TWU Latinx Film Festival

TWU will host its inaugural Latinx Film Festival April 16-21. The festival will feature five films, two shown on April 16 in Administrative and Conference Tower room 301 and three streamed online.

The festival is organized by the Department of Language, Culture and Gender Studies and made possible in part by a Spanish Film Club grant from Pragda, a New York-based distributor. Supported by the Spanish government, the grant covers a substantial portion of the licenses for five selected films and facilitates the streaming of the event.

Schedule

April 16 in ACT 301

• 5 p.m. - Alice Júnior
• 6:30 p.m. - Luchadoras

April 17-21, streaming online

• Seeds: Black Women in Power
• Adriana’s Pact
• Guie’dani’s Navel

Streaming information

Click here to stream the online films (valid April 17-21).
Username: SFC@TexasWomansUniversity
Password: TexasWomansUni2024SFC

Alice Júnior

Gil Baroni (Brazil/2019) 87 min.
April 16 in ACT 301 at 5 p.m.
Preview: https://vimeo.com/511406280

Alice Júnior is a carefree, spoiled trans YouTuber with everything she could ask for: an apartment in a cool beach town, a loving dad, her own advice vlog, an almost-win on Teen Top Model, and a cat named Rhinoceros. So, when her father announces their move from the vibrant Brazilian city of Recife to a small, conservative town in the south and to an old-fashioned catholic school, Alice has to prepare herself for the prudery and small-mindedness she will confront there. The teenager, however, doesn’t let the initial hostility get her down. Alice releases her truest survival instinct to make her new schoolmates and teachers rethink their conservative ways, and catch her long-overdue first kiss: by being loud and unapologetically herself.

With fast-moving cuts set to pop samples and sound effects, a hint of glitz, and a bagful of emojis, this coming of age gem is a breath of fresh air; a reminder that even amidst heavy socio-political turmoil stories of trans-Brazilians radiate life, joy, and infinite possibility.

Alice Júnior is a celebration of rebellious youth and offers the potential for future generations to rethink outdated perspectives of gender, sexuality, and differences as a whole.

Luchadoras

Paola Calvo, Patick Jasim (Germany 2021) 93 min.
April 16, ACT 301 at 6:30 p.m.
Preview: https://vimeo.com/827212320

Luchadoras provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of three resilient female wrestlers in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, who courageously challenge traditional gender norms in the face of pervasive machismo. Amidst a society dominated by rigid expectations, these women redefine the image of women in Mexico.

Mini Serinita, despite working in a disenfranchising factory, aspires to become a full-time Luchadora, breaking free from societal constraints. Lady Candy, who can see the U.S. border from her house, grapples with visa regulations preventing her from reuniting with her daughters in the United States. Meanwhile, Baby Star, a young single mother with a Lucha Libre childhood, seeks a comeback, embodying the spirit of Mexican passion.

Through their stories, these Luchadoras present a powerful and new image of womanhood in Mexico, challenging stereotypes and showcasing strength, resilience, and determination in the face of societal expectations.

Seeds: Black Women in Power

Éthel Oliveira, Júlia Mariano (Brazil/2020) 105 min.
Streaming online April 17-21
Preview: https://vimeo.com/788723627

The 2018 elections turned into the biggest political upheaval led by Black women that Brazil has ever seen, in response to the brutal execution of Rio de Janeiro city councilor and activist Marielle Franco. In all states, Black female politicians rose up against the growth of fascism in the country. In Rio de Janeiro, Mônica Francisco, Rose Cipriano, Renata Souza, Jaqueline de Jesus, Tainá de Paula, and Talíria Petrone joined these unprecedented ranks by running for state and federal deputy. Seeds: Black Women in Power follows these women in various stages throughout their campaigns, transforming mourning into persistence and tenacity and demonstrating the potential of a new politics that centers all marginalized peoples.

Adriana’s Pact

Lissette Orozco (Chile 2017) 96 min.
Streaming online April 17-21
Preview: https://vimeo.com/333578312

When I was a girl, I had a strong role model in my life: my aunt Adriana. In 2007, she was detained and I found out she worked as an agent at DINA (Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional) in Pinochet’s secret police, which has often been compared to the Gestapo of Nazi Germany. My aunt claims to have never seen or participated in any instances of torture, but nevertheless she flee to Australia to avoid trial. In the hope that I can prove my aunt’s innocence, I made my own inquiries and started filming. I interviewed experts, former DINA colleagues, and family. There are conflicting stories provided by my aunt Adriana, human rights organizations, colleagues, and the press, but….who is saying the truth?

As her family’s worst nightmare unfolds on screen, Orozco’s Adriana’s Pact bridges the divide between emotion, memory, and history.

Guie’dani's Navel

Xavi Sala (Mexico/2019) 119 min.
Streaming online April 17-21
Preview: https://vimeo.com/386639745

In a star-making performance, Sótera Cruz brings razor-sharp intensity to her portrayal of Guie’dani, a Zapotec girl determined to fight for her dignity.

Guie’dani is dragged to Mexico City by her mother to help in her work as a housekeeper for an upper-middle-class family. There, the subtle psychological subjugation inflicted by the white family functions as a metaphor for the oppression of the old world by the new. Yet, Guie’dani rejects the life of servitude and seeks her own identity through a friendship with another rebellious teen.

A striking contrast to Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, Guie’dani’s Navelis a unique coming-of-age narrative exploring the racism inflicted on indigenous people in Mexico and the empowerment of a new generation that refuses to accept it silently.