The Empty Classroom
(El aula vacía)
Carlos Gaviria, Daniel and Diego Vega, Eryk Rocha, Lucrecia Martel, Mariana Chenillo, Nicolas Pereda | Documentary, Fiction
2015 | 111 minutes | Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, El Salvador
To explore the dropout crisis in Latin America, creative director Gael García Bernal gathered 11 award-winning filmmakers who have created a captivating anthology of short films that delve into the underlying reasons, from poverty to societal traditions, why students aren’t graduating.
Synopsis
Nearly half of all young people in Latin America never finish high school. To explore this dropout crisis, creative director Gael García Bernal gathered 11 award-winning filmmakers who have created a captivating anthology of short films, both narrative and documentary. There is no easy solution to this complex issue, and each short delves into the underlying reasons, from poverty to societal traditions, why students aren’t graduating.
This omnibus feature film by reknowned filmmakers Argentina’s Lucrecia Martel (The Headless Woman) and Pablo Fendrik (Ardor), El Salvador’s Tatiana Huezo (The Tiniest Place), Mexico’s Mariana Chenillo (Pragda's own Paradise) and Nicolás Pereda (Greatest Hits), Peru’s Daniel and Diego Vega (The Mute), Uruguay’s Pablo Stoll (Whiskey), Brazil's Eryk Rocha (Cinema Novo) and Flavia Castro (Diaries, Letters, Revolutions), Colombia's Carlos Gaviria (Potraits in a Sea of Lies).
Among many issues, the short films explore the links between the dropout crisis and violence; how to identify students at risk of dropping out of school in Latin America; the lack of interest in school that is preventing students from graduating; school exclusion in indigenous communities; the not-so-typical challenges to finishing high school faced by a deaf student; the relationship between the financial cost to staying in school and its benefits; and what happens when drop out students want to go back.
Directed by Carlos Gaviria, Daniel and Diego Vega, Eryk Rocha, Lucrecia Martel, Mariana Chenillo, Nicolás Pereda, Pablo Fendrik, Pablo Stoll Ward, Tatiana Huezo.
* Spanish language audio description is available via the ALL4ACCESS App and/or .wav file when purchasing a DSL license.
Accessibility for these films was created by DICAPTA and funded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education- Office of Special Education-OSEP, project “Enhanced Access to Video for Students with Sensory Disabilities through Emerging Technology,” TV Access H327C210001.
Reviews
"With connective narration by actor Gael García Bernal, who also served as creative director of the project, this is an engaging if also somewhat scattershot overview of problems affecting graduation rates throughout Latin America today. A strong optional purchase." — F. Swietek, Video Librarian
"This important film tells the story of the educational crisis in Latin America, showcased by young Latin American filmmakers." — Marcelo Cabrol, IDB's Office of External Relations
Citation
Main credits
García Bernal, Gael (film director)
Puerto, Marta Núnez (film producer)
Fendrik, Pablo (film director)
Fendrik, Pablo (screenwriter)
Vega, Daniel (film director)
Vega, Diego (film director)
Castro, Flavia (film director)
Castro, Flavia (screenwriter)
Pereda, Nicolás (film director)
Pereda, Nicolás (screenwriter)
Martel, Lucrecia (film director)
Stoll, Pablo (film director)
Stoll, Pablo (screenwriter)
Gaviria Díaz, Carlos (film director)
Gaviria Díaz, Carlos (screenwriter)
Sánchez, Tatiana Huezo (film director)
Rocha, Eryk (film director)
Chenillo, Mariana (film director)
Other credits
Cinematography, Fergan Chávez-Ferrer; editor, Ariel Ledesma Becerra Felipe Gomez.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Body Image
Central America
Criminal Justice
Disabilities
Education
Human Rights
Indigenous Peoples
Latin American Studies
Migration Studies
Sociology
South America
Youth
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
International Film Festival of Guadalajara; UNICEF Childhood and Adolescence Award - Best Film; BAFICI Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival; AFI Latin American Film Festival; Punta del Este International Film Festival Uruguay; Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival
DIRECTOR: Carlos Gaviria, Daniel and Diego Vega, Eryk Rocha, Lucrecia Martel, Mariana Chenillo, Nicolas Pereda
NATIONALITY: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, El Salvador
YEAR: 2015
GENRE: Documentary, Fiction
LANGUAGE: Spanish; Portuguese
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adults
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: AVAILABLE
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