50 Years of Bossa Nova

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2009

Blame It on the Bossa Nova at Central Library

Just after Carnaval week, join us in the West Meeting Room at 6:00 pm on March 4th for a celebration of Brazil’s fifty-year-old contribution to “cool” – the Bossa Nova. This music continues to fascinate and delight an international public with new artists and compositions. Since the days of “The Girl from Ipanema” and “Black Orpheus,” Americans have been an important part of the Bossa Nova story. Our program reviews the history and development of Bossa Nova through videos, musical excerpts, a look at the geography of Rio de Janeiro, and a review of lyrics in English and Portuguese. There will also be an exhibit of Bossa Nova memorabilia.

This program is a follow-up to the success of last year’s “Carmen Miranda Film Festival.” Latin American popular culture specialist and Fulbright scholar to Brazil Dr. Fred Dobb will also present this program. When not watching Carmen Miranda movies and listening to music, Dr. Fred Dobb teaches at California State University, Sacramento.

Also note that Dobb will be giving an encore of the "Carmen Miranda Film Festival" at the Belle Cooledge Library on Wednesday, February 18, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Belle Cooledge is located on 5600 South Land Park Drive. Registration is not required.

Registration is encouraged for the Bossa Nova program, which is free, and can be done by calling 264-2920 or going to www.saclibrary.org.

Mexican Film Festival

La Raza Galeria Posada’s

January & February Free Film Screenings

With Commentary by Dr. Fred Dobb

Free admission! All shows at 7 PM. Presented in conjunction with the Consulate General of México. All films are subtitled.

This is the fourth phase of La Raza Galería Posada’s Festival de Cine Mexicano de Sacramento, a series of 25 classics of Mexican Cinema and the first time there has been such an extensive series of Mexican film shown in our area. Beginning in September 2009, the film festival has offered free public screenings of carefully selected movies representing five themes:

· Luis Buñuel in México - presented the works of the exiled Spanish filmmaker from 1949 through 1958.
· El Santo, Super Star - featured the exploits this anonymous wrestler, people’s hero, and box office champion.
· Literature in Mexican Film - showcased the film treatment of literature from the Spanish-speaking world.
· The Vision de Julio Bracho - spotlights the patriarch of a noted Mexican film clan and his critical look at his nation.

And coming in February, 2010: The Mexico of Emilio Fernandez and Gabriel Figueroa - celebrating the legacy of the team that created the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.

January, 2010

Thursday Jan. 28 -La Virgen que Forjó una Patria (The Virgin that Forged a Country) (1942) 105 min.

Cast: Ramón Novarro, Domingo Soler, Gloria Marín, Ernesto Alonso.
Synopsis: Conspiracy, government overthrow, visions and organized religion. 2010? No–1810. The year of Mexico’s independence, this is a must-see film that ties together the two main events in Mexican history which forged the unity of all Mexicans. At the Mayors house in Querétaro the conspiracy to overthrow the government is being plotted under the disguise of a social event. The priest Miguel Hidalgo speaks of the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe as a national symbol and proposes her image as the banner that should represent the Independence Movement. The Spanish government discovers the plans and…..

Friday Jan. 29- Distintcto Amanecer (Distinct Dawn) (1943) 106 min.

With special pre-screening talk by Dr. Fred Dobb, LRGP Film Curator on “Mexican Film Director, Writer, Producer and Actor Julio Bracho”

Cast: Andrea Palma, Pedro Armendáriz, Alberto Galán.
Synopsis: “Like Casablanca, only better” is how one reviewer described this urban, noirish film with elegant dialogue, smooth cadence and heart-melting romance. A Union Leader is killed by order of the corrupt governor Vidal. Octavio, the union leader’s companion, searches for some documents that implicate the killer. Chased by the governor’s henchmen, Octavio encounters Julieta, with whom he used to be in love during their school years. She must choose….

February 2010

Thursday Feb.25- La Perla

Friday Feb. 26 -Bugambilia

With special pre-screening talk by Dr. Fred Dobb, LRGP Film Curator on “The Golden Team of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema”

La Raza Galería Posada’s film curator Dr. Fred Dobb will introduce the January segment of this compelling 2-night mini-series on Jan. 28-29, 2010 focusing on “The Vision de Julio Bracho”- spotlighting the patriarch of a noted Mexican film clan and his critical look at his own nation. La Virgen que Forjó una Patria (The Virgin that Forged a Country) and Distintcto Amanecer (Distinct Dawn) are the chosen films. The gallery is located at 1022-24 22nd St. in Sacramento’s bustling Midtown district.

Dr. Dobb taught Mexican film at San Francisco State University. He is the director of Federico Films, which promotes cultural and educational use of international films. The Mexican Secretary of Education has recognized him for his work introducing the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema to US audiences.

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