Bring your popcorn: the 9th installment of the ¡Cortos! Latin American Short Film Festival is coming to the University of North Georgia. This festival will offer UNG students and community members an inside look at current short films directed by up-and-coming Latin American filmmakers. All shorts will feature English subtitles and vary between lengths of five to 15 minutes each.

Ary Malaver, the director of the festival and an associate professor of Spanish at UNG, said that the short films showcased at the event will include films from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Nicaragua.

The films set to be showcased are as follows:

• “Digno Retrato” (directed by Fanny Aparicio Blackburns and John Edward Myers) – In an effort to show the hidden faces of the community, two young artists decide to highlight the identities of diverse generations through the portraits of everyday people.
• “The Magic Stone” (directed by Paula Herrera Vivas) – On a beach, a girl builds a unique relationship with the sea in which she discovers a magic stone. Sometimes wishes do come true.
• “Victorio” (directed by Tribu de Jade) – Victorio experiences the horrors of discrimination, but finds the courage to keep going because of the power of friendship.
• “Hojas de K.” (directed by Gloria Carrión Fonseca) – Through her personal, dreamlike and impressionistic drawings, K., a 17-year-old girl, shares her memories of the violence imposed on her, her family and Nicaragua by the government of Daniel Ortega, former leader of the Sandinista Revolution (1979 – 1989), who went from a rebel fighting against a corrupt and repressive government to a ruthless dictator whose iron fist causes K. to risk her life to protest injustice.
• “Sin Lágrimas Para Llorar” (directed by Luis Fernando Puente) – María Luisa is ready to escape immigration limbo, but when her green card interview takes an unexpected turn, she faces the anxiety of losing the life she had planned.”
• “Carlos Montaña” (directed by Itatí Romero) – During the years of the military dictatorship in Argentina, Carlos Montaña was detected by the repressive forces while working in a sugar refinery in the region of Tucuman. In order to try to survive, he had to make difficult decisions.

“These six shorts explore the following topics: combating racial invisibility, embarking on an initiation journey into nature, negotiating non-heteronormative identities, denouncing dictatorship and repressive politics and navigating immigration systems.” – Ary Malaver, ¡Cortos! director and UNG associate professor of Spanish

Locations, dates and guest speakers for the event are as follows:

• Oconee – Tuesday, April 2, 5 to 7 p.m., Student Resource Center 522; Guest Speaker: Dr. Shane Toepfer
• Cumming – Wednesday, April 3, 1 to 3 p.m., CMG-125; Guest Speaker: María José Maguire
• Gainesville – Wednesday, April 3, 5 to 7 p.m., Film and Digital Media 147; Guest Speaker: Dr. Candice Wilson
• Dahlonega – Thursday, April 4, 5 to 7 p.m., Hoag ABC; Guest Speaker: Dr. Alfredo Poggi

The event is free to attend with no sign-ups required. Daily updates about the films and the event are given on the festival’s official Instagram and Facebook pages.