Celebrating its 25^th year, Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwoods present the Annual International Latino Film Festival at Mill Creek Cinema, February 27, 28, & 29th from 6:00 p.m. to 10:20 p.m. This long-standing community event is generously sponsored by equity arcata and a collaboration between College of the Redwoods’ Multicultural Equity Center and Humanities department and Cal Poly Humboldt’s World Languages & Cultures department. Students and the general public are invited to view three outstanding films relating to the theme “Environmental Issues in Latin America:” Nostalgia de la Luz (Ulises Porra & Silvina Schnicer, 2021), Abrazo de la Serpiente (Ciro Guerra, 2015), and A Million Miles Away (Alejandra Márquez Abella, 2023).

The events special guest speaker is Dr. Myrna Santiago, Professor of History and Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Saint Mary’s College of California.  She received her BA from Princeton University and her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.  She teaches Latin American history with courses on environmental history, Central American women, revolutions in the twentieth century, and the history of the drug trade.

Her research has focused on labor and environmental history in Latin America, analyzing the social and ecological effects of extractive industries.  Her book, The Ecology of Oil: Environment, Labor, and the Mexican Revolution, 1900-1938 won two prizes.  She has published about oil and mining in English and Spanish, and her current research is on disasters, specifically two earthquakes that destroyed Managua, Nicaragua, in the twentieth century.

At Saint Mary’s she is on the Advisory Board for the Institute for Latino and Latin American Studies and has organized fact-finding trips to the San Diego-Tijuana border for both faculty and students.  She is also the faculty advisor for the student Latinx organization, La Hermandad.

The festival is free to students enrolled in SPAN/ HIST/ ES 396 and SPAN 9 courses. General Admission to the public is also FREE this year, with a suggested donation of $5 (cards only, no cash). For all questions regarding this event, please contact the Cal Poly department of World Languages & Cultures at 707-826-3226.

The films and panelists for this year’s festival will appear in the following order:

February 27^th: Nostalgia de la Luz (2021)

A documentary about two different searches conducted in the Chilean Atacama Desert: one by astronomers looking for answers about the history of the cosmos, and one by women looking for the remains of loved ones killed by Pinochet’s regime.

The Panelists will include keynote speaker Dr. Santiago, Professor Lilianet Brintrup (CPH), and Professor Ryder Dschida (CR) and be moderated by Montel Vander Horck, Career Center Manager (CR)

February 28^th: El Abrazo de la Serpiente (2015)

The story of the relationship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of forty years to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant.

The Panelists will include keynote speaker Dr. Santiago, Professor Gabrielle Gopinath (CR), and Óscar Vargas (Ph.D., CPH) and be moderated by Professor Russell “Carlos” Gaskell (CPH)

February 29^th : A Million Miles Away (2023)

A biopic about José Hernández and his path from a farm worker to becoming an engineer and an astronaut. A tale of perseverance, community and sacrifice to accomplish a seemingly impossible dream.

The Panelists will include keynote speaker Dr. Santiago, Professor Jon Pedicino (CR), and José Marín Jarrín (Ph.D., CPH) and be moderated by Catalina Cuéllar-Gempeler (Ph.D., CPH)

For more information on this event, please call the Humboldt State World Languages & Cultures department at 707-826-3226.

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