LULASFF

Lawrence University’s Latin American and Spanish Film Festival

LULASFF features recent award-winning films and talks by directors, producers, actors, and scholars. It is a regional beacon for Spanish-language cinema that focuses on the representation of diverse cultures and identities on the big screen. 

It was founded in 2012 and organized by professors Cecilia Herrera and Rosa Tapia from Lawrence University (Appleton, Wisconsin, USA). This free event, which is open to the public, promotes community building and intercultural dialogue through a shared love for film and the arts.

Past Editions

2024

Guest Speaker: Director Juliana Maité (“Without Prescription”)

  • WITHOUT PRESCRIPTION / Receta No Incluida (Puerto Rico 2022) Directed by Juliana Maité
  • THE ETERNAL MEMORY / La Memoria Infinita (Chile 2023) Directed by Maite Alberdi
  • LOVE AND REVOLUTION / Te Estoy Amando Locamente (Spain 2023)
  • Directed by Alejandro Marín
  • CASSANDRO  (Mexico 2023) Directed by Roger Ross Williams and starring Gael García Bernal
  • ALEGRÍA  (Spain 2021) Directed by Violeta Salama

2023

Keynote: “Between Dictatorship and Democracy: Chile, 50 Years After the Coup” by Dr. Patricia Vilches. 

Guest Speaker: Director Enrique M. Rizo (A Place Called Music)

2022

Keynote: “Almodóvar: A Critical Take” by Professor Javier Guerrero (Princeton University)

  • THE WEASELS’ TALE / El cuento de las comadrejas (Argentina, 2019)
  • PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN / Noche de fuego (Mexico, 2021)
  • PARALLEL MOTHERS / Madres paralelas (Spain, 2021)
  • CLARA SOLA (Costa Rica, 2021)
  • THE GOOD BOSS / El buen patrón (Spain, 2021)
  • A WORLD FOR JULIUS / Un mundo para Julius (Peru, 2021)

2019

Guest Speaker: Gonzalo Justiniano, writer and director (Cabros de mierda)

  • PERFECT STRANGERS / Perfectos desconocidos (Mexico, 2018)
  • BROKEN PANTIES / Calzones rotos (Chile, 2018)
  • BIRDS OF PASSAGE / Pájaros de verano (Colombia, 2018)
    THE ANGEL / El Ángel (Argentina, 2018)
  • THE CHAMBERMAID / La camarista (Mexico, 2019)
    JOURNEY TO A MOTHER’S ROOM / Viaje al cuarto de una madre     (Spain, 2018)
  • DAMN KIDS / Cabros de mierda (Chile, 2018)

2018

Guest Speakers: film director Carla Cavina (Puerto Rico), and producers Tania Zamora and Francesca Romero, LU ’11 (Mexico).

  • WOODPECKERS (José María Cabral, Dominican Republic, 2017)
  • THE LAST SUIT (Pablo Solarz, Argentina, 2017)
  • TEMPEST (Tatiana Huezo, Mexico, 2016)
  • THE UNTAMED (Amat Escalante, Mexico, 2016)
  • EXTRA-TERRESTRIALS (Carla Cavina, Puerto Rico, 2016)
  • NOBODY’S WATCHING (Julia Solomonoff, Argentina, 2017)
  • SUMMER 1993 (Carla Simón, Spain, 2017)
  • SPIDER THIEVES (Guillermo Helo, Chile, 2017)

2017

Guest Speaker: film director Arí Maniel Cruz (Puerto Rico).

  • THE BRIDE (Paula Ortiz, Spain, 2015)
  • THE CLAN (Pablo Trapero, Argentina, 2015)
  • ALIAS MARIA (José Luis Rugeles, Colombia, 2015)      
  • THE COMPANION (Pavel Giroud, Cuba, 2015)
  • BEFORE THE ROOSTER CROWS (Arí Maniel Cruz, Puerto Rico, 2016)
  • DESIERTO (Jonás Cuarón, Mexico, 2016)
  • NERUDA (Pablo Larraín, Chile, 2016)
  • JULIETA (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2016)

2016

Keynote: “Latin American Cinema and Globalization,” Dr. Sophia McClennen (Penn State U).

