Due to the immense popularity of film festivals like the Sundance Film Festival and Cannes International Film Festival I wanted to explore venues for filmmakers with a distinctive Latino or Hispanic flair; in hopes of finding some global film festivals that highlight directors who occasionally breach the topic of border issues.
Film festivals have been a way for aspiring and acclaimed directors, filmmakers, and artists to express their deepest desires and sentiments on film in hopes of touching something within every audience member. Many times the films showcased at smaller independent film festivals go on to win critical acclaim and popularity, similar to the film Juno. Most of the time, these films inspire people to think about issues in a new light or from a different angle.
International film festivals are gaining popularity as a viable means to showcase the talent of local artists. The Guadalajara International Film Festival in Mexico held each year in March is considered one of the most prestigious film festivals in Latin America and one of the most important Spanish language film festivals in the world. This year’s competition ended on the 27th and one of the University of Arizona graduate students entered a film for consideration.
Two other popular festivals are being outsourced, in a manner of speaking, to Australia. The Hola Mexico Film Festival and Spanish Film Festival are additional international outlets for aspiring artists. At this year's Hola Mexico Film Festival the opening film was Sangre de mi Sangre (Blood of my Blood) which had won attention at the Sundance Film Festival. It explores the darker side of the American Dream and the things illegal immigrants do to make it to America. Here is a clip:
Here in the states, there are opportunities for filmmakers to create works that inspire American audiences. The New York International Latino Film Festival is a yearly event that invites all who identify as Latino (whether Colombian, Blatino, Hispanic, Dominican, Nuyorican, Chicano, Spanish, or Jew-ban) to enter films. This year’s festival will be from July 28 – August 02 in New York City. This event is being hailed as the premier urban Latino film event in the country.
All of these festivals really help Latino/Hispanic directors gain prominence on the big screen and bring their ideas to the forefront of society. For example, Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro has become a popular director after his success with Pan’s Labyrinth and has since landed the lucrative directorship of the adaptation of The Hobbit. In the long run, these festivals also provide a venue for artists who desire to discuss border issues through the medium of film to have more visibility around the world.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Spanish Soaps
This week’s blog is about a topic that I’ve always found interesting but slightly trashy. Join me in my journey into the Telenovela Zone.
Before researching about telenovelas, I assumed that they were simply the Spanish equivalent to American soap operas. While that assumption is partly true, there are major differences between the two styles. Primarily, a telenovela is a limited-run television serial melodrama that usually consists of approximately 120 episodes while an American soap opera can continue to run for years and years to come…can anyone say Susan Lucci?
This style of television program consistently attracts millions of viewers across Latin America and has become an essential piece of entertainment culture in these countries. The first telenovelas were produced in Brazil, Mexico, and Cuba in the 1950s. A common theme found within the plot of these first telenovelas was the separation of two lovers for a majority of the series, but somehow in the end they wind up together. Other major themes revolve around class distinctions/interactions and forbidden love. Enjoy this clip from the telenovela "La Fea Mas Bella."
While telenovelas are wildly popular in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Portugal a common complaint is that they are not representative of the actual racial composition of the countries where they are produced. Most telenovelas tend to have white, blond, blue-eyed stars. When "ethnic-looking" people appear, they are usually of lower-class origins and hold menial jobs such as janitors, while all the higher-class jobs are reserved for the white characters.
The popularity of telenovelas has infiltrated American culture and the effects can be seen in television here. The successful primetime show “Ugly Betty” is based upon the telenovela “La Fea Mas Bella.” Many fans of these shows have set up online blogs and forums to discuss the plots of their favorites. Telenovela World and Alma Latina are two of the most popular. There is even a YouTube channel specifically for telenovela scenes. Some of them are dubbed with English captions, so check it out.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief journey into the world of telenovelas.
Before researching about telenovelas, I assumed that they were simply the Spanish equivalent to American soap operas. While that assumption is partly true, there are major differences between the two styles. Primarily, a telenovela is a limited-run television serial melodrama that usually consists of approximately 120 episodes while an American soap opera can continue to run for years and years to come…can anyone say Susan Lucci?
