Programming Ideas

You may already have a great idea for creating an unforgettable movie event, but if you need a hand, our widely experienced staff can guide you in choosing films that are sure to delight and enrapture your audience. Below are just a few program suggestions that will help you put together a true cinematic extravaganza that will keep your community coming back for more!

It all starts with a theme

Themed programming is an easy way to keep students motivated and educated. We have compiled educational content, movies, and ideas that will help you lead the discussion on topics that college students are interested in:

POPCORN ESCAPISM OR THE REAL WORLD?

Do you want a lighthearted event, with popcorn and a roomful of laughter? If so, play In the Heights, Perfect StrangersThe Queen of Spain3 BeautiesThe Second Mother, The Liberator, 7 Boxes, Chinese Take-Away, The Return, or Chico & Rita.

Want to know first-hand what is happening in the increasingly popular world of documentaries? Select Mute Fire, Drowning Letters, Secrets from Putumayo, Miguelito, Ruben Blades is not my Name, Delicate Balance, Red Gringo, The Travel Agent, Bajarí, Asier and I, Who is Dayani Crystal?, Barefoot in the Kitchen, Eternal Amazon, With My Heart in Yambo, The Death of Pinochet, and From the Land to Your Table.

A very popular genre in our countries, which is rapidly gaining traction in America is the fiction-documentary hybrid. Add The Infiltrators, The Territories, Yvy Maraey: Land Without Evil, Here and There, I Travel Because I Have To, I Come Back Because I Love You, and Marimbas From Hell and open up the discussion on what is documentary.

MOVIES UNDER THE STARS

No one can resist the cinema under the stars. If you have the resources (and the weather!) to project outdoors, we recommend it! Outdoor audiences are sure to enjoy In The Heights, Alice Junior, Perfect Strangers, Everybody Knows, Ruben Blades is not my Name, The Queen of Spain, Truman, The Tenth ManThe Liberator, Paradise, Mr. Kaplan, Chinese Take-Away, Chico & Rita, Even the Rain, and Marimbas from Hell.

For a date night, how about the larger than life love stories of In the Heights, Y tu mamá también, Alice Junior, Tremors, The City of the Future, Ema, Camila’s Awakening, Paradise, and Chico & Rita, the forbidden secret love of I Thought it was a Party and Undertow, or the righteous boxing romance of La Yuma?

POLITICS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, PACKAGED JUST RIGHT

If romance not the right path for your socially conscious intellectual moviegoers, here are some modern classics dealing with politics and history: Drowning Letters, Mute Fire, Machuca, The Infiltrators, Neither Hero Nor Traitor, Perro Bomba, The Territories, Red Gringo, NN, 339 Amin Abel Hasbun, Asier and I, Operation E, Black Bread, Clandestine Childhood, With My Heart in Yambo, Post Mortem, The Death of Pinochet, and Even the Rain.

If you want to explore deep issues of social justice or films representing the modern shirting of cultural paradigms, social organizations, and value systems, we have a number of films to choose from. You could curate any number of great programs with films like Drowning Letters, The Dog Who Wouldn’t be Quiet, Nudo Mixteco, Bacurau, Midnight Family, On this Side of the World, MonosGuie’Dani’s Navel, Perro Bomba, The Infiltrators, Birds of Passage, The Embrace of the Serpent, I Girl, Liquid Truth, The Candidate, Delicate Balance, The Invisible Hand, El Amparo, Sealed Cargo, The Empty Classroom, Everybody Leaves, Ixcanul, The Club, The Boss, The Facilitator, Wilaya, Here and There, The Delay, Chinese Take-Away, Southern District, La Yuma, Undertow, Even the Rain, From the Land to your Table, and Marimbas From Hell.

