Latin American Film Festival. AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.
Now in its 23rd year, the AFI Latin American Film Festival showcases the best filmmaking from Latin America and, with the inclusion of films from Spain and Portugal, celebrates Ibero-American cultural connections. This year’s selection of 50 films makes it the biggest festival yet, and includes international festival favorites, award-winners, local box-office hits and debut works by promising new talents. Look for featured strands in this year’s lineup including: Music Movies 
Family Fun 
and Late Night Latin 
.
Highlights of the festival include the Opening Night selection, the rousing LA-set hip hop drama FILLY BROWN; Mexico’s A SECRET WORLD, a sensation at the Berlin International Film Festival; the US premiere of Argentina’s CLANDESTINE CHILDHOOD; David Riker’s Mexico-US immigration drama, THE GIRL, starring Abbie Cornish; festival sensation UNA NOCHE, from Cuba; TROPICÁLIA, the definitive documentary on the influential Brazilian music movement, and LA CASA DEL RITMO, A FILM ABOUT LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES, chronicling the story of Venezuela’s most famous Grammy-winning band; HERE AND THERE, winner of the top prize in Critic’s Week at this year’s Cannes Film Festival; and Alex de la Iglesia’s lunatic media satire, AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, starring Mexico’s Salma Hayek.
Look for the fall issue of AFI Preview, featuring the AFI Latin American Film Festival, in the Washington Post and El Tiempo Latino on September 14!
Departament of Spanish and Portuguese in Latino Heritage Month
This past weekend–for the launch of Latino Heritage Month–students in two sections of SPAN303 Approaches to Cultural Materials in the Hispanic World, taught by Ana Patricia Rodríguez participated in two outreach and service learning activities. On Saturday, 11 students volunteered to assist in various activities at the Central American Traditions Festival at the Smithsonian’s Museum of National American History. On Sunday, 15 students led bilingual arts activities at the Lane Manor Hispanic Month Festival on University Blvd. My students provided valuable service, engaged people in Spanish, and represented the SLLC and UMD. Prof Rodríguez received lots of compliments and commendations for her students’ work by event organizers and the public. Based on their participation, they will write critical reflections on their experiences, and, after doing research throughout the semester, they will do group presentations on community issues or cultural practices observed at weekend events. Thanks to Pam Deane and Michelle Dove, who provided Prof. Rodríguez with materials on learning languages and on the SLLC, which they gave out to parents and children at the Festival.