Guest Speaker: Film director and actor Brionne Davis (Embrace of the Serpent).

  • WILD TALES (Damián Szifron, Argentina 2014)
  • MAGICAL GIRL (Carlos Vermut, Spain 2014)
  • 600 MILES (Gabriel Ripstein, Mexico 2015)
  • FROM AFAR (Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela 2015)
  • THE CLUB (Pablo Larraín, Chile, 2015) 
  • THE EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (Ciro Guerra, Colombia 2015) 
  • MARSHLAND (Alberto Rodríguez, Spain 2014)

2015 

Keynote: “Latin America and/in the Global World Order,” Dr. Walter Mignolo (Duke U).

Guest Speakers: film directors Rubén Mendoza (Colombia) and Moisés Sepúlveda (Chile).

  • BAD HAIR (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela 2013)
  • DUST ON THE TONGUE (Rubén Mendoza, Colombia 2014)
  • TWO SHOTS FIRED (Martín Rejtman, Argentina 2014)
  • TO KILL A MAN (Alejandro Fernández, Chile 2014)
  • CANTINFLAS (Sebastián del Amo, Mexico, 2014)
  • THE ILLITERATE (Moisés Sepúlveda, Chile 2013)
  • LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED (David Trueba, Spain 2013)

2014

Guest Speakers: film directors Juan Andrés Arango (Colombia), Adrián Saba (Perú) and Catherine Tatge (USA).

  • AFTER LUCÍA (Michel Franco, Mexico 2012)
  • WAKOLDA/THE GERMAN DOCTOR (Lucía Puenzo, Argentina 2013)
  • LA PLAYA DC (Juan Andrés Arango, Colombia 2012)
  • SO MUCH WATER, (Ana Guevara, Uruguay 2013)
  • THE CLEANER, (Adrián Saba, Peru 2012)
  • WHITE ELEPHANT, (Pablo Trapero, Argentina 2012)
  • GLORIA, (Sebastián Lelio, Chile 2013)
  • CANNIBAL (Manuel Martín Cuenca, Spain 2013)

2013

Guest Speakers: film directors Solveig Hoogesteijn (Venezuela) and Raphael Alvarez (Brazil), and Dr. Javier Guerrero (Princeton U)

  • BLANCANIEVES (Pablo Berger, Spain 2012)
  • MAROA (Solveig Hoogesteijn, Venezuela 2006)
  • DUDAMEL: LET THE CHILDREN PLAY (Alberto Arvelo, Venezuela 2010)
  • DZI CROQUETTES (Raphael Alvarez and Tatiana Issa, Brazil 2009)
  • THE VIOLIN (Francisco Vargas, Mexico 2005)
  • BIRDS OF PASSAGE (Rachel Lears, USA-Uruguay 2009)
  • MARIMBAS FROM HELL (Julio Hernández Cordón, Guatemala 2010)
  • THE WIND JOURNEYS (Ciro Guerra, Colombia 2009)
  • VIOLETA WENT TO HEAVEN (Andrés Wood, Chile 2011)

2012

Keynote: Dr. Paul Julian Smith (CUNY). “The Films of Pedro Almodóvar”

  • THE SKIN I LIVE IN (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain 2011)
  • THE FISH CHILD (Lucía Puenzo, Argentina 2009)
  • REVERÓN (Diego Rísquez, Venezuela 2011)
  • LEAP YEAR (Michael Rowe, Mexico 2010)
  • A YEAR WITHOUT LOVE (Anahí Berneri, Argentina 2005)
  • UNDERTOW (Javier Fuentes León, Peru 2009)
  • LOVE FOR SALE (Karim Ainou, Brazil 2006)
  • MOSQUITA & MARI (Aurora Guerrero, USA 2012)
  • CHICO & RITA (Fernando Trueba, Spain 2010)

Professor of Spanish at Lawrence University