Pitt to Host Free Latin American Film Festival Beginning Sept. 8

PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh will host a free public Latin American film series titled Cuban Eyes/Cubanize: Fifty Years of Cuban Cinema Since the Cuban Revolution. Films will be shown weekly at 6:30 p.m. from Sept. 8 through Dec. 9 in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, 650 Schenley Dr., Oakland, unless otherwise indicated. The series will include selected films in remembrance of the Cuban Revolution and other pertinent historical events. 

The series pays tribute to Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, one of the most recognized filmmakers of the Cuban Revolution era. Three films in the series are directed by Alea. According to Amigos del Cine Latinoamericano (Friends of the Latin American Cinema), Alea saw filmmaking as “not only the ideal vessel to carry the message of revolt, but also as the perfect means with which to tackle the realities of the Cuba that would emerge from the fight.” 

As part of the series, filmmaker Martha Ibarra, who is married to Alea, will present her film about her husband, Titón, de la Habana a Guantanamera. 

The series is sponsored by Pitt’s Center for Latin American Studies, Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures in the School of Arts and Sciences, and Pitt’s Eduardo Lozano Latin American Collection. 

The film series schedule follows: 

Sept. 8

HAVANA: The New Art of Making Ruins, directed by Florian Borchmeyer, 2006; 

Sept. 15

Memorias del Subdesarrollo (Memories of Underdevelopment), directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, 1968; 

Sept. 30

Vampiros en Habana (Vampires in Havana), directed by Juan Padrón, 1985; 

Oct. 7

La Última Cena (The Last Supper), directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, 1976; 

Oct. 14

Miel para Oshun (Honey for Oshun), directed by Humberto Solás, 2001; 

Oct. 21

East of Havana, directed by Emilia Menocal and Jauretsi Saizarbitoria, 2006,

LOCATION: Mattress Factory, 500 Sampsonia Way, North Side; 

Oct. 27

HavanYork, directed by Luciano Larobina, 2009; 

Nov. 10

La Bella del Alhambra (The Beauty of the Alhambra), directed by Enrique Pineda Barnet, 1989; 

Nov. 12

Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate), directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, 1994; 

Nov. 17

Elpidio Valdés, directed by Juan Padrón, 1979; 

Nov. 19

Titón, de la Habana a Guantanamera (Titón, from Havana to Guantanamera), directed by Mirtha Ibarra, 2008; 

Dec. 2

Roble de Olor (Scent of Oak), directed by Rigoberto López, 2002; and 

Dec. 9

Los Dioses Rotos (Fallen Gods), directed by Ernesto Daranas, 2008. 

Some films may not be appropriate for young audiences. For more information, visit the Latin American Film Series Web site.

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9/8/10/lks