for the first several years of her life thought to be either a vegetable or, to quote her doctor, a child of normal intelligence “locked inside a body that cannot respond.” Her maid notices that she is resisting food and realizes that she can control her foot. From there Gaby learns to write, study and becomes an artist, writer and activist. Nominated for an Oscar.
Her brother, Henry Brimmer. an MSU faculty member, is scheduled to speak after the film.
Guantanamera
- Directed by: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío
- Country: (1997) Cuba
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 105 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
- Website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Zw8B3U4qU
- Synopsis:
After a world famous diva dies, her family must accompany the casket on an absurd journey to the funeral, accompanied by a pair of truck drivers. The truckers and the mourners inspire new love in each other. A colorful dark comedy from Cuba, equal parts romantic comedy and critique of the crumbling Communist political system.
Machuca
- Directed by: Andrés Wood
- Country: (2004) Chile
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 121 minutes
- MPAA Rating: Not rated
- Synopsis:
In 1973, in Santiago of Chile of the first socialist president democratically elected in a Latin-American country, President Salvador Allende, the principal of the Saint Patrick School, Father McEnroe (Ernesto Malbran) makes a trial of integration between students of the upper and lower classes. The bourgeois boy Gonzalo Infante (Matías Quer) and the boy from the slum Pedro Machuca (Ariel Mateluna) become great friends, while the conflicts on the streets leads Chile to the bloody and repressive military coup of General Augusto Pinochet on 11 September 1973, changing definitely their lives, their relationship and their country.
Mi Mejor Enemigo / My Best Enemy
- Directed by: Alex Bowen
- Country: (2005) Chile/Argentina
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 105 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
- Website: http://www.mimejorenemigo.com/
- Synopsis:
December 1978. Chile and Argentina are about to engage in an armed confrontation over ownership of three islands in the Beagle Canal on their southern border. In Patagonia, a Chilean platoon accidentally breaks its compass and they are lost on the immense pampas. They dig their trenches somewhere without knowing whether they are in Chile or Argentina. A long waiting begins that will be interrupted by an Argentinean platoon deployed in front of them. As both units await the start of the war, shared fear and a stray dog allow friendship to grow between “enemies”. Confused by the solitude of the pampas, the characters straddle the fragile line between duty and sentiment, telling a deeply human story with humor and dignity. This humanistic film is a timely and powerful message about the futility of war. My Best Enemy was a huge box-office hit in Chile, was Chile’s selection for the 2005 Oscars and the Goyas (Spanish Oscar), and acclaimed at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
Nueve Reinas / Nine Queens
- Directed by: Fabian Bielinsky
- Country: (2000) Argentina
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 114 minutes
- MPAA Rating: R
- Website: http://www.sonyclassics.com/ninequeens/flash/index.html#
- Synopsis:
Nine Queens is the story of two small-time swindlers, Juan (Gastón Pauls) and Marcos (Ricardo Darin), who team up after meeting in a convenience store and as the deceptions and duplicity mount, it becomes more and more difficult to figure out who is conning whom. A thriller with many plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. Winner of over 20 awards.
Orfeu Negro / Black Orpheus
- Directed by: Directed by Marcel Camus
- Country: (1958) Brazil
- Language: English
- Running time: 100 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG
- Synopsis:
Camus’ winner of the Palme d’Or winner at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival is a modern reinterpretation of the myth of Orpheus which simultaneously celebrates the beauty, music and people of Brazil. In this version of the ages-old tale, Orpheus is a streetcar conductor and star Carnival dancer who is betrothed to the determined Mira but is in love with Eurydice. As Mira and Death himself pursue the doomed Orpheus and his lover through the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Carnival literally brings the streets to life. Lush photography and the timeless and brilliant bossa nova sounds of Jobim give the film a distinct power and beauty. Considered one of the great films of all time.
Rue cases négres / Sugar Cane Alley
- Directed by: Euzhan Palcy
- Country: (1983) Martinique
- Language: English
- Running time: 103 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG
- Synopsis:
Martinique, in the early 1930s. Young José and his grandmother live in a small village. Nearly everyone works cutting cane and barely earning a living. The overseer can fine a worker for the smallest infraction. The way to advance is to do well in school. José studies hard and succeeds in an exam allowing him to attend school in the capital. With only a partial scholarship, the tuition is very costly. José and his grandmother move to Fort-de-France to make José’s studies easier…
The Gatekeeper
- Directed by: John Carlos Frey
- Country: (2002) USA/Mexico
- Language: English
- Running time: 103 minutes
- MPAA Rating: R
- Website: http://www.gatekeeperfilm.com/
- Synopsis:
Adam Fields is a rage-filled U.S. Border Patrol Agent who often crosses the line in his job. A member of a vigilante group, Fields decides to go undercover with a hidden camera and cross with a group of undocumented immigrants. His plan goes awry, however, when the group is forced to work for a drug ring. Suddenly, Fields realizes that he has more in common with the migrants and their search for home, family and freedom than he thought.
Voces Inocentes / Innocent Voices
- Directed by: Luis Mandoki
- Country: (2004) El Salvador/Mexico/Puerto Rico
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 120 minutes
- MPAA Rating: R
- Website: http://www.innocentvoicesmovie.com
- Synopsis:
The film, set in El Salvador during the years of civil war in the ‘80s, is told through the voice and eyes of 11-year old Chava. He lives with his mother, two brothers and a sister in a cardboard-house in a village, and at age 12 will be ‘eligible’ to be taken into the “ejercito” (army). He tries to avoid it so that he can have a “normal” childhood. Winner of many awards.
Whisky
- Directed by: Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll
- Country: (2004) Uruguay
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 99 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
- Synopsis:
When his long-lost brother resurfaces, Jacobo, desperate to prove his life has added up to something, looks to scrounge up a wife. He turns to Marta, an employee at his sock factory, with whom he has a prickly relationship. the owner of a sock factory in Montevideo, and Marta, his employee, realize that their estranged relationship needs to change when Jacobo’s long-lost brother prompting them to pose as a married couple.
Y Tu Mamá También
- Directed by: Alfonso Cuaron
- Country: (2001) Mexico
- Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
- Running time: 105 minutes
- MPAA Rating: R
- Website: http://www.mgm.com/title_title.do?title_star=YTUMAMAT
- Synopsis:
Abandoned by their girlfriends for the summer, teenagers Tenoch and Julio meet the older Luisa at a wedding. Trying to be impressive, the friends tell Luisa they are headed on a road trip to a beautiful, secret beach called Boca del Cielo. Intrigued with their story and desperate to escape, Luisa asks if she can join them on their trip. Soon the three are headed out of Mexico City, making their way toward the fictional destination. Along the way, seduction, argument and the contrast of the trio against the harsh realities of the surrounding poverty ensue.