International Lens Film Series
Ixcanul
Wednesday, Apr. 12, 2017, 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Sarratt Cinema
2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37240
Presented by: Avery Dickins de Girón, Executive Director of the Center for Latin American Studies
USA (2015) Dir: Jayro Bustamente.
Ixcanul (which translates to ‘volcano’ in Kaqchikel Mayan) is the coming-of-age story of Maria, a 17-year-old Mayan girl reluctant to embark on an arranged marriage with the coffee plantation foreman. The film illustrates the larger social issues confronting Guatemala’s indigenous people caught between rural and contemporary urban lifeways. This brilliant directorial debut captures the contrast between the characters’ rich customs and history and the exploitation they face. The film was Guatemala’s first-ever entry into the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar (2015). Kaqchikel with English subtitles. 100 Minutes.
Presented in Collaboration with the Center for Latin American Studies.
I, Daniel Blake
Saturday, Apr.15, 2017, 7:30 p.m. – 9:45 p.m.
Sarratt Cinema
2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37240
Presented Tara McKay, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Health, & Society, and Assistant Professor of Health Policy.
United Kingdom (2016) Dir. Ken Loach.
Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, the film is a gripping, human tale about the impact one man can make. Gruff but goodhearted, Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a man out of time: a widowed woodworker who’s never owned a computer, he lives according to his own common sense moral code. But after a heart attack leaves him unable to work and the state welfare system fails him, the stubbornly self-reliant Daniel must stand up and fight for his dignity, leading a one-man crusade for compassion that will transform the lives of a struggling single mother (Hayley Squires) and her two children. Graced with humor and heart, I, Daniel Blake is a moving, much-needed reminder of the power of empathy. English. Rated R. 100 min. Blu-ray