The World Languages and Cultures Film Festival is ongoing, and two films have already been shown. Three more movies are underway, one in person and two online.

The festival tries to include topics like gender identity and Indigenous people, which Macarena Escondrillas, a Spanish lecturer in the School of American and Global Studies, says are subjects that students are not necessarily exposed to.

When choosing the films for the festival, the school tries to show well-known movies from talented directors. However, these movies and directors may not be known in The United States as the “film circuit” causes a stop on foreign films from reaching The United States says Dr . José Álvarez, an associate professor for Spanish at SDSU.

The films that the festival shows tend to be newer movies in order to get the most accurate recent issues in foreign countries. Escondrillas mentioned that they have shown older movies, but the movie industry has grown over the years.

Each film must be approved when planning the event to feature each film at the festival. They use PRAGDA’s Spanish Film Club program to select the movies and pay a fair price in return. The fair price, of the films lets the festival remain free for students and the public.

PRAGDA allows five to six films to be shown each semester. Sometimes, at least two of the movies are shown in the State Theater in Sioux Falls. Transportation is arranged for students who plan on attending.

The Festival started on Sept. 10 with the showing of the movie “Cassandro.”

This film was based in Mexico and America and was shown at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center in the Founders Recital Hall

“I thought that the film was great,” Isabella Bitterman, a freshman psychology major said. “It showed queer and wrestling history.”

The second film, “The Padilla Affair,” was shown on Sept. 24. This movie is based in Cuba and shows what the country was like in the 1970s.

The next film to be shown will be online from Oct. 9 to Oct. 16. It is based in the Dominican Republic and is called “Babygirl.”

“Alegra” is the last in-person film that the festival offers. It will be shown on Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at the Founders Recital Hall. This movie is based in Spain.

The last film is shown online from Nov. 6 to Nov. 13th. It is based in Bolivia, Spain, and Germany and is titled “Sun and Daughter.”

The World Languages and Cultures Film Festival started in 2020. It continues to be an engaging event that introduces students to foreign topics they have yet to encounter in American movies.

Attendance at this festival has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Professors connected to the festival try to influence attendance by giving students extra credit for attending or giving students the option to do a set assignment for credit.