The MIT Ibero-American Film Series 2022 features five critically acclaimed films by directors from Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guatemala, with a diverse range of Latin American contexts and perspectives, and in Portuguese, Spanish, Kaqchikel Mayan, and English (all with English subtitles).

Ixcanul (2015, Guatemala)
Thursday, March 10, 2022
Room 6-120
7:00 pm brief introduction by Norvin Richards
7:15 pm film screening

In-person event. Free and open to the MIT community. Please arrive at 6:45 to have your MIT badge or digital ID scanned at the door.

Introduction

Introduction to the film will be made by Norvin Richards. Richards is a professor of Linguistics at MIT.

About the film

A film by Jayro Bustamante. In Kaqchikel Mayan and Spanish with English subtitles. With María Mercedes Coroy, María Telón, Manuel Antún, Justo Lorenzo, Marvin Coroy. Run time 95m.

On the slopes of Ixcanul, an active volcano in Guatemala, a marriage is arranged for seventeen-year-old María by her parents. A mesmerizing fusion of fact and fable, a dreamlike depiction of the daily lives of Kaqchikel speaking Mayans on a coffee plantation at the base of an active volcano. Immersing us in its characters’ customs and beliefs, Ixcanul chronicles with unblinking realism, a disappearing tradition and a disappearing people. Trailer

Awards

Guatemala’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film to Academy Awards. Winner of numerous awards including from Berlin International Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, Cartagena De Indias International Film Festival, Cinélatino, Rencontres De Toulouse Cinema Critics Award, Audience Award, French Critics Award, Best Film, and more.

 

About the Series

The MIT Ibero American Film Series 2022 features five critically acclaimed films by directors from Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guatemala with a diverse range of Latin American contexts and perspectives, and in Portuguese, Spanish, Maya, and English (all with English subtitles). The featured films engage with topics such as: the clash between natives and newcomers, urban living, ecological degradation, family relations, and sexuality in a variety of genres: psychological thriller, science fiction, coming of age tale, “mob epic for the ages,” and domestic drama. More information: languages-events@mit.edu

Sponsors

This series was made possible with the support of Global Languages, Committee on Race and Diversity, MindHandHeart, Council for the Arts at MIT.

Thanks also to MISTI; History at MIT; Literature; Latino ERG; Hermanas Unidas; MIT Program in Women’s and Gender Studies; Program in Science, Technology, and Society; Comparative Media Studies/Writing; and MIT Linguistics.

This series is part of the Spanish Film Club, and was made possible with the support of Pragda, SPAIN arts & culture and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain.

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