Partes Usadas
Directed by Aarón Fernández (Mexico, 2008)

Fourteen-year-old Iván and his uncle Jaime, a used car parts dealer, dream of a better life as immigrant workers in Chicago. When Jaime realizes that it will cost more than he expected to pay the “coyote” who will guide them across the border, he decides to initiate his nephew into the world of car part theft. Iván quickly learns his new trade and recruits his best friend, Efraín, to help. Everything seems to be going smoothly until Iván realizes that his uncle’s plans have changed. 95 minutes. Spanish with English subtitles.

Firmly grounded in Mexico City street realism yet steeped in the fluid rhythms and visually sensitive traditions of French cinema… — Robert Koehler, Variety

Wednesday, February 11, 7:00 pm
Location changed: 159 Mulford Hall

Sleep Dealer
Directed by Alex Rivera (United States, 2008)

Set in a dystopian near future, the Sundance award-winner “Sleep Dealer” follows its protagonist, Memo Cruz, as he flees his struggling hometown in rural Mexico and heads for Tijuana. Once there, he becomes a node worker, plugging into the global network to serve as a virtual migrant laborer — one who never sets foot into the country where his labor is consumed. Along the way he meets a writer and a soldier who help him avenge the tragedy of his past. 90 minutes. Spanish with English subtitles.

“Sleep Dealer” serves up a radical vision of a troubling tomorrow, injecting viewers into a high-tech, developing-world future.” — Jason Silverman, Wired.com

Wednesday, March 4, 7:00 pm
100 Genetics and Plant Biology

Rodrigo D: No Futuro
by Victor Gaviria (1990)

Gaviria gives us a powerful film about growing up on the streets in the drug capital of Medellín, Colombia. Shot in a documentary style, many of the young people who appeared in the film are now dead or in jail. In the tradition of Los Olvidados and Pixote, we meet a variety of young people who will never have to worry about growing old. 93 minutes. Spanish with English subtitles.

Monday, March 16, 7:00 pm
2060 Valley Life Sciences Building

Linha de Passe
Directed by Walter Salles (Brazil, 2008)

In the heart of São Paulo, one of the toughest, most chaotic cities in the world, four fatherless brothers struggle to earn respect and reales without turning to crime. “Linha De Passe” explores how the brothers — like the vast majority of young Brazilian men — instead seek refuge in soccer, religion or familial connections. The title, a Brazilian soccer term for players passing the ball from one to another without letting it touch the ground, poetically evokes both the structure of the film and the boys’ efforts to stay in the game. 108 minutes. Portuguese with English subtitles.

Walter Salles, the award-winning director of “Central Station,” “Midnight,” and “The Motorcycle Diaries,” will be on hand to discuss “Linha de Passe,” as well as “On the Road,” an upcoming film currently in production.

Date: TBD
Location: TBD