The week of screenings is happening at the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center at New York University, and will include discussions with many of the filmmakers.
The Uruguay Film Fest, a week-long series of screenings and discussions presented and produced by the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center at New York University, is now under way, and continues through Monday, October 24.
All screenings are to be held in the auditorium of the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center: 53 Washington Square South (between Thompson & Sullivan Streets), New York, N.Y. Each is free and open to the public (ID required). Films will be presented in Spanish with English subtitles. Seats are available on a first come, first served basis.
Most of the recent films in this program are New York/US premieres. Join the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center for opening and closing night receptions, film screenings, and discussions with select filmmakers.
The series is co-sponsored by NYU Department of Spanish & Portuguese, NYU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and NYU Division of Student Affairs, and it is curated and organized by Professor Alexandra Falek (NYU Dept. of Spanish & Portuguese). For more information, please visit uruguayfilmfest.com.
The following is the schedule of upcoming films:
Thursday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
MATRIOSHKA
Director Germán Tejeira; co-director Julián Goyoaga. Uruguay 2008 / Drama / 20 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
Synopsis: On a day like any other, Antúnez’s office receives a box without an addressee or sender. The same afternoon Antúnez leaves town for a few days and entrusts the newcomer in the department, Lontegui, with the task of looking after the box.As the days go by, Lontegui’s desire to learn what’s inside the heavy box increases, as does the curiosity of the other employees.
Thursday, Oct. 20 (immediately following the short film Matrioshka at 7pm)
EL DESTELLO / THE FLICKER
Director Gabriel Szollosy
Uruguay-Spain 2011 / Documentary / 80 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
Synopsis: This is the story of Horacio, the grandchild of a slave taken from Africa to Latin America long after the abolition of slavery. Horacio is a family man who works as a lighthouse keeper on a solitary island in the South Atlantic Ocean. Horacio was raised to serve. Some years ago a series of unexpected events changed his life forever. His first harrowing experience was surviving a horrific boat crash. He later joined Uruguay’s peacekeeping force and was sent to serve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country of his ancestors. The journey, which began as a means of economic progress, soon became a journey to his own past, to the roots of his family’s poverty and the commitment to serve. When Horacio returned to Uruguay, he was not the same man. His soul was imbued with terrible memories and questions about life itself.
Friday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m.
EL HOMBRE MUERTO / THE DEAD MAN
Director Julián Goyoaga; co-director Germán Tejeira
Uruguay 2009 / Drama / 10 min / 16mm / Spanish with English subtitles
Based on the short story “El hombre muerto” / “The Dead Man” by Horacio Quiroga
Synopsis: A rural laborer suffers a work-related injury and realizes that he will die in just a few minutes. During these minutes—in total solitude and surrounded by a natural environment that is completely indifferent to his tragedy—he faces, almost without drama, the fact that he will die and that there is nothing he can do to change his destiny.
Friday, Oct. 21 (immediately following the short film El hombre muerto at 7 p.m.)
REUS
Directors Alejandro Pi, Pablo Fernández & Eduardo Piñero
Uruguay 2010 / Drama / 90 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
Synopsis: Reus is the story of a neighborhood, two families, and the codes they’ve followed for years. Reus is a mythical immigrant neighborhood built in the late 19th century in Montevideo. It is the site of Uruguay’s first synagogue, and a district where big stores and poor slums exist side by side. The power struggle between Tano’s family and the Jewish storeowners is about to explode. A new drug, pasta base, has arrived on the old streets. The conventions that have ruled for generations are fading and the end of an era is near. With a realistic eye, Reus reveals the tensions and conflicts that are quickly changing the neighborhood.
Saturday, Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m.
LA TABARÉ. Rocanrol y después / LA TABARÉ. Rock & Roll and Beyond
Directors Mariana Viñoles & Stefano Tononi
Uruguay 2008 / Documentary / 72 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
Synopsis: This musical documentary narrates part of Uruguay’s post-dictatorship cultural history through the mythical figure of Tabaré Rivero, the lead singer of La Tabaré Riverock Band. By way of personal anecdotes told by those who were protagonists in this history, Tabaré Rivero’s personal film archive, and most of all, the music, the film tells the story of an era and develops an intimate and entertaining reflection on the artist’s place in contemporary society, especially in Latin America.
Saturday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m.
HIT. HISTORIAS DE CANCIONES QUE HICIERON HISTORIA / HIT. STORIES OF SONGS THAT MADE HISTORY
Directors Claudia Abend & Adriana Loeff
Uruguay 2008 / Documentary / 82 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
Synopsis: IT tells the story of Uruguayan songs that have made history. In a journey that spans 50 years, the movie relates the milestones in music and in the life of a country, moments that have moved those who lived through them—and also those who did not. HIT explores how these songs became symbols and survived the passing of time. It also discovers the personal and intimate stories of their composers: those who were forgotten, those who haven’t let go of their past successes, and those for whom recognition came too late. Through the memories and confessions of some of the most important names in Uruguayan music, HIT brings to life the stories behind the songs that defined a country and that, in some cases, helped to change history.
Sunday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m.
Walter Tournier. Select animated films directed by Walter Tournier.
Uruguay 2000-2008 / Animation / 50 min. (approx.) / Spanish with English subtitles
Sunday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. A Selection of Recent Shorts:
ELLA Y TODO LO OTRO / SHE AND EVERYTHING ELSE
Directors Damián Vicente & Rodrigo Lappado
Uruguay 2011 / Drama / 6 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
Synopsis: Gonzalo analyzes his memories of meeting Lucía, inviting her out for the first time, and their first date.
COLCHONES / MATTRESSES
Director Lucía Garibaldi
Uruguay 2009 / Drama / 14 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
Synopsis: It's’ hot in Las Toscas. Mariana, a 15 year-old girl, and her family get together to spend Christmas Eve away from the city. Everything seems normal: the usual fireworks, the kids are at play and the mother is in the kitchen. Nobody knows that Mariana wants to sleep with her uncle. Maybe there’s a chance tonight.
MOJARRA / WHILE IT RAINS
Director Lucía Garibaldi
Uruguay 2011 / Drama / 17 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
Synopsis: It’s a rainy night in Montevideo. Two siblings escape the city in their car. They’ve just done something bad. A clumsy and careless escape, where regret and guilt weigh more than what they thought possible.
EL VENDEDOR DE NARANJAS / THE ORANGE SELLER
Director Agustina Willat
Uruguay 2010 / Drama / 15 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
Synopsis: In an isolated rural landscape, Mayra—a young woman trapped in a situation of family obligations, her father’s jealousy, and unexpectedly seduced by a young man—attempts to break away from the role that is expected of her in the hopes of establishing her own life.
8 HORAS / 8 HOURS
Director Adrián Biniez
Uruguay 2005 / Drama / 15 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
Synopsis: Hector has been working in the same factory for the last twelve years. Today is his last day.
Monday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m.
MUNDIALITO
Director Sebastián Bednarik
Uruguay - Brazil 2010 / Documentary / 89 min. / Spanish with English subtitles
*Presentation and discussion with producer Andrés Varela after the film.
Synopsis: By the end of 1980 the Uruguayan military dictatorship organized a constitutional plebiscite to remain in power and to become legally respected. Their objective was not achieved. At the same time, the Uruguayan Football Association—with the backing, or approval of the government and F.I.F.A.—organized a one-time mini world championship. The Uruguayan National team won the championship. Coincidence or causality? Through interviews and revealing archives, Mundialito invites us to reflect on these events after thirty years.