Vieques: An Endless Battle (Una batalla inconclusa)
Free and Open to the Public
Friday, Feb. 20 / 1:00 pm / MSU Library Green Room (Directions HERE)
Genre: Documentary / Language: Spanish with English subtitles / Country: Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 / Runtime: 69 minutes
Presented by Juan Carlos Rodríguez, the director of Vieques, in collaboration with the Moving Image Workshop & the MSU Film Studies Program. Light refreshments will be provided.
ABOUT THE FILM
More than 10 years after their questionable departure, the islanders are demanding the US Government to fully cleanup and give back the terrains that were used for testing weapons and training soldiers. Unsatisfied with the little commitment of the Armed Forces to assume responsibilities, the ‘Viequenses’ face a new struggle for justice within their lands.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Juan Carlos Rodríguez is a filmmaker and scholar who focuses on longitudinal and autoethnographic documentary storytelling. His work emphasizes “listening journeys” that weave together community testimonies with personal reflection to document long-term social, environmental, and political transitions.
Call Me Waya
Free and Open to the Public
Friday, Feb. 20 / 4:00 pm / MSU Library Green Room (Directions HERE)
MIDWEST PREMIERE
Genre: Documentary / Language: Spanish with English Subtitles / Country: Cuba 🇨🇺 / Runtime: 39 minutes
Presented by Charles Abelmann, the director of Call Me Waya in collaboration with MSU Libraries. Light refreshments will be provided.
ABOUT THE FILM
Call Me Waya follows a Cuban, octogenarian “outsider” artist’s work and tumultuous life trajectory, inviting friends and family to reflect on the consequences and wonders of his bohemian lifestyle. World premiere at the 2025 Havana Film Festival New York and an Official Selection of the 2025 Gibara Film Festival in Cuba.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Charles Abelmann’s career has been primarily in international development and leading schools. With the lens of an international educator, he now directs and produces documentary films. His first documentary, English Hustle, is part of the New Day Film Collection, as are Call me Waya and Shifting Paths.
Rito de Paso
Free and Open to the Public
Friday, Feb. 20 / 6:00 pm / MSU Broad Art Museum (Directions HERE)
Genre: Documentary / Language: Spanish with English Subtitles / Country: Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 / Runtime: 70 minutes
Presented by Pedro Ivan Bonilla, the director of Rito de paso, and Rhett Garcia, one of the film’s producers and the Manager of LA 18 the audiovisual unit at the Contemporary Art Museum of Puerto Rico, which helped produce the film. This screening is in collaboration with the MSU Broad Underground Series.
ABOUT THE FILM
The documentary Rito de Paso (Rite of Passage) is a cinematic interpretation that illuminates the political content behind artist Helen Ceballos’ creative process. The performative piece documented in the film, also titled Rito de Paso, gathers the memories and demands of racialized individuals in response to gender-based violence, structural racism, and inequality in the Caribbean.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Pedro Iván Bonilla is a Puerto Rican filmmaker and cinematographer known for documenting the island’s vibrant theater scene and social movements. He is highly regarded for his collaboration with the renowned theater company Y No Había Luz.
LxFF 2026 Kick-Off!
LxFF 2026 will be in full swing by Friday afternoon! Join us to kick off a full weekend of films and special events at the Broad Art Museum, followed by a short film program that includes video art produced by LA18, the audiovisual unit at the Contemporary Art Museum of Puerto Rico. Presented by Rhett Garcia and Pedro Ivan Bonilla, guest filmmakers from LA18.
Friday, Feb. 20 / 7:30pm / Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum (Directions HERE) / FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
Salsa Verde! Concert
Come dance with us at Urban Beat and enjoy live music performed by Salsa Verde! Sponsored by La Comunidad Latinoamericana de MSU. Tickets $10 advance/$15 door. Purchase Tickets HERE
Friday, Feb. 20 / 9:30pm / Location: Urban Beat (Directions HERE)
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