Spanish on Film

By Felan Parker

Carleton University Linguistics instructor Biana Laguardia knows that the best way to teach a language is to help your students be immersed in it. As a teacher of Spanish in Canada, however, this isn't always possible. For three years now, Laguardia has organized the Ibero-American Film Festival. The Festival celebrates the 21 countries in which Spanish is the official language by showing new films from different parts of the Hispanic world.

The idea grew out of one particularly enthusiastic Spanish class several years ago, who encouraged Laguardia to use films as part of her teaching. What began as one or two small gatherings of just one class became a weekly screening, every Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m., in Azrieli Theatre. The embassies of Spanish-speaking countries have been very supportive in providing the films, and lending out their cultural attachés to introduce each week's screening.

Laguardia feels that films are a very useful tool for helping students in learning a new language, as well as to help understand the cultures from which that language originates. She knows that movies are far more interesting than conjugation of verbs and grammar. Her personal motto is that if we get to know and understand different cultures, with which comes a respect for them, we'll be living in a better world. "Why not start from the classroom in making our world a better place for living?", she asks. The Ibero American Film Festival is free every week, and welcomes one and all. The films are presented with subtitles for those who do not speak Spanish.