This style of television program consistently attracts millions of viewers across Latin America and has become an essential piece of entertainment culture in these countries. The first telenovelas were produced in Brazil, Mexico, and Cuba in the 1950s. A common theme found within the plot of these first telenovelas was the separation of two lovers for a majority of the series, but somehow in the end they wind up together. Other major themes revolve around class distinctions/interactions and forbidden love. Enjoy this clip from the telenovela "La Fea Mas Bella."
While telenovelas are wildly popular in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Portugal a common complaint is that they are not representative of the actual racial composition of the countries where they are produced. Most telenovelas tend to have white, blond, blue-eyed stars. When "ethnic-looking" people appear, they are usually of lower-class origins and hold menial jobs such as janitors, while all the higher-class jobs are reserved for the white characters.
The popularity of telenovelas has infiltrated American culture and the effects can be seen in television here. The successful primetime show “Ugly Betty” is based upon the telenovela “La Fea Mas Bella.” Many fans of these shows have set up online blogs and forums to discuss the plots of their favorites. Telenovela World and Alma Latina are two of the most popular. There is even a YouTube channel specifically for telenovela scenes. Some of them are dubbed with English captions, so check it out.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief journey into the world of telenovelas.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Care to Dance?
I’ve always been fascinated with dance. The movements and contortions of the human body all choreographed to keep time with the music. For most dancers, it seems as if the art of dance is a physical manifestation of their soul’s desire. My favorite dances are those that not only speak from the soul but reach out and touch another’s.
Many of the popular dance styles are reflections of different cultures throughout the world. One of those styles hails from Mexico and is called, “Baile Folklorico.” Literally translated to “folk dance,” this style emphasizes local folk style while incorporating colorful costumes that depict the different regions of Mexican folklore and art forms.
Amalia Hernandez pioneered baile folklorico in the 1950s because of her development of her dance school, Ballet Folklorico Mexico in Mexico City. Her dedication to providing the best representation of cultural and folk dances in Mexico and around the world became the driving force behind the success of baile folklorico.
The most common and recognizable form of this dance comes from the Mexican state of Jalisco. Although the Jalisco style is most memorable, the basic steps and style of dance are similar for all the regions. Traditional bailes employ a basic set of steps called zapateados which involve percussive heel-stomping. Most of the time when dancers are dancing the baile folklorico, they are accompanied by a mariachi band.
There are plenty of baile folklorico dance companies across the U.S. – like the Mexican American Association of Baile Folklorico in Seattle – and there are two in Tucson too. The Ballet Folklorico Tapatio provides an educational environment for children to learn about Mexican culture and its history through traditional, regional dances; while Grupo Folklórico Miztontli is the first Mexican Ballet Folklorico dance group at the University of Arizona.
No matter what regional version you see of this dance, you definitely need to check it out. Baile Folklorico is a style that will impress you and inspire you to get up and dance.
Many of the popular dance styles are reflections of different cultures throughout the world. One of those styles hails from Mexico and is called, “Baile Folklorico.” Literally translated to “folk dance,” this style emphasizes local folk style while incorporating colorful costumes that depict the different regions of Mexican folklore and art forms.
Amalia Hernandez pioneered baile folklorico in the 1950s because of her development of her dance school, Ballet Folklorico Mexico in Mexico City. Her dedication to providing the best representation of cultural and folk dances in Mexico and around the world became the driving force behind the success of baile folklorico.
The most common and recognizable form of this dance comes from the Mexican state of Jalisco. Although the Jalisco style is most memorable, the basic steps and style of dance are similar for all the regions. Traditional bailes employ a basic set of steps called zapateados which involve percussive heel-stomping. Most of the time when dancers are dancing the baile folklorico, they are accompanied by a mariachi band.
There are plenty of baile folklorico dance companies across the U.S. – like the Mexican American Association of Baile Folklorico in Seattle – and there are two in Tucson too. The Ballet Folklorico Tapatio provides an educational environment for children to learn about Mexican culture and its history through traditional, regional dances; while Grupo Folklórico Miztontli is the first Mexican Ballet Folklorico dance group at the University of Arizona.
