The Gainesville Latina Women’s League will host the 20th Gainesville Latino Film Festival (GLFF), a celebration of Latin American film, music, dance, art and speakers from Sept. 12-29 at various locations over the course of three weeks.
All GLFF events are free and open to the public.
This year’s theme, to mark the approach of the U.S. presidential election, is “Social Memory in Latin America,” a reflection on how Latin American voters experience national elections.
Ericka Ghersi, president of the Latina Women’s League, said people come from Marion County, Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Starke and other places for the festival, as it is more than just “watch a movie, then, ‘bye.’”
“We have different kinds of population,” Ghersi said in a phone interview. “That’s why we have now films only for adults, films only for teenagers and young adults, and also films for kids and families. So now we have divided it in a way that everybody can have a place to go and enjoy a film that is specifically for them.”
Every year, the festival includes more than just films—there is also usually a concert and dancing, but this year, Ghersi said there is more than usual. There will be two concerts instead of one, and for the first time events will include an art exhibition.
This year’s art exhibition and dance night mark the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
The film festival events also include an international food festival, and speakers—including filmmakers from Ecuador and Venezuela, and University of Florida professors— at several of the films to lead discussions.
The festival will include events at the Harn Museum of Art, Blount Hall Auditorium at Santa Fe College, the Alachua County Library District Headquarters Branch, the Matheson History Museum, Bo Diddley Plaza, University of Florida Smathers Library and the Center for Independent Living.
The Gainesville Latina Women’s League is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and its programs are coordinated by a staff of volunteers, funded by grants from Visit Gainesville and the city of Gainesville Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs, and through partnerships with the University of Florida and other organizations.
The event schedule is as follows:
Sept. 12
Opening Ceremony: “This Stolen Country of Mine” (Ecuador)
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Venue: Harn Museum of Art, 3259 Hull Rd.
Speakers:
- Carlos Andrés Vera, filmmaker
- Carmen Martinez Novo, UF Center for Latina American Studies, editor-in-chief, Latin American Review.
Sept. 13
Teen Night
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Film: “Home is Somewhere Else” (Mexico/U.S.)
Venue: Blount Hall Auditorium, Santa Fe College Downtown Campus, 530 W. University Ave.
Speaker: Daniela Stransky, UF Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese Studies
Sept. 14
Children and Family: “Vivo” (U.S.)
Time: 3-5 p.m.
Venue: Blount Hall Auditorium, Santa Fe College Downtown Campus, 530 W. University Ave.
Latino Art Exhibition
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Venue: Blount Hall Auditorium, Santa Fe College Downtown Campus, 530 W. University Ave.
Dance Night: Tropix and Gilberto De Paz
Time: 7-10 p.m.
Venue: Bo Diddley Plaza, 111 E. University Ave.
Sept. 15
Children: “Encanto” (U.S.)
Time: 3-5 p.m.
Venue: Headquarters Branch, Alachua County Library District, 401 E. University Ave.
Sept. 19
Documentary: “Propogandia” (Ecuador)
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Venue: Matheson History Museum, 513 E. University Ave.
Speakers:
- Carlos Andrés Vera, filmmaker
- Carlos de la Torre, director, UF Center for Latin American Studies
Sept. 20
Teen Night: “The Candidate” (Argentina/Uruguay)
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Venue: Blount Hall Auditorium, Santa Fe College, Downtown Campus, 530 W. University Ave.
Speaker: Maria Victoria Muñoz, PhD candidate, Latin American Literature, University of Florida
Latin Music Concert: Baileton with Elio Piedra
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Venue: Bo Diddley Plaza, 111 E. University Ave.
Sept. 21
Children and Family: “Coco” (U.S.)
Time: 3-5 p.m.
Venue: Blount Hall Auditorium, Santa Fe College Downtown Campus, 530 W. University Ave.
Folkloric Dance Group: “Memories from My Panama” (Panama/Tampa)
Time: 6-7 p.m.
Venue: Blount Hall Auditorium, Santa Fe College Downtown Campus, 530 W. University Ave.
Sept. 22
Historical Drama: “No” (Chile)
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Venue: University of Florida Smathers Library, 1545 W. University Ave.
Speaker: Cristian Pérez Muñoz, assistant professor, UF Dept. of Political Science.
Sept. 26
Young Adult Night: “The Shadow of the Sun” (Venezuela/U.S.)
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Venue: Center for Independent Living, 222 SW 36th Ter.
Speaker: Q&A with Venezuelan film director Miguel Angel Ferrer
Sept. 27
Social Diversity: International Food Festival
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Venue: Matheson History Museum, 513 E. University Ave.
*Organized by CHISPAS, an immigrant rights student organization at UF, and the Latina Women’s League.
Sept. 29
Closing Ceremony: “Memories of My Father” (Colombia)
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Venue: University of Florida Smathers Library, 1545 W. University Ave.
Speaker: Juliana Restrepo Sanín, assistant professor, UF Dept. of Political Science