This collaborative event in #GRmi made me so proud to live here. http://t.co/NNdECgW #Film

Over the last 10 years, cultural programs from the various universities and colleges have begun actively collaborating to create exciting and diverse programming in our region.

A fine example of such collaboration is the return of the Grand Rapids Latin American Film Festival brought to the screen by Aquinas College, Calvin College and Grand Valley State University. The festival takes place April 7-9, at Celebration! Cinema RiverTown and Wealthy Theatre.  

The festival's goal is to provide the entire West Michigan community and students with a unique and enriching opportunity to acquaint themselves with the latest and most acclaimed Latin American films.

"We didn't have any particular theme as our goal other than to showcase the diversity of Latin America through its cinema," says Dr. Toni Perrine, GVSU Professor of Film and Video and GRLAFF committee member. "For that reason, we want to exhibit movies from different countries. So, with the exception of Mexico, we have made a priority of not showing more than one film from any one country in the first two years."

Last year, the first-year festival programmed films from Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela and Uruguay. For the second year, GRLAFF has selected films from El Salvador/Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Puerto Rico and USA/Argentina with an 'opera prima' from a young director.

This year's showcase film is the Peruvian film "Contracoriente" (Undertow), a film that at its core explores the complex emotions of intersecting human sexuality within this tiny seaside town. 

After each of the six films, students from each of the colleges will lead a discussion with the audience to help enrich the educational aspects of the festival. This immersion of students into the programming is key to the festival's success and an on-going goal of fostering dialog across cultural lines.

A major addition to the festival this year is the appearance by the screenwriter, actor and producer Oscar Torres, who will be attending the Friday, April 8 screening of "Voces Inocentes" (Innocent Voices) to discuss his semi-autobiographical film. 

(Tommy adds, I saw this film on Saturday and it was beautifully rich in every way. The conversations after the film ended with the audience members were also insightful.)

2Nite @whatsyourart, #ArtPeers, #Ave4theArts @KevinBuist & others take on GR Art Criticism, R U Ready?

from RapidGrowthMedia.com's G-Sync by Tommy Allen

 

 

 

Critical Reality – Is Arts Criticism Important In Grand Rapids?

 

THURSDAY, MAR 31, 5:30 - 7 PM

WEALTHY THEATRE, 1130 WEALTHY STREET SE

Last year, Rapid Growth hosted a panel discussion about the practices of the creative in our "big small town" community and for the most part, the conversation centered on the topic of creative best practices. And while all agreed we have it good here in many ways, one area that is lacking is in the arena of arts criticism.

Caroline Older of the Arts Councils of Greater Grand Rapids remembers well the discussion thread that followed at the bottom of an article by Kevin Buist of ArtPrize in The Rapidian.

So earlier this year, she and her staff set about creating a panel that would address this much discussed question both online and over table tops around the city: "Are Grand Rapids' artists, performances and arts institutions ready for a serious critique of the art created here?"

This question will be at the center of the discussion at Wealthy Theatre where artists, patrons and arts lovers are encouraged to attend this panel event.

"I would argue it is important that we have a serious critique of our arts community," says Older, "but where will this criticism come from in is still unsure since we in a time of flux from ever-changing media sources."

The panel was assembled by the Arts Council along with Erin Wilson of ArtPeers and Jenn Schaub of the Avenue for the Arts and will include GVSU's Paul Wittenbraker, Grand Rapids Press' Jeff Kaczmarczyk, UICA's Elizabeth Goddard, ArtPrize's Kevin Buist and Musician Ritsu Katsumata. Schaub will be moderating the panel.

So if you have ever poised these questions or would simply love to hear a fresh perspective on this topic, please stop by on Thursday.

Bar privileges at Wealthy Theater are available for CMC members ($12/yr).

Admission: $10; Free for Arts Council members, ArtPeers artists, Avenue for the Arts members, and college students with valid ID.