Latin American and Iberian Feature Films List

UCSB Latin American and Iberian Feature Films List

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Africa dreaming Produced by California Newsreel (Firm)
"Four television shorts produced in four different African countries In Sophia’s Homecoming (Namibia) a woman who has worked as a domestic returns home to a terrible discovery: the ruptures caused by apartheid can never be repaired. In Sabriya (Tunisia) a modern woman disrupts the patterned mosaic of male Maghrebi society. So Be It (Senegal), based on a play by Wole Soyinka, follows the destruction of a well intentioned foreign doctor confronting fear, rage and powerlessness in a remote Senegalese village. The Gaze of the Stars (Mozambique) is a story about machismo in Mozambique, so powerful that it drives away whatever it loves."
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.A1 A345 1997
For more information see: http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0114
Algún Día: Un Cortometraje Directed by Pepe Urquijo
“Set during the Proposition 187 campaign happening in California, Algún Día (Someday) looks at the Gonzalez family as they strive to overcome xenophobic injustices running rabid through their neighborhood which is confused about this "immigrant problem".”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.A32245 1999
For more information see: http://www.subcine.com/algundia.html
Amnesia Directed by Gonzalo Justiniano
“In this Kafka-esque drama set in Chile, Ramirez is a low-ranking soldier who, while he was stationed at a prison camp in the desert, was forced by a sadistic sergeant to shoot prisoners. But will murdering the murderer really help Ramirez come to terms with his past?”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.A34358 1994
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109105/
...And The Earth Did Not Swallow Him Directed by Severo Perez
“Marcos is a lad in Texas, the second son of a migrant farmworker family, his brother is missing in the Korean war. We travel with the family into Minnesota, following the crops. The housing is awful, sometimes the boss furnishes no water as the hands labor, and TB goes untreated. In good times the pay is $15 a day for adults, half that for children. For a few sordid weeks, his parents leave him in the care of a corrupt couple, he's expelled from school for hitting back, and he finds solace in a graveyard. As his parents long for their missing son, as folks gather around a local troubadour for songs of romance, comedy, and heartbreak, Marcos observes and remembers.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.A3458 1997
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108999/
Átame! (Tie Me Up/Tie Me Down!) Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
“Comedy about an orphaned mental patient who is determined to create an ideal family for himself, so, in an irrationally inspired bid for love, he kidnaps a recovering drug addict/porn star. One of the films that was instrumental in bringing about the introduction of the NC-17 rating in the U.S”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.A88
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101026/
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Behind The Sun Directed by Walter Salles
"When ordered by his father to avenge the death of his older brother, a young man questions the tradition of violence between two rival families."
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.2.A237 2001
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291003/
Bienvenido Welcome Directed by Gabriel Retes
"During a business trip a married man has an affair with a blonde who leaves him the message 'Welcome to the world of sida'."
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.B4215 2002
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109265/
Bodas De Sangre Directed by Carlos Saura
“The play on which this film is based is Federico García - Lorca's classic, poetic drama. The playwright/poet/actor/artist[...] was a brilliant sensualist who understood the power of myth and rural life. In this movie the story that is being performed on stage, the story that is taking place off stage, the whole weight of Spanish history and culture, the weight of flamenco as ballet and as folk art, and modern myths of romantic love are layered over and over each other.”
