OLA, Parrish Present Latin Film Fest

The and Organización Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island will screen four Spanish-language films over two nights this weekend for the eighth annual OLA Film Festival, designed to show the audience that the Latino community is more diverse than they know.

"The main thing is to break stereotypes," said OLA founder Isabel Sepulveda de Scanlon, though she noted that the festival committee only picks "winners," so festivalgoers know they will be entertained as well as educated. The chosen films are all contemporary narratives, rather than documentaries.

Sepulveda said that of the four films chosen for this year's festival, two of them are Latino-Jewish films. “People say, 'What? What does Jewish have to do with Latinos?'" she said. "They have no idea, they have no clue."

“We are very diverse," Sepulveda said of OLA itself. "We have to help people see that we come from 22 different counties, different backgrounds. But at the same time, we speak the same language and have many things in common.”

The film festival has grown from an audience of about five people eight years ago to 100 patrons each day, Sepulveda said. “We try to do it as cheap as possible so money won’t be an issue and people can come,” she said, adding that there aren't many festivals where two movies and a reception costs only $7.

The festival runs Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Parrish. Each day’s program begins with a reception, with hors d’oeuvres from , Chiquita Latina, , and Mickey B's Deli, wine from Laurel Lake Vineyards and live music, followed by two contemporary feature films with English subtitles.

OLA provided these film synopses:

Nora’s Will (Mexico, 2010, 92 minutes) is the first of Saturday evening’s offerings. Written and directed by Mariana Chenillo, this comedy-drama is the story of a Jewish family in Mexico whose lives are turned upside down when a long-held family secret is uncovered. "Nora's Will" was named Mexico’s Best Picture of the Year in 2010, taking home seven Ariel Awards. Chenillo is the first female director ever to win Mexico’s Best Picture award.

The Colors of the Mountain (Colombia, 2010, 88 minutes) will follow "Norah’s Will." Written and directed by Carlos César Arbeláez, the film is set in a remote, mountainous region of the Colombian countryside and centers on Manuel, a young boy who lives with his hard-working farmer parents. While the adults try to avoid both the armed military and the guerrilla rebels fighting each other in the area, Manuel and his friend Julián are obsessed with playing soccer any chance they get.

Sunday’s 3 p.m. reception will be followed by Carancho (Argentina, 2010, 107 minutes). Directed by Pablo Trapero, "Carancho" follows Sosa, an ambulance-chasing personal injury attorney with questionable ethics, and Lujan, a young, idealistic country doctor new to the city. After Lujan and Sosa’s paths repeatedly cross, the two form an unlikely romance that is threatened by Sosa’s turbulent past.

Sunday’s program will conclude with My Mexican Shivah (Mexico, 2007, 98 minutes). Set in Polanco, a Jewish quarter of Mexico City, "My Mexican Shivah" is a comedy about how the death of a man results in the celebration of his life. When family and friends sit shivah for Moishe Tartakovsky, a much beloved patriarch, they are forced to confront each other. The film, directed by Alejandro Springall, features a musical score performed by The Klezmatics.

Festival passes are $7 per day, or $5 per day for Parrish members.