This summer, Austin Film Society is making it easy to get schooled in the classics with
Essential Cinema: CineSur: Films of Latin America, a series of screenings every Tuesday from July 3 to July 31 at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.

For five weeks, you can catch one of AFS’ favorite Latin American films, spanning decades with offerings from 1964 – 2011. On July 31, they’ll be closing the series by hosting a Skype Q+A with the writer and director, and the lead actress, of that evening’s selection, Juventud (Youth).

As with most of AFS’ programming, the series is an affordable alternative to seeing a first-run film, and the Film Society even offers an Essential Cinema Season Pass for frequent viewers.

Here’s the full schedule of screenings:

July 3: 
SOY CUBA (I AM CUBA)

Rightly praised for its bravura camera acrobatics, I AM CUBA was a joint Soviet-Cuban production examining some of the root causes of Fidel’s revolution.

Details: Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, written by Enrique Pineda Barnet and Yevgeni Yevtushenko, cinematography by Sergei Urusevsky; Cuba/USSR, 1964, Milestone Films, BluRay, B&W, 141 min., Spanish with English subtitles.

July 10: SUITE HABANA (Havana Suite)

A beautifully filmed documentary examining one day in the lives of ten residents of La Habana: their home activities, meals, relationships, occupations, surroundings, and joys – no dialogue, just music and urban sounds.

Details: Written and directed by Fernando Perez; Cuba, 2003, Cinema Tropical, 35mm, color, 80 min.
Spanish with English subtitles.

July 17: 
MUTUM

In a remote, hard-scrabble area of Brazil, Thiago is a delightful child full of love for his mother, his paternal uncle, and Felipe, his closest brother, but the sudden outbursts of rage by his father intrude on Thiago’s often magical world.

Details: Directed by Sandra Kogut, written by Sandra Kogut and Ana Luiza Martins Costa, from J. Guimarães Rosa’s novel Campo Geral; Brazil, 2007, Global Film Initiative, digital, color, 95 min, Portuguese with English subtitles.

July 24: LAS MALAS INTENCIONES (Bad Intentions)


(Co-sponsored with Cine Las Americas
.) The birth of a new baby may be a joy for the parents but can sometimes be a horror for an older sibling fearing emotional displacement.

Details: Written and directed by Roasario Garcia-Montero; Peru, 2011, Ondamax, digital, color, 110 min, Spanish with English subtitles

July 31: JUVENTUD (Youth)

(Featuring a Skpye Q+A with writer/director Jaime Humberto Hermosillo and actress Angelica Padilla following the screening
.) A young man in a provincial Mexican town dreams of going to Mexico City to become a playwright.

Details: Written and directed by Jaime Humberto Hermosillo; Mexico, 2010, distributed by Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, BluRay, color, 115 min, Spanish with English subtitles.

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Screenings begin at 7 p.m. at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. Tickets are $5 for Austin Film Society Members, $8 general admission and free for Season Pass holders.