The very best of Latino feature films, music and art will be showcased during September at Otay Ranch Town Center as part of the fifth annual Que Viva! Cine Latino film series. This year’s series offers some of the most innovative and critically acclaimed Latino productions from the past 12 months, including “From Prada to Nada,” “Regresa,” “El Estudiante” and “Even the Rain.”
Cine Latino screenings will take place every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the food pavilion. Screening dates are Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28. Guests are encouraged to arrive by 6:30 p.m. to enjoy pre-screening entertainment.
The Media Arts Center San Diego’s San Diego Latino Film Festival and Otay Ranch Town Center are combining forces to offer these free family-friendly screenings that also include Latino art and live music.
While in attendance, guests can sign up for The Draw, Otay Ranch Town Center’s email database, and be entered to win a $100 mall giftcard.
“We are delighted to once again bring such a high quality film series to our shoppers,” said Tim Colby, who serves as general manager of Otay Ranch Town Center. “This culturally diverse series celebrates the wonderful depth of Latino arts and media and will be accessible for both Spanish and English speaking guests.”
Que Viva! Cine Latino schedule:
“From Prada to Nada” (Sept. 7): Two spoiled sisters are left penniless after their father’s sudden death and forced to move in with their aunt in East Los Angeles in this hilarious Latina spin on Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.” Stars Wilmer Valderrama.
“Regresa” (Sept. 14): When her husband Ernesto throws himself into work and refuses to start a family, Maria begins to think he is having an affair, turning to hypnosis to help her understand her relationship. But when the therapist ends the session, Maria doesn’t come back as herself. Instead, Maria is now convinced she is a Basque princess from the 15th century who is engaged to a prince from that time. Stars Jaime Camil.
“El Estudiante” (Sept. 21): After retiring to the beautiful Mexican town of Guanajuato, a 70-year-old decides to follow his dreams and enroll at university. During the college experience, he stumbles upon a new generation bound together by the novel “Don Quijote de la Mancha.”
“Even the Rain” (Sept. 28): As a director and his crew shoot a controversial film about Christopher Columbus in Cochabamba, Bolivia, local citizens rise up against plans to privatize the water supply. Stars Gael Garcia Bernal.
Ethan van Thillo, Media Arts Center San Diego founder and executive director, is enthusiastic about offering these free screenings that, he said, “give us at the Media Arts Center San Diego a chance to engage the large Latino community here in San Diego and show great Latino films at the same time.”
“We were the first city to regularly show Latino films, and have been doing so for the past 18 years,” van Thillo said. “We take pride in bringing such beautiful narratives to Chula Vista.”
Otay Ranch Town Center is located 4.5 miles east of Interstate 805 or just off the South Bay Expressway SR-125 in Chula Vista at Eastlake Parkway and Olympic Parkway.
The center’s east side features a specialty fashion and service village featuring Chico’s, Coldwater Creek and other unique fashions and services. To the north, AMC Theatres’ 12 screens beckon film buffs while diners can choose from P. F. Chang’s China Bistro, Cheesecake Factory, King’s Fish House, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Sushi-Ya, California Pizza Kitchen or many on-the-go dining options.
Otay Ranch Town Center is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 656-9100 or visit the Web site at www.otayranchtowncenter.com.
Media Arts Center San Diego promotes access to film and video as tools for community self-expression and social change and supports the professional development of media artists through programs such as the Teen Producers Project, Digital Stories and the San Diego Latino Film Festival.
To learn more about the San Diego Latino Film Festival, visit www. sdlatinofilm.com.
Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
2011 Concert Schedule
Aug. 26: Lil Wayne, 7 p.m.
Sept. 2: Identity Tour, 2 p.m.
Sept. 18: Rascal Flatts, 8 p.m.
Sept. 21: Santana, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 6: Blink 182 and My Chemical Romance, 7 p.m.
Oct. 7: Journey, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9: Avenged Sevenfold, 2 p.m.
Oct. 10: Luis Miguel, 8 p.m.
Oct. 19: Judas Priest, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 28: Jason Aldean, 7 p.m.
Web site: www.livenation.com
