Chiaroscuro Film Series: Musical Chairs/El juego de la silla
When
Sunday, April 15, 2012
2:30 PM
Where
Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, 2 West Fulton, Grand Rapids, (616) 454-7000.
Category
Humanities,
Photography, Film & Video
Description
The annual Chiaroscuro Film Series will focus this year on Humor Around the World. The humor that provokes laughter varies along with cultures in which it is found around the world. Historically, humor has been analyzed and theorized upon by scholars from Aristotle to Freud. It involves a diverse array of tastes and trends, word plays, sexual innuendo, intellectual mockery, and even jokes about death. Join us as we travel around the world, exploring the elusive source of humor in various cultures through the marvelous medium of film.
The final film in the series is the family comedy El Juego de la Silla/Musical Chairs. Argentinean filmmaker Ana Katz makes her feature-length directorial debut in this film adapted from her stage play of the same name. The ensemble film revolves around a family reunion implemented by matriarch Nelida (Raquel Bank). Her son Victor (Diego de Paula) returns home after a long time in Canada and reunites with other family members Laura (Katz), Lucia (Luciana Lifschitz), and Andres (Nicolas Tacconi). Nelida puts a good deal of effort into the family's activities and even tries to get Victor back together with his ex-girlfriend Silvia (Veronica Moreno). Musical Chairs premiered at the 2002 San Sebastian Film Festival, where it won a special mention. Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.
Chiaroscuro is coordinated by educators from local universities and members of the community, with a mission to promote cultural diversity and awareness through the presentation of international films and round-table discussions. It was co-founded in 2005 by Zulema Moret, Grand Valley State University director of Latin American Studies and associate professor of Spanish, and Gretchen Minhaar, a Grand Rapids architect and artist. Learn more at www.chiaroscurofilmseries.com.