Sin Fronteras Flies Again

The Sin Fronteras Film Festival is a media festival created to showcase the works of socially conscious independent video and filmmakers from across the Americas. For the second year in a row, it is sponsored by UNM's Student Organization for Latin American Studies and the Latin American and Iberian Institute. This Saturday, April 24, Sin Fronteras will fill the Guild Cinema in Nob Hill with comedy, drama, documentary, animation and experimental films.

This year's festival features an entire, day-long program packed with short films and videos from across Latin America. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. with a welcoming ceremony at 10:45. The films start up at 11 a.m. and are broken into six blocks, each around two hours in length. The first block of films alone features efforts from Mexico, Nicaragua and the United States “Los Changuitos” (Mexico) is a music video featuring Café Tacuba. “Novela, Novela” (Nicaragua) is a documentary about the making of the groundbreaking feminist soap opera “Sexto Sentido.” “A Day at the Ditch” (U.S.) is a UNM student film exploring the local La Llorono legend. “Voices from Texas” is an award-winning documentary celebrating the traditions and contributions of Mexican-American poets. And that's just a tiny sampling of the 21 films and videos selected for inclusion in this year's fest.

Throughout the day, the festival will showcase films from Cuba, Uruguay, Argentina, Honduras, the U.S. and Mexico. Several of the filmmakers including director Greg Berger (“Gringothon,” “Tlalnepantla: The Price of Democracy”) and Beatriz Flores Silva (En La Puta Vida) will be on hand to introduce their works. Silva's film is the only feature-length film in the festival and will begin at 8:30 p.m. The film, which was Uruguay's official entry into the 2002 Oscar race, deals with an impoverished mother of two who slips into the world of prostitution. Silva's film explores the difficulties faced by women with moments of tragedy and humor.

There will be a dinner break at 6 p.m. with appropriate pan-American food sold in the lobby. A festival reception will take place after all the screenings are wrapped up at 10:30 p.m. Festivalgoers are invited to gather at RB Winning Coffee House (111 Harvard SE) to meet and socialize with the filmmakers.

An all-day Festival Pass can be purchased in advance for a mere $8. Tickets are available at the Guild Cinema and at the Latin American and Iberian Institute (801 Yale NE). On the day of, a Festival Pass will run you $12 at the door.