By Austin Santiago
Brooklyn College students gathered for a screening of the Puerto Rican movie “Vacas Con Gafas” on Thursday as a part of Brooklyn College’s Latin American and Spanish Film Festival.
The film was followed by a Q and A, where BC Professor Pedro Cabello emphasised the importance of seeing a Spanish-language film that was shot outside of the states.
“It’s important we recognize these movies exist,” he said, “People need to know there’s a movie that was filmed in Puerto Rico, about Puerto Rico.”
The 2014 drama was directed by Alex Santiago Perez, and follows the story of a fictional aging artist named Marcelino Sariego. Sariego, a renowned painter, is losing his vision, and is told by doctors that he may go blind at any moment. Throughout the film, Sariego is forced to come to terms with his situation, as well as make peace with himself and more importantly, his estranged daughter.
Besides the gripping story, what made “Vacas Con Gafas,” which translates to “cows wearing glasses,” so special for those in attendance was its setting. The entire movie was filmed in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The setting of the film struck a chord with Daniel Vasquez, a senior at Brooklyn College and President of the Puerto Rican Alliance. Vasquez was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and could not help but feel nostalgic at the screening,
“It’s weird to see where I hung out in a movie,” he said.
The film was the third of five films showcased during the Film Festival, which ran from October 15 to 18.
The other films featured at this years festival were: “Amerikanuak” directed by Nacho Reig, “Birds of Passage” directed by Cristina Gallego and Circo Guerra, “The Companion” directed by Pavel Giroud, and “Don’t Call Me Son” directed by Anna Muylaert.