OLA Film Fest Returns for 18th Season
Pictured Above: A still from “La Llorona / The Weeping Woman,” on view at the Parrish Art Museum Sept. 17.
OLA (Organización Latino Americana) will hold its 18th Latino Film Festival the weekend of Sept. 17 at the Parrish Art Museum and the Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center.
This year’s award-winning films come from from Guatemala, Colombia, and the USA. All films have English subtitles. These films represent three very different genres but hold at their center the importance of seeking and speaking the truth. Shorts from local filmmakers via OLA Media Lab will also be in the festival lineup.
“We are fortunate to continue collaborating with Parrish Art Museum and Sag Harbor Cinema to bring these films to beautiful iconic East End venues,” says Minerva Perez, OLA Executive Director. “This year we are excited to offer an UNDER 21 event that will start at 9:30 pm and open with a short video/music installation.”
“Each of the films offers a new perspective and a call for courage,” says Perez. “They are raw as well as incredibly entertaining. We will have the opportunity to hear from each of the filmmakers. This is one of my favorite OLA festival lineups. Even with all of the critical advocacy work we are committed to, OLA understands the vital impact art has on bridging cultures and building understanding and harmony among neighbors.”
The festivities begin on Friday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Parrish Art Museum (279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill) with a light reception and museum tour of Tomashi Jackson’s exhibit The Land Claim – included with ticket price. At 7:30 p.m., the festival will screen “La Llorona / The Weeping Woman,” a slow-burn political drama that merges the real-life horrors of the Guatemalan genocide with one of Latin America’s most famous folkloric legends. La Llorona is a story about the ghosts of the past bleeding into the present.
Admission for the tour, reception, and film is $15 or $5 for Members and Students with ID. Tickets are available online here.
On Saturday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m., the festival presents Catalina Arroyave’s “Days of the Whale / Los días de la ballena” at the Sag Harbor Cinema (90 Main Street in Sag Harbor)
In the film, Cristina and Simon are two young graffiti artists who paint the city that they live in, Medellín, Colombia. Familiar tensions come together to tell a story where the powerful strength of youth faces fear, violence and the difficulties of growing up.
Along with this feature, OLA Media Lab will present local filmmaker Allura Leggard’s “Voices of Youth” / “Voces de la juventud” (6 min)
At 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18, also at the Sag Harbor Cinema, OLA presents “Myth and Motion” / “Mito y movimiento, directed by Carolina Fuentes of Mila Tina, a video concert featuring inspiring images and music produced by OLA Media Lab, along with “The Infiltrators / Los infiltrados (1 hr 35 min) (PG-13), directed by Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera , with a live conversation with filmmaker after the film.
In “Myth and Motion,” Claudio Rojas is detained without warning by ICE officials outside his Florida home. He is transferred to the Broward Transitional Center, a detention facility used as a holding space for imminent deportations. Terrified of never seeing him again, Claudio’s family contacts the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, a group of activist Dreamers known for stopping deportations.
Tickets are available online at www.sagharborcinema.org, and are $10 for the 7 p.m. show $10 and $5 for the 9:30 show for ages 21 and under.
The venues will abide by Covid-19 guidelines.
