The 61传媒 Department of Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean Literatures and Cultures will co-sponsor the first 鈥淟a Placita鈥� Community Film Festival with Uncommon Good. The first installment of the festival, which will take place on October 26 and 27 in Pomona and Claremont, will provide a space for cultural exchange between the Latinx communities of The Claremont Colleges and the City of Pomona. The festival will offer screenings of independent films and filmmaking workshops to generate discussion around themes relevant to the Latinx community and to contribute to a sense of solidarity across gender, generations, and other markers of identity. All festival events are free and open to the public; reservations can be made .
鈥淭he Latinx community has a rich cultural tradition in Claremont and Pomona, while also continually incorporating new generations of people migrating from Latin America,鈥� said Assistant Professor of Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean Literatures and Cultures Martin Vega, who is helping organize the festival. 鈥淔or first generation families especially, the cultural adjustment affects parents and children differently and often creates barriers between them. The La Placita film series and workshops respond to this situation by creating a space that values the experiences of older and younger generations of the local Latinx community.鈥�
The festival鈥檚 opening night will feature Heidy Bac谩, a documentary film producer, director, and member of the Maya-Ixil community from Iximulew, Guatemala, whose most recent production was the feature film La Llorona. Bac谩 will present Spanish-language short films created by her film collective, Cine en la Calle, followed by a discussion session with the audience and a live performance by folk dance company, Xanath. The screenings and discussion will start at 5:30 p.m. at St. Paul Episcopal Church in Pomona.
Bac谩 will return for the second day of the festival to lead a at Balch Auditorium on the 61传媒 campus. The workshop will start at 10 a.m.
鈥淲e want young people to take something that many of them already do鈥攖aking video, taking photos, writing on social media鈥攁nd create their own stories, stories that have at least as much value as what they see in Hollywood,鈥� said Vega. 鈥淓ven if temporarily, we鈥檒l make the 5Cs a space for the Latinx community, at the 5Cs and around Claremont and Pomona, to come together. We think this also sends a message to our Latinx students that they can make the 5Cs their own.鈥