Cultural exploration, self-discovery, immigration, transgender identity and toilet paper come together in the New England Festival of Ibero-American Film Cinema, which runs through Oct. 9. Sponsored by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the festival is screening Ibero-American films in the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts and other locations on campus.
The festival features 61 separate films, both animated and live action. It includes shorts and documentaries relating to and made by members of Hispanic and Portuguese cultural communities. The films span all manner of themes and genres, including the classic tale of self-discovery — as a roll of toilet paper wanders the house questioning its existence and a Haitian man looks for God in himself and the world — and the more realistically focused examination of some of the United States' more harmful immigration policies.
According to Jose Torrealba, director of the festival and outreach coordinator at the center, the festival is a diverse set of films each chosen based on their individual merit and artistic expression. He described the festival as an opportunity to gain a unique perspective on a different culture. "It is a special moment to share, experience, learn and live a different culture in your own city," he wrote in an email to The Herald.
Beyond the intrinsic value of experiencing another's culture, Torrealba was eager to have the festival at Brown and other nearby universities because these centers of learning are filled with individuals willing and able to turn a cultural exploration into an educational experience. Several faculty members made the festival part of their course curriculum to take advantage of its guests and exchange experiences with the students, he wrote.
One of the films being shown at the festival is Laura Amelia Guzman and Israel Cardenas's "Jean Gentil." This remarkable work explores one man's quest to find himself, God and a place to belong. The main character, Jean Remy Gentil, is a Haitian professor in the largest city of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. At the start of the film, he finds himself jobless and destitute, desperately searching for a new home in an unfriendly environment.
Gentil's search across both the Dominican Republic and Haiti showcases the intricacies of the countries' diverse cultures, as well as some of the most beautiful jungle and seascapes the island has to offer. The movie shows the truth of the island, revealing its colors and unique shades that are often missed by outside observers, Guzman said.
One of the most interesting aspects of the film is the concluding shot of Port-au-Prince immediately after the 2010 Haitian earthquake. Guzman described the decision to use the shot as an "almost accident." The original intent of the filmmakers was to use final views of Santo Domingo to bring the story full circle, but the original set of shots taken were not of a high enough technical quality to use in the film. Just as the directors decided to try to get another shot of Santo Domingo, the Haitian earthquake struck, and they decided instead that an appropriate conclusion to Jean's story would be the depiction of the devastation of Port-au-Prince.
This film and the others at the festival present numerous opportunities to gain a new understanding of Ibero-American culture and cultural identity through one of the most accessible forms possible — movies.
