SPAN 106. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea y el nuevo cine latinoamericano.

This seminar focuses on the work of Cuban filmmaker Tomás Guitérrez Alea (Titón). Considered one of the most important Latin American directors of all time, Alea was a main figure in the New Latin American Cinema movement that revolutionized filmmaking in the region during the second half of the 20th century with its goals of using films as a decolonization tool and for achieving social and political change. Alea cultivated all cinematographic genres and forms, from short films and documentaries to dramas, comedies, and historical fiction, always incorporating his peculiar and indispensable witty sense of humor. His filmography, which includes masterpieces such as Memories of Underdevelopment, The Last Supper, and Strawberry and Chocolate, offers a sharp and critical insight into post-revolutionary Cuba and is the testament of a truly revolutionary, non-conformist creator. The course will look at Alea’s cinema as a springboard to study not only his films, visual aesthetics, and artistic experimentations, but also to learn about the New Latin American Cinema movement and discuss the role of cinema in society, films as a decolonization tool, the relationships between film theory and practice, cinema and literature, and the legacy of Titón’s work in a new generation of Latin American filmmakers.
Prerequisite: Students wishing to take seminars must have completed SPAN 022 or SPAN 023, plus at least one course in Spanish numbered 30 and above. Students are admitted to seminars on a case-by-case basis by the instructor according to their overall preparation.
Humanities.
2 credits.
Fall 2025. Díaz.
Catalog chapter: Spanish
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish

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