Call Number: Media Collection GV1782.62.B63 1999
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082088/
El Bola Directed by Achero Mañas
“El Bola, a 12 year old boy a.k.a. "Pellet" is a 12 year old boy raised in a violent and sordid environment. Embarrassed by his family life, he avoids becoming close to classmates. The arrival of a new boy at school changes his attitude towards his classmates, and friendship. The heart of the story is the change in El Bola's life, at almost all levels, after befriending this new classmate.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.B6789 2004
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243794/
Born In East L.A. Directed by Cheech Marin
“Rudy is an American of Mexican descent who is caught up in an immigration raid on a factory. Deported to Mexico as an illegal immigrant, he has no way of proving that he is in fact an American citizen, and is forced to rely on his cunning to sneak his way back home.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.B6955 2002
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092690/
Bossa Nova Directed by Bruno Barreto
“Tells the stories of several people in Rio with love problems. There’s Mary Ann, a widowed American schoolteacher who has given up on ever finding love again; Pedro, an attorney separated from his wife; and Tania, (the wife) who may want him back. Then there’s Roberto, Pedro’s shy brother; Acácio, a soccer champ; Sharon, a law intern; and Nadine, a young bohemian who thinks she’s found the man of her dreams on the Internet.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.B71578 2000
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0180837/
Brincando El Charco: Portrait of a Puerto Rican Directed by Francis Negrón-Muntaner
“In a wonderful mix of fiction, archival footage, processed interviews and soap opera drama, Brincando El Charco tells the story of Claudia Marin, a middle-class, light-skinned Puerto Rican photographer/videographer who is attempting to construct a sense of community in the US. Confronting the simultaneity of both her privilege and her oppression, Brincando El Charco becomes a meditation on class, race and sexuality as shifting differences.”
Call Number: Media Collection F128.9.P85 B756 1994
For more information see: http://www.wmm.com/catalog/pages/c29.htm
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Cananea Directed by Marcela Fernández Violante
“Based on the true story of the American-owned Cananea mine. Colonel William Greene ran the profitable copper mine in the Sonora desert, and the Mexican people who worked in the mines were exploited for their labor. This situation eventually led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.C2485 2003
For more information see: http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=146650
Carmelita Tropicana: Your Kunst Is Your Waffen Directed by Ela Troyano
“A Latina performance artist who supports herself as a building superintendent on New York's Lower East Side winds up in jail with some riot girls. Humorous monologues, soapy melodramas, and campy production numbers ensue.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1995.9.C55 C3764 1994
For more information see: http://www.frif.com/new97/trop.html
Carne Trémula (Live Flesh) Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
“The lives of five people are intertwined by romance, friendship and rivalry. Victor has fallen for a woman, Elena. Elena wants nothing to do with Victor and she calls the cops when he shows up at her apartment. The two cops that show up are David and Sancho. Sancho is a chronic, abusive drunk and believes his wife, Clara may be having an affair with his partner, David.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.C252 2001
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118819/
Cecilia Directed by Humberto Solás
“This classic film, based on the novel by Cirilio Villaverde, is set in nineteenth-century Cuba. The story of Cecilia, a mulatta, and her relationship with a white manprovides an intimate and stark portrayal of colonial Cuba.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.C36716 1990z
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080508/
Central Station Directed by Walter Salles
“When a young boy witnesses his mother’s accidental death, a lonely, retired school-teacher reluctantly takes the child under her wing.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.C3857 1999
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140888/
El Chacal De Nahueltoro (The Jackal Of Nahueltoro) Directed by Miguel Littín
“The Jackal of Nahueltoro was Jose del Carmen Valenzuela, the animalistic murderer of a mother and her five children. The superstitious Jose (Nelson Villagra) places stones on the chests and hands of his victims so their spirits would not follow him. He is jailed and sentenced to death, but before his demise, Jose learns to read and write, learns a trade and develops a belief in God.”
Call Number: Media Col lection PN 1997.C39 2006
For more information see: http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=159158
Cimarrones Directed by Carlos Ferrand
“This docudrama explores the little known situation of African slaves in Latin America in the 19th century, depicting life in runaway slave communities.”
Call Number: Media Collection F3619.B55 C56 1983
For more information see: http://www.jstor.org
La Ciudad (The City) Directed David Riker
“Tells four stories about recent immigrants to New York City: a group of day-laborers scavenging for bricks; two teenagers from the same hometown who meet and fall in love; a homeless father who tries to enroll his daughter in school; and a garment worker who seeks justice in the sweatshops.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.C514 2005
For more information see: http://www.pbs.org/itvs/thecity/index.html
Coraje (Courage) Directed by Alberto Durant
“About the last few months in the life of María Elena Moyano, who was killed at the age of 33 by the Peruvian revolutionary movement Sendero Luminoso. María Elena was the founder and leader of the so-called Women's Federation of Villa El Salvador, a slum district that had been built in the desert on the outskirts of Lima and was run by the inhabitants themselves.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.C7934 1998
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196470/
Cuestión De Fe Directed by Marcos Loayza
"Two Bolivian saint makers are ordered by a gangster to construct a life-size Virgin and deliver it to a small village in the jungle. Accompanied by their friend, a notorious gambler, they proceed to have misadventures which test their respective faiths in God and gambling."
