El Norte & Bordertown with guest lectures to follow Nov. 4 & 5, 2009
Who: Barbara Jitner & Gregory Nava
What: Screenings of El Norte & Bordertown along with guest lectures
When: November 4-5, 2009
Where: The Rio Grande Theatre
Contact: (575) 523-6403
El Norte & Bordertown with guest lectures to follow Nov. 4 & 5, 2009
October 21, 2009 – Forging a valuable partnership with the Doña Ana Community College, the Doña Ana Arts Council is proud to co-present two powerful films documenting the struggle of our brothers and sisters south of the international border. On Wednesday, November 4th, filmmaker Gregory Nava will present his 1983 film El Norte, then on Thursday, November 5th, writer/director Barbara Martinez Jitner will present the 2008 film Bordertown. Both will conclude with lectures and Q&A sessions with the presenters. The events are free and open to the public at the Rio Grande Theatre, but are being presented by DACC as a working classroom experience for students in the Creative Media Technology program, who will be documenting the proceedings throughout both evenings.
Gregory Nava’s El Norte has come to be regarded as the definitive portrait of the experience of undocumented Latin-American workers in the United States. Released in 1983, Nava’s film has lost none of its lyrical and thematic power as it follows two Mayan Indian teenagers, brother and sister, whose dreams of a better life in America belie the fact they are simply trading one form of dehumanization for another. Nava, the filmmaker of the critically acclaimed movies Mi Familia, Selena and most recently Bordertown, starring Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas, will give a lecture following the screening on Wednesday, November 4th.
Human rights activist, writer, and director, Barbara Martinez Jitner is the inspiration behind the 2008 Jennifer Lopez film Bordertown. The film is based on her research of the Mexican town of Juarez, which is notorious for the murders of over 400 women. Martinez Jitner posed as a factory worker on the U.S./Mexico border in order to uncover a dark world of grueling poverty and sexual abuse. Martinez Jitner began her career as an award-winning director of commercials and documentaries. Now President of El Norte Productions, Martinez Jitner is currently developing several feature films for Gregory Nava, including Zapata for Disney, and Tattooed Soldier for HBO. She will give a lecture immediately following the screening on Thursday, November 5th.
The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Downtown Mall, in Las Cruces. Doors open at 6:30pm and showtime is 7pm for each screening. Admission is Free and open to the public. Donations will also be accepted, benefitting Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez and DACC Student Clubs. For more information, visit the website at www.RioGrandeTheatre.com or call (575) 528-7310.
