This March is not only dedicated to the Irish. Each Monday in March, PRAGDA from the Ministry of Culture of Spain will be sponsoring the Hispanic Film Festival. Gustavus is collaborating with the Ministry of Culture of Spain to show students the art of film and create awareness of social issues in the Hispanic world.

“All of the films deal with social justice, gender, sexuality, and culture in the diverse countries of Latin America,” Professor in Spanish and LALACS Angelique Dwyer said.

“These films give the general public an opportunity to see a foreign film that they may have never discovered and it is great practice for Spanish majors,” Senior Ian Shay said.

The films were brought to campus through a grant from PRAGDA and is in collaboration with the departments of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, LALACS, English, history, communication Studies, gender, women, and sexuality Studies, theatre and dance, Scandinavian studies, religion, peace studies, admission, marketing and communication, the center for servant leadership, and the Nicollet Historical Society. The first of the five films was shown this past Monday.

“The first film, Even the Rain, had a social justice center and showed the connections between colonialism and today, focusing on Bolivia and the United States,” Shay said.

“The set of films offer a deeper understanding of the diversity and complexity of the Hispanic world while making us reflect on our society and our place as global citizens. What I like the most about these films is that they stress our shared humanity and common wishes for a just world,” Professor in Spanish, LALACS, and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies Ana Adams said.

After the viewing of the third film in the series, La Yuma, there is a Skype Question-and-Answer session planned with its Director Florence Jaguey.

“Having the chance to see these films is a powerful way to experience other peoples and cultures,” Shay said.

In response to bringing this film series to campus, an International Film Club is in the works with the ability to bring more international films to campus; students interested in film are encouraged to join.