SEND THEM ON A VOYAGE

Send your audience on a beautiful ride through the landscapes of Brazil, Spain, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Barcelona, rural Argentina, or an animated version of Cuba and New York. You could easily pack a cinema or screening room with an Around The World film event, showing Nudo Mixteco, Miriam Lies, Ema, Birds of Passage, The Territories, Embrace of the Serpent, I Girl, Summer 1993Panama Canal Stories, True Smile, Guarani, Eternal Amazon, Wilaya, The Return, I Travel Because I Have To, I Come Back Because I Love You, From the Land to Your TableBarají, and Chico & Rita.

CELEBRATE DIVERSITY

We have had great success presenting programs focusing on minority groups, women, and special interests. These events almost always get picked up by the press and attract a packed, rapt audience.

We have several films made by women: Miriam Lies, Nudo Mixteco, Drowning Letters, Nobody’s Watching, The Sleepwalkers, The Awakening of the Ants, The Infiltrators, The City of the Future, 7 Weeks, Camila’s Awakening, I Girl, Liquid Truth, Birds of Passage, Summer 1993, On the Roof, Tempest, Don’t Call Me Son, Sealed Cargo, The Second Mother, With My Heart in Yambo, The Fish Child, The Death of Pinochet, La Yuma, Even the Rain, The Cinema Hold Up, and some of the stories in From the Land to Your Table.

We also have several films that touch upon LGBTQ issues: The Journey of Monalisa, Nudo MIxteco, Nobody’s Watching, Alice Junior, Tremors, The City of the Future, Don’t Call Me Son, The Companion, Undertow.

EVEN MORE IDEAS FOR YOU

Here are a few more ideas to help set you on the path to the most memorable event imaginable:

