Latino & Iberian Film Festival at Yale opens Nov. 9 at the MacMillan Center

The Latino and Iberian Film Festival at Yale (LIFFY), sponsored by the Council for Latin American and Iberian Studies, opens on Wednesday, Nov. 9 in Henry R. Luce Hall Auditorium at the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale, 34 Hillhouse Ave.

The festival is free and open to the public. All films have English subtitles.

The opening night celebration begins at 7 p.m. with a screening of “Alma” (U.S.A., 2015) 13 min., followed by “Pinches actors/Freakin’ Actors” (Mexico/France, 2015) 119 min. There will be a Q&A discussion with actor Grecia Monroc and editor Katery Gutiérrez Rincón (“Pinches actores”).  A reception immediately following it will feature Ballet Folklórico de Yale. View full schedule.

LIFFY was created by Margherita Tortora, who has been teaching Spanish language at Yale since 1993 as well as a class titled “Spanish Through Film.”

“We strive to promote cultural awareness and understanding through the screening of films from many different countries where Spanish and Portuguese are spoken, and by inviting filmmakers, actors, and producers to converse with our audience,” said Tortora. “It is our premise that knowledge promotes respect for diversity and unity amongst peoples of divergent backgrounds.”

LIFFY began as a film series in the late 1990s, then collaborated with the New England Festival of Iberian Cinema for five years (2010- 2014); it was established as The Latino and Iberian Film Festival at Yale (in 2015, sponsored by the MacMillan Center.

The festival has three award categories: Best Short Film, Best Feature Film, and Best Documentary. The films must have something to do with Latino, Iberian or Latin American culture in general; must have English subtitles; and must have been made within the last three years. The jury consists of three or four noted filmmakers, critics, or professors of film studies.

All films are screened with English subtitles. Many screenings are followed by a question and answer session with the filmmakers and/or actors in attendance.