Coastal Carolina University’s Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies presents its fourth annual Latin American Film Festival, a five-week event featuring award-winning films that focus on Latin American culture. Each event includes a film screening and subsequent discussion with Mauricio Castillo, associate professor of Latin American cultures and Spanish in the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies. Four of the five events also include discussions with respective film directors and/or producers.

The event opens Wednesday, Sept. 27, with a reception at 4 p.m. and screening of Spider Thieves at 5 p.m. All other events take place on Wednesday evenings at 5 p.m., beginning Oct. 4, in the Coastal Theater within the Lib Jackson Student Union. All events are free and open to the public.

Castillo said the Latin American Film Festival grows each year, as the average crowd in 2022 was 80-90 CCU students, faculty, staff, and community members, and he expects even more robust attendance in 2023. Participants seem to particularly value the discussion period that follows each screening.

“Our attendees enjoy the Q&A sessions because they can talk to the film creators immediately after watching the films,” said Castillo. “In my view, these conversations foster constructive dialogue and understanding among people of different cultures, and thus strengthen our sense of community on campus.”

The film festival, which takes place within National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15), is representative of numerous programs and initiatives within the Edwards College, including the Intercultural Language Resource Center; the Hispanic studies minor; the film studies minor; study abroad programs; and the diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI) initiative.

“We strive to create intercultural experiences with the goal of creating a truly global community for the benefit of our campus,” Castillo said.

This year’s film festival lineup:

• Spider Thieves (Chile): Wed., Sept. 27. Will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles.

• Los Lobos (Mexico): Wed., Oct. 4. Will be shown in Spanish and Cantonese with English subtitles.

• Nudo Mixteco (Mexico): Wed., Oct. 11. Will be shown in Mixteco and Spanish with English subtitles.

• On the Roof (Cuba): Wed., Oct. 18. Will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles.

• Solidarity Planet (Brazil): Wed., Oct. 25, with closing reception at 4 p.m. Will be shown in Portuguese with English subtitles.

For more information, visit coastal.edu/culturalarts or contact Castillo at mcastillo@coastal.edu or 843-349-6972.