SIP FilmFest 2018:
Contemporary Women’s Visions from Spain, Italy, and Latin America.
9/27 - 9/30
Women directors have often been neglected by mainstream audiences and by canonical academic syllabi. At a time of renewed uncertainty for women's rights, we would like to continue giving voice to female filmmakers, protagonists and minor characters who question the status quo with their gaze, their stories, and their behaviors, and have gone beyond traditional portrayals of women. Our selection of movies for this year’s Festival encompasses a variety of countries and latitudes, bringing a cross-cultural and global point of view of women’s experiences to the forefront.
Thursday, 9/27
5 p.m. La novia del desierto / The Desert Bride (Cecilia Atán and Valeria Pivato, Argentina/Chile, 2017). Newcomb Hall Theater, University of Virginia.
- 5–6 p.m. Reception
- 6:15 p.m. Opening Remarks
- 6:20–6:30 p.m. Introduction to the film by Dr. Rocío Gordon and Dr. Fernando Operé
- 6:30–8:30 p.m. Film and discussion with Dr. Rocío Gordon and Dr. Fernando Operé
54-year old Teresa has worked for decades as a live-in maid with a family in Buenos Aires. When the family sells the house, she is forced to take a job in San Juan, in the semi-desert region of El Chaco. During her first stop at the pilgrimage site of the miraculous “Santa Correa”, she loses her bag with all her belongings. This unexpected incident stalls Teresa’s life long enough to make her reappraise her existence, and the ways in which she could take ownership of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9HR1v0smhI
Friday, 9/28
3:30 p.m. “Representations of the Slum in Argentine Cinema.” A talk by Dr. Rocío Gordon (Christopher Newport University). Location TBA
8 p.m. Era d’estate /Once in the summer (Fiorella Infascelli, Italy, 2016), Charlottesville City Hall Council Chambers.
- 8–8:10 p.m. Introduction to the film by
- 8:10–10:30 p.m. Film and discussion with Dr. Sarah Annunziato
In summer of 1985, two anti-Mafia judges along with their families are transferred to a safe house in a small island north of Sardinia. Sparkling seas and a gorgeous landscape fit for a relaxing holiday are in sharp contrast with the constant threats to their lives from the Mafia and sabotage of their mission from within the Italian government. Based on actual events, this a story of friendship grounded in a mutual commitment to truth and justice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcbQuFcIvUU
Saturday, 9/29
2 p.m. Los Adioses / The Eternal Feminine (Natalia Berinstain, Mexico, 2017). Nau Hall 101.
- 2–2:10 p.m. Introduction to the film by TBA
- 2:10–4:30 p.m. Film and discussion with TBA
The film traces an important turning point in the life of Rosario Castellanos, one of the most important feminist authors in Mexican literature. In the early 1950s in Mexico City, Castellanos is fighting to have her voice heard in a society run by men. She is also involved in a tumultuous marriage that brings out her fragility and contradictions. At the peak of her career and her marriage, her struggles ignite a discussion of gender roles that will mark a turning point in her life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nvC6SSHQO0&feature=youtu.be
8p.m. El Olivo / The Olive Tree (Iciar Bollaín, Spain, 2016). Charlottesville City Hall Council Chambers.
- 8:00 – 8:10 p.m. Introduction to the film by Dr. Sam Amago
- 8:10 – 10:30 p.m. Film & discussion with Dr. Sam Amago
20-year old Alma works on a chicken farm, in Castellón, on the east coast of Spain. She has a profound connection with her dearly beloved grandfather even though he stopped talking years ago. When he begins to refuse to eat, Alma becomes obsessed with an idea: the only way to save her grandfather is to recover the millennial olive tree that the family uprooted and sold against his will 12 years earlier.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3655972/videoplayer/vi1630451225?ref_=tt_ov_vi
Sunday, 9/30
2 p.m. Como nossos pais /Just Like Our Parents (Laís Bodanzky, Brazil, 2017). Nau Hall 101.
- 2–2:10 p.m. Introduction to the film by Dr. Lilian Feitosa
- 2:10–4:30 p.m. Film and discussion with Dr. Lilian Feitosa
Rosa decides to break out of her usual obligations when her mother makes a surprising disclosure. Her new direction reveals that life still holds many surprises. This is a story about a woman who confronts the self-imposed and impossible expectations on herself as daughter, mother, wife, and breadwinner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_8t-3PG8Qk
This event has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the UVA Arts Fund for Artistic Excellence, the Latin American Studies Program, the Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality, the Institute of World Languages, and the Department of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese.