Hispanic Film Festival Is More Than Free Movies

Hispanic Film Festival Is More Than Free Movies

Students, faculty, staff, and the general public can delve into a host of topics through cinema this fall, with five award-winning independent films being offered for free viewing through the fifth annual Hispanic Film Festival at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Movies from Spain, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Cuba explore topics from family to international politics, religion to the global economy. All of the films are in Spanish with English subtitles. 

The films are selected for their educational value by Distinguished Lecturer Betsabé Navarro in the Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC). She started the festival by applying for funding and continues as its organizer. 

Interdisciplinary Experience

This year, three films will be shown at the John C. Hodges Library: Parallel Mothers, Alegría, and Sealed Cargo. Before each showing UT faculty who are experts on the themes or countries portrayed will provide historical, cultural, and political background information to help viewers better understand the films.

“I know online streaming is more convenient for everyone these days, but the uniqueness of the in-person movie nights is priceless,” said Navarro. “I really want to encourage people to come to the movies in person and live the experience of gathering together and watching films on the big screen.”

Two movies will be offered online only: The Return and Un Traductor.

Enriching Education

The five films being presented this year through UT’s Hispanic Film Festival have been nominated for and received scores of awards across the globe in recent years.

“I always enjoyed talking to and learning from people from different countries and cultures. That, together with my love for learning foreign languages, sparked my motivation to travel and live abroad, far from my native country, Spain,” Navarro said. “This not only helped me develop my academic career, but also enriched my personal life and experiences.”

The festival has support from across campus, not only WLC but also the Departments of History and Sociology, the cinema studies program in the School of Art, the Latin American studies program, the Division of Access and Engagement, and the Multicultural Student Life program. The festival also is made possible with support from film distributor Pragda, SPAIN arts & culture, and Spain’s secretary of state for culture.

By Amy Beth Miller