This year the Watsonville Film Festival goes virtual with a lineup of films you don’t want to miss. The festival kicks off with Opening Night on Friday, March 5, with special events during the week including:
AfroMexico
Saturday, March 6, 2021 7:00 PM PST
In this community conversation with Israel Reyes Larrea, founder of AFRICA A.C. direct from Oaxaca, Mexico, we will learn about Afro-Mexican culture and some traditional dance steps along the way! In Spanish, with English interpretation provided by PVUSD.
International Women’s Day Celebration!
Monday, March 8, 2021 7:00 PM PST
WFF is proud to partner with the Watsonville International Women’s Day Coalition to honor local women who are making outstanding contributions to our community. From education to health care to civic engagement and advocacy for our vulnerable neighbors, these women are bravely calling out inequity and helping to create a more inclusive world for us all.
Paint Night with Nacho Moya
Thursday, March 11, 2021 6:00 PM PST
Calling all families! Don’t miss this fun and creative family night with artist Nacho Moya! He will paint with you a piece inspired by one of our films. Get ready to be creative! For this class you will need the following materials:
1 – Canvas or thick paper (any size)
2 – Paint brushes (one inch brush ,medium and small one)
3 – Cup of water
4 – Plastic plate
5 – Napkin
6- Acrylic paint: pink, blue, purple, red, teal, green, yellow, black and white. You can use more colors if you like.
Closing: Film Chat & Fandango Music
Saturday, March 13, 2021 5:00 PM PST
Music & Dance / Música y DanzaView all events tagged “Music & Dance / Música y Danza”Filmmaker Chat / Plática con cineastasView all events tagged “Filmmaker Chat / Plática con cineastas.” Meet the incredible talent behind Fandango at the Wall. We will chat with director Varda Bar-Kar, Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra founder/conductor Arturo O’Farrill, and Jorge Francisco Castillo, organizer of the annual Fandango Fronterizo at the border Mexico-US. Afterwards, join us as we close the 2021 WFF with a live concert by Sangre Antigua, a local group composed musicians who hail from the Mexican state of Veracruz, and carry the beautiful son jarocho music in their blood. Event co-presented with Kuumbwa Jazz.
Here is a sneak peek of some of a few of the featured films:
Cholitas
82 minutes | Bolivia | 2019
Celebrate International Women’s Day with WFF! As a symbol of liberation and empowerment, five incredible indigenous Bolivian women – known as cholitas – aim to climb Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas.
Mezquite’s Heart
80 minutes | Mexico | 2020
Lucia, an indigenous Yoreme girl living in northern Mexico, fights for her dream against her community’s tradition of not allowing women to play the harp. Along the way, she tries connect with her desconsolate father, and find her place in her community. Please note: The trailer is in Spanish only, but the film itself is subtitled in English.
The Guardian of Memory
93 minutes | Mexico | 2019
The Guardian of Memory tells the story of Mexican men, women, and children living under the extreme circumstances, and seeking safety in the U.S. Carlos Spector, an immigration lawyer born in El Paso, TX, fights to obtain political asylum for Mexicans fleeing extreme violence. This is the story about the kindness and hope that still exists in people who endured tremendous suffering, and Carlos Spector’s tireless efforts to help them.
Winner – 2020 Ariel (Mexican Academy Award), Best Mexican Documentary
Winner – Best Documentary, Morelia International Film Festival
Winner – Best Documentary DocsMX
Our Quinceañera
75 minutes | United States | 2020
A high school principal in a small town in Texas hosts a yearly Quinceañera for students that can’t afford it. The entire border town gets together to teach these girls that with the power of community any dream can come true.
Click here to check out the entire programming of movies.
WFF Virtual Cinema is LIVE ! Register Now! Steps:
1) Click the link: https://2021virtualwff.eventive.org/films
2) Choose a film
3) Create your account
4) Watch chosen films between March 5-13