Latin Cinema at the Fargo Theatre: ¡Caliente!

There’s a hidden diamond gleaming in the center of Fargo that I NEED to tell our Latino community about (and everyone else too)! Latino Films are playing at the Fargo Theatre!  Spanish Language films are back and they are fantastic! The only problem is—Latinos didn’t get the memo.

Well, I’m here to tell you, I had the GREATEST experience while watching “Rudo y Cursi,” a Mexican film that recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It featured two of Mexico’s new heavy-weight actors, Gael García Bernal (Y tu mama tambien, Motorcycle Diaries, the Science of Sleep) and Diego Luna (Milk, Frida, Fade to Black). I already knew that the Fargo Theatre offered foreign films. It just didn’t occur to me that it would be so convenient for me to watch great films in Spanish right downtown! The atmosphere, new area of the theatre, and the warm hospitality are worth the trip alone; but for those in the Latino Community, the College community, and foreign film phobes who haven’t been yet I say: Take a trip on the wild side and go to the Fargo Theatre!

Emily Beck, Film Programmer/Film Events Coordinator for the Fargo Theatre (314 Broadway) shared her enthusiasm at seeing a growth and resurgence in Latino films. And that’s just it! Most of us never got the news that Latino films were good again; great in fact! I have fond memories of Mexico’s “Golden Era” of film back in the 50s and 60s. These movies, actors, producers, directors were all staples of my childhood—even in black and white—because of their top quality. The resurgence, as Emily put it, happened slowly and quietly—but Latino filmmakers are exploding back on the scene with a vengeance. The brilliance and talent of Latino filmmakers and actors are now being recognized by the world. Everyone has now heard of filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, Rudo y Cursi); Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Rudo y Cursi, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban); Pedro Almodóvar (Bad Education, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Tie Me Up!Tie Me Down!); and Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Babel, Amores Perros). And of course, Latin actors and artist are now permeating America’s media in all its forms.

Ultimately, the unique experience offered at the Fargo Theatre is one that more of us need to experience.  Emily Beck emphasized, “We are always striving to bring the latest and greatest in international cinema to the FM community.  While it is rather common for French, British and Japanese films to find U.S. distribution, it is still (and sadly) quite rare for a Spanish, Mexican or South American film to obtain the wide release distribution we need to get it to our small market.” And while I agree with Emily that it is sad that there is not a greater number of films in Spanish available. What is encouraging is the growth and quality of the new films coming out. And for Latinos and language students and foreign film lovers, there is still hope because Emily says, the Fargo Theatre will “keep plugging away and requesting what films we can with the hope that as our community grows and diversifies, [and that] foreign and independent films will always have a home.”

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