Release Date: September 15, 2010

National Gallery of Art Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Concert, Films, and Spanish-Language Offerings

Washington, DC—As Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 to October 15, 2010, the National Gallery of Art presents an array of offerings honoring this rich and diverse cultural legacy. Pianist Carlos Rodriguez will perform music by Latin American composers in the picturesque West Garden Court on September 26, and the Gallery presents a film series entitled GenMex: A New Generation of Cine Mexicano throughout the month of September. This series will feature the work of eight directors in the innovative Nuevo Cine Mexicano movement. In addition to these programs, the Gallery regularly offers Spanish-language guided tours and printed guides to the permanent collection.

All programs offered free of charge, with availability on a first-come, first-served basis unless otherwise noted.

Concert

Carlos Rodriguez, pianist
Sunday, September 26, 6:30 p.m.
Music by Chavez, Lavista, Revueltes, and other Latin American composers in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month
West Building, West Garden Court

Film Series

GenMex: A New Generation of Cine Mexicano
In a memorable year for Mexico—2010 marks both the bicentennial of independence from Spain and the 100th anniversary of the start of the Mexican Revolution—it is also becoming abundantly clear that fresh directorial talents are invigorating the burgeoning pool of distinctive cinema known as Nuevo Cine Mexicano, one of the world's most dynamic national cinema movements. This series, which began on September 4, includes the work of eight young directors. Presented in association with the Mexican Cultural Institute and the Embassy of Mexico. The Gallery wishes to thank Carlos Gutiérrez. All films are screened in the East Building Auditorium.

Alamar
Saturday, September 18, at 4:00 p.m.
Constructing a fictional tale from a true life episode, Alamar documents a boy's extended visit with his father and grandfather in the fishing villages near Mexico's fabled Banco Chinchorro, before returning to Rome to live forever with his Italian mother. "The simplicity and details of a wonderful but limited experience pared down to their most honest, most untroubled, and often most beautiful essences."—Daniel Kasman (Pedro González-Rubio, 2010, 35 mm, Spanish with subtitles, 73 minutes)

Lake Tahoe
September 19 at 4:30 p.m.
The formal elegance of Lake Tahoe belies its undercurrent of offbeat charm. In the aftermath of some unidentified family misfortune, young Juan searches for answers but spends most of his time in droll encounters with a variety of colorful locals. "Exquisitely captured in natural light by cinematographer Alexis Zabé, Juan's journey is framed by sherbet-colored houses and lemon sidewalks, dipping palm fronds and a burnished, turquoise horizon. The director calls his style ‘artisan cinema ....'"—Jeannette Catsoulis (Fernando Eimbcke, 2008, 35 mm, Spanish with subtitles, 84 minutes)

Presumed Guilty
September 25 at 4:00 p.m.
Two filmmakers track two young lawyers in a quixotic quest to unmask Mexico's labyrinthine legal system. Based on the case of Antonio Zúñiga, wrongly condemned for murder, Presumed Guilty shows a surprisingly effective access to courts and prisons and exposes the loopholes of an entangled system in which, traditionally, an accused remains guilty until proven innocent. (Roberto Hernández and Geoffrey Smith, 2008, Spanish with subtitles, 87 minutes)

Guided Tours in Spanish

Regular tours of the permanent collection are offered free of charge in Spanish as well as in Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, and Russian. In addition to these regularly scheduled tours, individuals and small groups may arrange tours in these languages as well as in Dutch, Hebrew, Hungarian, and Portuguese, by calling (202) 842-6247 at least three weeks in advance.

Tours of the West Building in Spanish
September 16, 18 at 12:00 p.m.
October 5, 14, 16 at 12:00
West Building Main Floor, Rotunda

Tours of the East Building in Spanish
September 16, 18 at 2:00
October 5, 14, 16 at 2:00
East Building Ground Level, Information Desk

Spanish Tour of American Art
September 24 at 12:00
October 22 at 12:00
West Building Main Floor, Rotunda

The Director's Tour: Highlights in Spanish
West Building, Mall Entrance
(Self-guided tour features 24 stops)

Visitor Guide in Spanish
A guide containing a brief history of the National Gallery of Art, visitor information, and map is available at the information desks and online at www.nga.gov/pdf/map_spanish.pdf.