Jan 13, 2 PM: Embrace Of The Serpent (2015, Columbia), At once blistering andpoetic, the ravages of colonialism cast a dark shadow over the South American landscape in EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT, the third feature by Ciro Guerra. Filmed in stunning black-and-white, SERPENT centers on Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and the last survivor of his people, and the two scientists who, over the course of 40 years, build a friendship with him. The film was inspired by the real-life journals of two explorers (Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Richard Evans Schultes) who traveled through the Colombian Amazon during the last century in search of the sacred and difficult-to-find psychedelic Yakruna plant. NR 125 min.

Jan 27, 2 PM: The Club (2015, Chile) Four disgraced priests share a secluded house in the outskirts of La Boca, a small Chilean beach town. The four men are there to discreetly purge their sins and crimes. However, the arrival of a crisis counselor sent by the Catholic Church, after an incident occurs, disrupts their life and their routine. The movie won the Jury Grand Prix at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, and was Chile's entry in the 88th Academy Awards. NR 98 mins.

Feb 10, 2 PM: Bad Hair (2013) A Venezuelan boy's desire to straighten his curly hair leads to friction between himself and his hard-working mother single mother, eliciting a tidal wave of homophobic panic in her. The film has been praised by critics for its performances and for dealing with many topics ranging from adolescence and parent-child tensions to gender identity and sexuality. Its setting in Venezuelan society also contributes to many of the film's themes. NR 93 mins. 

Feb 24, 2 PM: Aquarius (2016, Brazil) Clara, a 65-year-old widow and retired music critic, is the last resident of Aquarius building. She refuses to sell her apartment to a construction company and vows to live in there until she dies after the developer buys all of the units around her. The movie was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. NR146 mins.

Screenings are free. A discussion follows the movie with film scholar Steve Hunt.

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