No matter what regional version you see of this dance, you definitely need to check it out. Baile Folklorico is a style that will impress you and inspire you to get up and dance.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
What's that song on the radio?
For this weeks blog I wanted to explore the world of border music. I’m not knowledgeable in any style of music that emanates from the border, and I think most Americans assume Spanish music is all the same. There is a rich and diverse gamut of music that hails from Mexico and influences the American Southwest. I recently became interested in the tejano and conjunto styles because of their combination of the guitar and the accordion…that’s right, the accordion.
The history of tejano and conjunto music begins as far back as the late 1800s; the Mexican people living in Southern Texas and Northern Mexico were fusing together the lively diatonic accordion with the Spanish guitar, or bajo sexto (a 12-string bass guitar). Still in its infancy until the 1930s, tejano and conjunto music exploded along the border because of the radio industry’s popularization of this style to the Mexican-American people.
The styles used to be considered music of the poor migrant worker but today they are known nationally and internationally. Rooted in the basic four piece ensemble – accordion, bajo sexto, bass and drums – major artists have popularized tejano and conjunto music by adding new variations. Some changes include: two accordions, added keyboards, synthesizers, chromatic accordions, saxophones, percussion, and substitution of guitars for bajo sextos. Vocal styles also vary widely, from solos to very complex three and four-part harmonies.
A major figure (or father of this style) in the advancement of tejano and conjunto music was Narciso Martínez, or the Hurricane of the Valley. He is responsible for the standardization of the accordion-bajo combination. A new generation of tejano and conjunto artists erupted after World War II and included the influential Valerio Longoria and Paulino Bernal. Longoria introduced the modern trap-drum set a while Bernal added three-part vocals and his music is hailed as the greatest in the history of the style.
Gaining popularity again in the Chicano movement of the 1960s and 1970s, tejano and conjunto music continues to gain new audiences of upwardly mobile Mexican-Americans with strong connections to their cultural roots. These styles remain wildly popular today with radio stations devoted to publicizing tejano and conjunto music.
I enjoyed the history of this border intensive music and recommend people check out some of the more popular artists listed in this blog.
Here is a clip of Valerio Longoria:
And here is a clip of Paulino Bernal:
The history of tejano and conjunto music begins as far back as the late 1800s; the Mexican people living in Southern Texas and Northern Mexico were fusing together the lively diatonic accordion with the Spanish guitar, or bajo sexto (a 12-string bass guitar). Still in its infancy until the 1930s, tejano and conjunto music exploded along the border because of the radio industry’s popularization of this style to the Mexican-American people.
The styles used to be considered music of the poor migrant worker but today they are known nationally and internationally. Rooted in the basic four piece ensemble – accordion, bajo sexto, bass and drums – major artists have popularized tejano and conjunto music by adding new variations. Some changes include: two accordions, added keyboards, synthesizers, chromatic accordions, saxophones, percussion, and substitution of guitars for bajo sextos. Vocal styles also vary widely, from solos to very complex three and four-part harmonies.
A major figure (or father of this style) in the advancement of tejano and conjunto music was Narciso Martínez, or the Hurricane of the Valley. He is responsible for the standardization of the accordion-bajo combination. A new generation of tejano and conjunto artists erupted after World War II and included the influential Valerio Longoria and Paulino Bernal. Longoria introduced the modern trap-drum set a while Bernal added three-part vocals and his music is hailed as the greatest in the history of the style.
Gaining popularity again in the Chicano movement of the 1960s and 1970s, tejano and conjunto music continues to gain new audiences of upwardly mobile Mexican-Americans with strong connections to their cultural roots. These styles remain wildly popular today with radio stations devoted to publicizing tejano and conjunto music.
I enjoyed the history of this border intensive music and recommend people check out some of the more popular artists listed in this blog.
Here is a clip of Valerio Longoria:
And here is a clip of Paulino Bernal:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
