Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles presents the inaugural program CINE NEPANTLA 

12 Oct Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles presents the inaugural program CINE NEPANTLA 

Celebrating liminal spaces in film, music, and poetry 

Saturday, November 3 at the Vincent Price Art Museum 

Featuring the documentary film The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo 

Vesper Public Relations. Los Angeles, CA. October 2018. Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles (LACLA) is proud to announce the inauguration of its Cine Nepantla series, an annual program that seeks to create a liminal, in-between space of transformation made possible through the exposure of multiple forms of knowing and being. 

The program will take place on Saturday, November 3 at the Vincent Price Art Museum and will include a screening of Phillip Rodriguez’s The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo (2018), a Q&A with the director, live music and a panel discussion.

Nepantla is a Nahuatl word which means “in the middle of it” or “middle”. It also refers to living in the borderlands or being at a literal or metaphorical crossroads.  In Latinx anthropology, social commentary, criticism, literature and art, Nepantla represents the concept of “in-between-ness”.

About the Film: 

The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo

The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo is a documentary film about the life of radical Chicano lawyer, author and countercultural icon, Oscar Zeta Acosta — the basis for the character Dr. Gonzo in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” written by his friend, legendary journalist-provocateur Hunter S. Thompson. Channeling the spirit of the psychedelic sixties and the joyful irreverence of “Gonzo” journalism, the film shows Acosta’s personal and creative evolution play out against the backdrop of a society in turmoil. Actors Jesse Celedon and Jeff Harms portray Oscar Zeta Acosta and Hunter S. Thompson, while an ensemble of performers inhabit a collection of friends, foes, and fellow travelers in a series of playful recreations that go beyond a mere presentation of facts and point us toward a deeper truth.

An intergenerational panel discussion on Chican(x)/Latin(x) activism will be held following the screening. The film’s director, Phillip Rodriguez, will be in conversation with activists of different generations (TBA) to discuss past struggles that have continued to reverberate, and new struggles that have emerged.

Director: Phillip Rodriguez

Cast: Jesse Celedon, Jeff Harms

Producers: City Project Productions

Duration: 56:11

Watch Trailer:

https://www.pbs.org/video/official-trailer-uem9qc/

http://www.pbs.org/program/voces/rise-fall-brown-buffalo/

Live Music Performance:

San Cha –

San Cha is a singer-songwriter known for her explosive, visceral and emotional live performances. Her name is derived from the Spanish word ‘sancha’ which translates to ‘mistress,’ and is also a reference to the title of ‘San’ given to male saints in the Catholic tradition.

https://elsancha.bandcamp.com/

Panel Discussion: 

Gilbert Cadena, Associate Professor at Cal Poly Pomona in the Ethnic and Women’s Studies Department, is confirmed as the panel’s moderator, and the poet/visual artist Xitlalic Guijosa-Osuna is confirmed as a panelist.  

Cine Nepantla

Vincent Price Art Museum

East Los Angeles College, 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez

Monterey Park, CA 91754-6099

Event Time: 1:00 PM – 4 PM

FREE Admission & Open to All Ages

FREE Parking at Lot 4 on the ELAC campus: located at the corner of Collegian Avenue and Floral Drive; 5 minute walk to museum.

Registration:

To RSVP and for more information visit www.lacla.org. 

CINE NEPANTLA IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY:

LA County Arts Commission

Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Ainsley-Hicks Family Foundation

About LACLA

Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles (LACLA) is a California non-profit organization dedicated to promoting cultural exchange through film by screening classic and contemporary films from Latin America and by USA Latinas and Latinos. LACLA also supports the film and media efforts of Los Angeles inner-city middle and high school students with its annual student film festival.

About: Cine Nepantla

The concept of nepantla refers to the experience of living in-between two or more cultures. Nepantla originated in the sixteenth century from Nahuatl, an Uto-Aztecan language, to describe the “in-between-ness” Mexicas (Aztecs) felt under Spanish colonization. The concept was further developed by Chicana theorists, most notably Gloria Anzaldúa who described Nepantla as a site of transformation where multiple and different perspectives come into contact. According to Anzaldúa, it is through the exchange of ideas, tenets, and identities that actual change in the world has the potential to occur. Building from this concept, Cine Nepantla aims to create a space in which meaningful dialogue among audiences of different socio-economic backgrounds, races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, genders, sexualities, nationalities, and religions can take place and effect change.