Spurred by the sudden death of her mother, Maria embarks on a quest to find her absent father. Her travels take her to an abandoned banana plantation in a neighboring town where she encounters taciturn widower Joaquin, and his Haitian domestic worker Polo Montifa. Justiniano, a mysterious stranger from Puerto Rico, complicates matters in this magical realist melodrama. The first Dominican feature film directed by a woman, La Hija Natural was the Dominican Republic’s official submission to the 84th Academy Awards® for best foreign language film. The film will be preceded by the short film Chimbumbe (2008), directed by Antonio Coello. In Spanish language with English subtitles. (HD Cam presentation)

Inspired by the reflections of scholars Stuart Hall and Paul Gilroy on the roots and routes of black identity, this series is a glimpse into the vibrancy of contemporary Caribbean filmmaking. These films deal with the legacies of migration to and from the region, as well as the tug of close familial and distant ancestral links. Representing the Caribbean’s linguistic and cultural diversity, Roots/Routes especially emphasizes woman-directed and women-centered films as integral to a truly dynamic Caribbean cinema culture. Sponsored by the Black Film Center/Archive, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Minority Languages and Cultures Program, and IU Cinema. Special thanks to Nzingha Kendall.

Cost: Free, but ticketed (pick up tickets at the IU Auditorium box office during regular hours or 30 minutes prior to any IU Cinema screening)

For more information contact:

(812)855-7632
[email protected]