  • Indigenous cultures: Nudo Mixteco, Secrets from Putumayo, Martirio, Guie’Dani’s Navel, Birds of Passage, Embrace of the Serpent, Ixcanul, Guarani, Yvy Maraey, Southern District, The Facilitator, Eternal Amazon, Even the Rain.
  • Music and dance: In the Heights, Ema, Red Gringo, Miguelito, Ruben Blades is not my Name, Chico & Rita.
  • Coming of age: A Brudda’s Mind, Miriam Lies, Alice Junior, Guie’Dani’s Navel, Monos, Neither Hero Nor Traitor, I Girl, Summer 1993, Birdboy, Spider Thieves, Don’t Call Me Son, Everybody Leaves, Clandestine Childhood, Black Bread, Bad Hair.
  • Immigration: Drowning Letters, Nobody’s Watching, Los Lobos, The Infiltrators, Perro Bomba, On the Roof, The Travel Agent, Delicate Balance, Everybody Leaves, Who is Dayani Cristal?, The Return, Here and There, Chinese Take-Away, I am From Chile.
  • Family relations: Miriam Lies, Mute Fire, Nudo Mixteco, Los Lobos, Tremors, Midnight Family, Perfect Strangers, Neither Hero Nor Traitor, Guie’Dani’s Navel, The Awakening of the Ants, The City of the Future, I Girl, Camila’s Awakening, Birds of Passage, 7 Weeks, Summer 1993, The Candidate, Spider Thieves, Don’t Call Me Son, The Tenth Man, The Country of Fear, True Smile, Everybody Leaves, 3 Beauties, The Second Mother, Guarani, Ixcanul, Cows Wearing Glasses, Clandestine Childhood, Wilaya, The Delay, Here and There, The Return, Southern District, I am From Chile, Bad Hair.
  • Environment: Martirio, Cacú, Embrace of the Serpent, I Girl, Sealed Cargo, The Facilitator, Eternal Amazon, Even the Rain, From the Land to your Table.
  • Unusual languages: 7 Reasons to Run Away, Martirio, Birds of Passage, Embrace of the Serpent, Summer 1993, Guarani, Yvy Maraey, Black Bread, Southern District, From the Land to your Table, Asier and I, Wilaya, 7 Boxes.
  • Youth: Miriam Lies, The Rose Seller, Los Lobos, Alice Junior, The Sleepwalkers, Machuca, Guie’Dani’s Navel, Monos, Neither Hero Nor Traitor, 7 Weeks, Camila’s Awakening, Spider Thieves, Birdboy, On the Roof, Don’t Call Me Son, 3 Beauties, The Country of Fear, 7 Boxes, La Yuma, Marimbas from Hell, Open Cage, I am From Chile.
  • Star power: In the Heights, Bacurau, Y tu mamá también, Ema, Perfect Strangers, Everybody Knows, The Queen of Spain, Truman, Even the Rain, Chico & Rita, The Liberator, I Thought it was a Party, Who is Dayani Cristal?
  • Academy Award® movies: The Rose Seller, Bacurau, Machuca, The SleepwalkersMonos, The Awakening of the Ants, Birds of Passage, Embrace of the Serpent, Ruben Blades is not my Name, Summer 1993, TempestThe Companion, The Club, A Moonless Night, NN, Ixcanul, The Second Mother, After Lucía, Black Bread, The Delay, Clandestine Childhood, Even the Rain, La Yuma, Chico & Rita, Southern District, Mr. Kaplan.
  • Festival darlings: Miriam Lies, Nudo Mixteco, Los Lobos, Midnight Family, Bacurau, Monos, Ema, Birds of Passage, Embrace of the Serpent, La Soledad, Don’t Call Me Son, Truman, Tempest, The Second Mother, The Club, Southern District, Undertow.
  • Up and coming legends of cinema: Los Lobos, Ema, Monos, Birds of Passage, Embrace of the Serpent, The Club, Ixcanul, The Delay, Marimbas From Hell, Before Opening Night.
  • The art of cinema: Mute Fire, Monos, Ema, Birds of Passage, Embrace of the Serpent, La Soledad, Tempest, The Club, Ixcanul, Guarani, I Travel Because I Have To, I Come Back Because I Love You, From the Land to Your Table, Southern District, The Death of Pinochet.
  • Aging: Guarani, Cows Wearing Glasses, Wrinkles, The Delay, Mr. Kaplan, Open Cage.
  • Strong leading ladies: Miriam Lies, Nudo Mixteco, Los Lobos, Ema, Guie’Dani’s Navel, The Awakening of the Ants, Perfect Strangers, Everybody Knows, I Girl, 7 Weeks, Camila’s Awakening, The Queen of Spain, Spider Thieves, I Thought It Was a Party, Illiterate, After Lucía, The Fish Child, La Yuma, Before Opening Night, Paradise, Open Cage.
  • Odd couples: The Dog Who Wouldn’t be Quiet, This is Cristina, True Smile, Guarani, Open Cage, Illiterate, Chinese Take-Away, Yvy Maraey, Mr. Kaplan.
  • Women filmmakers: Miriam Lies, Nudo Mixteco, Nobody’s Watching, The Sleepwalkers, The Awakening of the Ants, The Infiltrators, City of the Future, 7 Weeks, Camila’s Awakening, I Girl, Liquid Truth, Birds of Passage, Summer 1993, On the Roof, The Second Mother, Paradise, Bajarí, I Thought it Was a Party, Bad Hair, Even the Rain, With My Heart in Yambo, La Yuma.
  • Modern Classics collection: The Rose Seller, Machuca, Y tu mamá también.

It doesn’t stop here: Get in touch

Tell us about your programming ideas and interests and our professional staff will advise you personally. Remember to check the biography area of the films to see what filmmakers are available for a Q&A via Skype. Or better, if your school has resources, you could bring filmmakers to campus to introduce the film or organize a workshop, an event you know would win an audience. Whatever you come up with, we’d love to hear it! Contact us at filmclub@pragda.com and share your thoughts with us.

If you have any ideas, suggestions, or recommendations that worked for your festival and you want to share them with us and future festival organizers, please send us an email at filmclub@pragda.com.