During the Hispanic Heritage month, Rollins College hosted The Hispanic Short Film Festival.
Two weeks ago, on October 9, the Spanish Department hosted the Hispanic Short Film Festival (HSFF) in the SunTrust Auditorium of Crummer Hall. Heritage is crucial in all cultures, but in a time heated with debate and, with October being Hispanic Heritage month, this festival was timely and fascinating.
Some films had specific things to say, such as the films Immersion and A Place to Call Home, while others brought to light the talent of Hispanic filmmakers, from Spain to Argentina, such as The Same Old Story and Lo Llevo En La Sangre.
Honestly, I was surprised by how instantly engaged I was in these films. I do not speak Spanish, and I was concerned this might leave me feeling left out. However, the language of the film had no impact on my connection to the characters. Particularly in Immersion and Ten Minutes, I was fully immersed in the stories and sad when they were over. Foreign film is such an unappreciated thing in American audiences for a few reasons, such as a lack of understanding of the language or maybe just being too lazy to read subtitles.
However, as indicated by the impact that the HSFF had on me, foreign films are something we should pay attention to, especially when they deal with something so current in our lives, such as young foreign students having difficulty integrating into a primarily English education system and the touchy and important subject of immigration. Hopefully this festival becomes an annual thing, and maybe we could get some other foreign film festivals, as this type of opportunity to connect to our world is so rare nowadays.
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