Spanish and Latin Film Festival in Fourth Estate

by Cynthia Jessup

Spanish and Latin Film Festival in Fourth Estate

As its first year debut, Professor Esperanza Roman-Mendoza and Professor Lisa Rabin of the Modern and Classical Languages Department have worked diligently with Pragda and various organizations on campus to enlighten aspects of foreign cultures and expose students to new experiences. The Spanish and Latin Film Festival is now being featured on Mason’s campus.

“We want to promote multiculturalism on campus. We wanted to offer different perspectives on other cultures other than the mainstream, stereotypical views of the Hispanic culture(s) like on Netflix,” Professor Roman-Mendoza said.

Mason is constantly trying to find new ways to expose students to different cultures. “We now offer a multilingual class, World Cinema. (FRLN 331),” said Rabin. This is a new section offered by the University. “I believe students learn more from a movie, rather than a lecture when it comes to exploring different cultures. There is a growing interest in multilingualism film.”

The Modern and Classical Languages Department have been choosing films that students can relate to. They believe it “would be optimal choices, for instance, coming of age and social issues,” Roman-Mendoza said.

This project would not have been made possible without Pragda, a film distribution company. This company promotes, disseminates, and maintains the legacy of the Spanish and Latin American cinema through cultural initiatives. It has access to films outside of the United States that would be otherwise difficult to obtain for viewing.

Mason student and founder of the Global Film club, Michael Kamel, was excited to lead a discussion after the film, 7 Cajas.

“I’ve learned, or more so, realized the use of multilingualism as a tool of power and as a tool of community. For example, in 7 Cajas, the street people spoke Jopará, a mix of the indigenous language Guaraní and Spanish,” Kamel said.

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