An Incipient Film Medium: Its Impact on Bolivia's Imagery and Identity
As a part of Transformative Performances of National Identity: Bolivian Art and Cultural Expressions, this panel will guide us through a brief introduction on how film got to Bolivia and will then discuss some of the best movies that have been produced throughout the years. They will start with Wara Wara (1930) by Director José María Velasco, the only known surviving work from Bolivia’s silent era, moving on to recent years to analyze movies such as Yvy Maraey (2013) by Director Juan Carlos Valdivia. As early as the 1930s, Velasco was producing progressive films that exposed the racism towards the indigenous communities and their role in society. Panelists will show how Bolivia’s best-known Directors and new young talents, that have emerged in a recent renaissance of Film in Bolivia, make their voices heard and resonate through their films that explore Bolivia’s national identity.
About the Speakers:
Alfonso Gumucio, development communication specialist, film maker, photographer and writer
Diego Mondaca, film maker and critic
Raquel Romero Zumarán, film maker and screenwriter
Moderated by Marcos Loayza, director and screenwriter.
About Transformative Performances of National Identity: Bolivian Art and Cultural Expressions:
This is a seven panel virtual series that will provide a historical overview of Bolivia’s artistic and cultural production. A group of Bolivian artists and intellectuals will trace the history and art of this South American country.
Transformative Representations of National Identity: Bolivian Art and Cultural Expressions is open and free to the public. Please click on this link to access registration for all panels https://www.eventbrite.com/o/carolina-scarborough-33772654223. At the conclusion of the series, the panels will also be available to the public on social media platforms.
Funders:
The series of virtual panels, Transformative Performances of National Identity: Bolivian Art and Cultural Expressions, is made possible by generous funds from The Fundación Simón I. Patiño in Geneva, The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at New York University, The Bolivian American Chamber of Commerce in New York, Roberta & Richard Huber, and two anonymous donors.
Special thanks to George Ruiz, Fréderic Debray, Ignacio Oficialdelgui, Jill Lane, Omar Dauhaujer, Iván Rebolledo, James Huber, María Eugenia de Asín, Rita del Solar, Ingvar Elleffsen, Elizabeth Elder, Alejandra Prado, Bryan Rosado, Sharon Schultz, and Edward J. Sullivan.