Soy Andina: The Blog

Thur, Oct 9: Screening at Rutgers University in NJ

Thursday, October 9, 8:00 pm

Trayes Hall, Douglass Campus Center (click for directions)

New Brunswick, NJ

This is a free public screening on the New Brunswick Rutgers campus, hosted by the Center for Latino Arts and Culture, the Department of Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies, and the Center for Latin American Studies.

Dazzling dancer/activist/film subject Cynthia Paniagua and I will be there. Thanks to faculty member Ulla Berg for putting this together!

Click flyer below to enlarge.

Screening at the Women's Prison in Chorillos, Lima Peru

Last week we had one of the peak experiences of our Soy Andina journey, sharing the film and discussion with 150 women in the Santa Monica Women's Prison in Chorillos, Lima.

This was made possible thanks to our new collaborations with Grupo Chaski, a Peruvian-based collective of filmmakers who've made and distributed some of the finest Latin American social-issue films of the last quarter century.

Grupo Chask has pioneered a network of"Microcines" in Peru, bringing films with a message to marginalized communities throughout Peru. From their website (translated):

"MICROCINE is a meeting place for community participation where films are shown that promote values, reflection, and healthy entertainment. They are organized by community leaders who are trained as cultural promoters. The goal is to empower them to be able to sustain the projects on their own."

Read more about the Group in Jumpcut.

Below: Reactions from the women and from our partners at Grupo Chaski.

Photos here

"La pelicula es emocionante, es el encuentro con la familia. Esta echa espontaneamente, es tan natural, tan espontanea. Y volvimos a ver cosas que no vemos aca."

"Esta pelicula nos enseña muchas cosas mas de Peru."

"Un mirada de la cultura es la identidad, la nueva evolucion del mundo. La pelicula me causo nostalgia al recordar las fiestas con mi familia que  es ancashina. Les agradecemos muchisimo."

"Agradecer y felicitar, porque Cynthia y Nelida nos enseñan a aceptar nuestra cultura e identidad."

"La pelicula muestra un pais tan diverso y pluricultural. Solo la diversidad posibilita el desarrollo humano."
   - Jose Cardenas, Grupo Chaski

"Gracias por exhibir la pelicula....cada proyeccion como esta nos refuerza las ganas de sacar adelante la Red de Microcines... Imaginense si a veces hay 200 a mas campesinos que entienden el problema de la mineria viendo una pelicula... y luego te agradecen por ello."
   - María Elena Benites,  Grupo Chaski

Hey San Francisco: Reminder of Big Screening this Thursday!

San Francisco City Guide has the details...

Featuring the Return of Cynthia and Neli!

July 17: Screening in Paterson at the first Peru Human Rights Film Festival

PRIMER FESTIVAL DE CINE LATINOAMERICANO POR LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS

Passaic County Community College, Paterson, NJ
4 Jueves del mes de Julio, a horas 6:30 p.m.

Con el propósito de difundir un cine más reflexivo y comprometido, y como preámbulo a la celebración del 60th Aniversario de la Declaración de los Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas, el Grupo TIKSI se complace en invitar al público en general al Primer Festival de Cine Latinoamericano en homenaje a la comunidad peruana y latinoamericana.

Julio 10: “CHOROPAMPA”, Film de Ernesto Cabellos (Perú) y Stephanie Boyd (Canada), Idioma: Español. Es la historia valiente de un pequeño pueblo de los Andes intoxicado con mercurio y de cómo se enfrentan a la corporación aurífera más grande del mundo.
Q & A with Gregory Camacho (featured in film)

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Julio 17: “SOY ANDINA" de Mitch Teplitsky (EEUU), Idioma: Español e Inglés. Es una historia sobre el Perú, el baile y la valentia de dos jóvenes por la preservación de la identidad cultural y derechos de nuestra comunidad andina.
SPECIAL EVENT! Movie plus dance performance and Q & A with featured stars Nelida Silva and Cynthia Paniagua. Introduction by Jose Antonio Garcia from the Peruvian Consulate, Paterson.

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Julio 24: "TAMBOGRANDE" de Ernesto Cabellos (Perú) y Stephanie Boyd (Canada); Idioma: Español. Es la historia de un pueblo del Norte del Perú y su enfrentamiento ante políticos corruptos y a una industria minera que quiere despojarlos de sus tierras ricas de mangos y limones.

Julio 31: “ALIAS ALEJANDRO” de Alejandro Cárdenas Amelio (Perú-Alemania), Idioma: Español y Alemán. Es una historia personal del propio productor en busca del padre olvidado quien cumple cadena perpetua en la Base Naval del Callao y, que rescata sin querer, la memoria histórica de la violencia política del Perú en los años negros del terrorismo.
Ademas -- actuación del grupo “Caporales” de Bolivia.

Dentro del marco del festival se presentarán muestras de las pinturas de Elena Tuero, Fernando Pomalaza, Wari Zarate y Mario Villalva.

Reservaciones y información: 
646-761-3479 o thetiksigroup@yahoo.com
Blog
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El grupo TIKSI es una corporación cultural sin fines de lucro formada por peruano/americanos para promover el desarrollo individual y familiar que ayuden los procesos de aculturación y participación en la sociedad norteamericana dentro del contexto de valores éticos y morales.

PRESS

Peruanosenusa  El Portal de los Peruanos en Estados Unidos y en el Mundo

Soy Andina in San Francisco: Thursday June 26, at the Brava Theater (part of SF Ethnic Dance Festival)

We're returning to the Bay Area for the prestigious:
San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
Thursday, June 26, 7:30
Brava Theater
2781 24th St. (in the Mission District)

Screening Plus:    
- Live dance by Cynthia Paniagua!
- Post-screening party/show at Pachamama!

