By JOANNA KASPE
A Spanish language film festival, sponsored by Sigma Delta Pi and the Humanities Department, will be held throughout March in the International Cinema to promote awareness of the films as both an art and a political statement.
The festival will show films every Thursday for the duration of the month, and will include various presentations and in-depth analysis of the films, said Dale J. Pratt, faculty advisor for Sigma Delta Pi, and professor of Spanish.
“The festival is a very good idea, these kinds of films are another version of history,” said Patrick Thurston, a senior in history from Salt Lake City, who will give two presentations of Spanish and Chilean films March 21 and 28.
“Most of the time, you get what you’re told about history, and don’t see all sides. These films allow you to get the unofficial version of history, and give you the opportunity to learn about another culture and people,” Thurston said.
The films, are portrayals of dictatorships, and have implied criticisms about South American regimes, Pratt said.
The film producers had to be very careful about the information they included in their films. If the Regime didn’t like the film, the producers either had to be exiled, or have their privilege and status as a film maker taken away, he said.
“It’s the aesthetic quality of the films that allows them to be more than propaganda,” Thurston said. “I think that students could learn not only about history, but appreciate the aesthetic quality of the films as well.”
“People can learn a lot about the importance of the media from these films. In the U.S., we don’t have a lot of political films. While films influence our political views, there are not many that make a statement,” Thurston said. “In Spain, Chile, and Latin America, films play a role in calling for political and social change.”
March 19-23, the International Cinema will be showing, “El amor brujo,” and a biography of Manuel de Falla, “When the Fire Burns.” Presentations will include, “Reel Ditatorships,” by Patrick Thurston, March 21 and 28. For additional information about the film festival, contact the Spanish Department at 378-2837