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.C8878 2001
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139956/
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El Día, La Noche Y Los Muertos Directed by Steve Mykolyn
“Filmed in the village of Patzcuaro, this is a dramatization of a pilgrimage on October 31, All Souls' Day in Mexico, when people celebrate their ancestors and communicate with long dead loved ones. The religious holy day is marked by celebrations and special events, making the relationship with death one of friendship rather than fear.”
Call Number: Media Collection GT4995.A4 D5265 1997
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325295/
Diarios De Motocicleta Directed by Walter Salles
“'The Motorcycle Diaries' is based on the journals of Che Guevara, leader of the Cuban Revolution. In his memoirs, Guevara recounts adventures he, and best friend Alberto Granado, had while crossing South America by motorcycle in the early 1950s.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.2.D537 2005
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318462/
Distant Water Directed by Carlos Avila
“Set in 1943 Los Angeles, this short film is about a Mexican-American boy comes of age as he deals with a segregated public swimming pool amid race riots.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.D487 1995
For more information see: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809391425/info
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Elpidio Valdés Directed by Juan Padron
“Elpidio Valdes is the most popular animation character in Cuban history. A Robin Hood character on a global scale he represents the working class and the disenfranchised. His heroic actions include continual fights the evils of capitalism manifested as greedy businessmen and he's famous for standing up to the tyranny of capitalist country's and governments around the world.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.E449 2004
For more information see: http://www.amazon.com/Elpidio-Valdes-Juan-Padron/dp/B000BJS4RQ
Entre Tinieblas (Dark Habits) Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
“A nightclub singer seeks refuge with gay nuns on dope in a Madrid convent.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.E669 2003
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085496/
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Fintar O Destino (Dribbling Fate) Directed by Fernando Vendrell
“On the Cape Verde islands, a former Portuguese colony off the African coast, small-town grocery-store owner Mane (Carlos Germano) recalls his past glories with the national soccer team Benefica during the '50s. Obsessed with the sport, Mane attempts to train a local team without much success, so when he sees promise in young Kalu (Paulo Miranda), he goes for broke, spending his wife's savings on tickets to Lisbon in hopes of connecting Kalu with Benefica.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997 .F4663 1998
For more information see: http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=160653
La Flor De Mi Secreto (Flower of My Secret) Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
“Leo Macias writes sentimental novels with great success but hidden under a pseudonym, Amanda Gris. She is unhappy with her professional life and with her husband, a soldier working in Brussels and Bosnia that is never at home. Angel is a tough and gruff journalist with an iron will and a heart of gold. When their paths cross, they discover something neither had expected - a real life love affair.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.F567 2005
For more information see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113083/
Four Days In September Directed by Bruno Barreto
“Pedro Cardoso stars as Rio de Janeiro journalist Fernando Gabeira, who decides with his friend Cesar (Selton Mello) to take up arms with a radical leftist organization, MR-8, in 1969. The revolutionaries, who include the tough-talking and beautiful Maria (Fernanda Torres), are fighting to overthrow Brazil's brutal military government through civil unrest and guerilla tactics.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.O1824 2003
For more information see: http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=154694
Fuenteovejuna Directed by Juan Guerrero Zamora
“The greatest Spanish work of the Siglo de Oro is here presented as a feature film that painstakingly and lovingly re-creates the medieval world of Lope’s play. Spain’s greatest actors are cast in this joyous production.”
Call Number: Media Collection PN1997.F776 1993
For more information see: http://ffh.films.com/id/2348/Lope_de_Vega_Fuenteovejuna.htm
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