RSVP FOR $10 TICKETS ($12 at door)
rsvp@latinofilmfestival.org 

 Co-presented by International Latino Film Festival (ILFF) -- thanks to artistic director Sylvia Perel and programmer Charlotte von Hemert. This is our second collaboration with the dynamic duo from the ILFF, following last fall's screening at La Peña in Berkeley.

Click below for downloadable flyer, help spread the word! (a collectors item)

photos from last fall's show with the ILFS at La Peña in Berkeley in Berkeley,CA

Press:
sfstation 

SF Gate (Chronicle)

Soy Andina at Dance on Camera/Jacob Burns Film Center (Westchester County, NY) May 10 & 11 -- with live dance by Cynthia Paniagua!

(click to enlarge)

Very excited about this screening, since we have many Peruvian friends in Westchester asking for Soy Andina!

And the Jacob Burns Film Center is the best theater in the county - a restored landmark dedicated to world cinema and community outreach. Even better, we're part of the renowned Dance on Camera Touring Series. Best of all -- Cynthia Paniagua is back in town, and will be performing her extraordinary dance piece "Despierta Peru" after Sunday's screening -- not to be missed.

Sat May 10, 4:30 pm and Sun May 11, 6:30 pm. Tickets and more info from the Jacob Burns Film Center

More photos from The Jacob Burns Screening here

 PRESS AND REACTIONS: BELOW

Soy Andina in Chicago: Sat April 12 & Mon April 14, at Chicago Latino Festival

I'm thrilled to be debuting Soy Andina in Chicago at the 24th Chicago Latino Festival, one of the longest-running Latino film festivals in the nation:

Sat April 12 at 4:00 pm
Mon April 14, 8:30 pm
Instituto Cervantes | 31 W. Ohio St. (Directions here)

Tickets $10 (discounts for students and seniors), available at the theater starting one hour before showtime.

New Review from The Chicago Reader

The Chicago Latino Film Festival runs April 4-17, see the complete calendar here.

A big GRACIAS to Carmen, Kathy, Ron, Brando and everyone at Peru Profundo Dance Company in Chicago, who are helping us with outreach and more -- from airport pickup to local Peruvian restaurant guide to hosting us!

I first connected with Peru Profundo nearly three years ago, after receiving this inspiring blog response from Kathy.

They'll be selling DVDs of their shows after both screenings.

FOR PRESS RELEASE, CLICK BELOW

Soy Andina in Lima: Friday March 28 (part of Semana de lucha contra el racismo (series of events against racism)

I recently received an email from Jessica Ayre, project director of Tierra de Tod@s, a collective that works on Racism issues, asking if we could donate Soy Andina to screen as part of a week-long Conference about Racism (Semana de lucha contra el racismo).

The film was screened for free on Friday March 28 at the Auditorio Sánchez Carrión del Congreso de la República in Centro de Lima.

Thanks again to our friends at the US Embassy, Jose Carlos Requena and Steve Ramirez, for providing the Spanish-language version of the DVD, which they had thankfully kept from last year's tour.

Ms."Soy Andina" herself Nélida Silva was there in person, to participate on a post-screening panel about Identity and Media. Neli reports:

The forum went great! The Q&A was fun. Many questions came to me, about Llamellin, about the bull fight, about the band playing cumbia and so on. The panel was composed of a Congressman representing indigenous groups, Indigenous musican Leo Casas, an Afro-Peruvian representing Cumbaya, and myself. Everyone had something to talk about Llamellin. They mentioned your name 20 times :) The entire audience wanted to know when you'll be screening again in Lima.

Ohio State's Center for Folklore Studies to screen Soy Andina

The Center for Folklore Studies at Ohio State University will screen SA at their Spring Colloquium "Urban Party Mix" on Feb 23, thanks to invites from Center director Dorothy Noyes and Spanish professor Juan Zevallos Aguilar.

I'm especially excited that Peruvian-born Professor Aguilar will be presenting a paper on Soy Andina to accompany the screening. Juan is a long-time supporter, who's hosted us at Ohio State on two previous occasions (Spanish speakers, check out his blog).

Academics, note the departments behind this event -- Soy Andina will be a great teaching tool in all:

Organized by The Center for Folklore Studies and Department of Theatre, with support from the Office of International Affairs, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Departments of Dance and Spanish and Portuguese and the Program in Ethnomusicology.

Reactions to latest screening (Santa Barbara Film Festival)

"A wonderfully uplifting story...a great film"
-- Candace Schermerhorn, programmer, Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Report from Edward -- good evidence of Soy Andina's broad-based appeal, and how different audiences relate to each character. Immigrants and Peruvians identify more with Nelida, the immigrant; Americans more with Cynthia, the Peruvian-American:

Screening was good. About 75 people in (I'm guessing) 100 seat theater. Mostly older (50s and 60s)upper middle class, traveled, white crowd. 80% women.

The comments and mood afterward were very positive. My impression is that they were completely enchanted with being able to accompany these characters on their journeys, even more than the cultural introduction which became more the pretext of the story rather than the reason for it. By far the strongest connection the audience had was with Cynthia. Looking at the audience's eyes, so many women seemed to be touched as if remembering there own coming of age journey (backpacking through Europe, India, the Andes, etc.) it was definetly that kind of crowd.

Congradulations, very touching story. I was struck with alot of de ja vu identity moments and empathy throughout the film.