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The Chicago International Latino Film Festival plays from April 16-28, with screenings at the Biograph Theater, 3 Penny Cinema and Facets Multimedia in Chicago.
For more information, visit www.latinoculturalcenter.org or call (312) 409-1757.
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Slap on your dancing zapatos and join ChicagoFilm.com, ShakeChicago and SKYY Vodka on April 20th for the Chicago International Latino Film Festival Birthday Bash at The Funky Buddha Lounge! More...
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The film fest has been so successful, why go beyond cinema?
In the process of doing the film festival we made the decision that, in spite of how important film is and the power it has, there is more than that. There are more forms of cultural expression – theater, dance, poetry, painting and literature - it doesn’t end so why stay and limit our selves to one form of cultural expression.
Ultimately, we’d like to build a facility in the city of Chicago that is open and in contact with the universe that will allow the city to really grow beyond being a really provincial city. It really goes in line with the mayor’s vision to grow this city into a sort of cosmopolitan destination for tourists and business, education, culture and the arts.
Why do you do the work that you do?
I can give you a specific incident if you have the time.
I was a busboy in a restaurant and there were 14 Mexicans and myself. I worked there for two years and the only difference between them and me was that I was going to school and had been to school. I had been a University professor, I had been a lawyer, but I left my country and I didn’t speak English. So I enrolled in Columbia College in T.V. production, broadcast production and journalism.
At some point in time I wouldn’t say I was mistreated, just not treated at all. I was given a job to do and as long as I did it and didn’t mess anything up, I was ignored.
It was the lack of acknowledgement as a human being that made it very difficult for me to deal with. Until I had some articles I had written published by the Sun-Times. Suddenly, overnight I became a human being. The busboys and management of the restaurant were first in disbelief that it was me, but at some point they had no choice but to recognize. Then came admiration, respect, acknowledgement.
These people were not bad. There was just a lack of awareness and sensitivity. That changed them forever. What I do is because of precisely that. I have the chance to use the culture to fight back with something that is valuable to them. I learned that you need to provide people with something so tangible, something that touches them so profoundly that they have no choice but to change their views of a fellow human being and in this case, Latinos.
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Written by Richard Sharp
[1] [2] [3]
004: Chicago Latino Film Festival
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