To celebrate Latinx Heritage Month, the Film, TV & Media Arts division hosted an on-campus screening of Latinx short films.
On Thursday, Sept. 18, the Film, Television and Media Arts division screened six short films all written and directed by members of the Latinx community.
Carley Steiner, professor of aesthetics of cinema, along with Carla Ruiz, coordinator of Cultural Diversity in the Student Equity Department, have been hosting cultural spotlights for the last five years.
“I love working with the multicultural center because we get to highlight and amplify whatever they’re observing,” Steiner said. “I love working with Carla to support that and show a different artistic side of the heritage.”
These screenings also allow the community a chance to come together. “(My hope) is to have faculty and students get to meet each other,” she said. “It’s great to have a diverse group of people on campus for different reasons get to come together.”
The Latinx community is one of the most populated demographics in the United States, but especially in California.
According to Public Policy Institute of California, the Latinx community is estimated to account for 40 percent of the Californian population as of July 2024. The Los Angeles County Public Health Department estimates that in Los Angeles alone there are approximately 4.8 million Latinx members, or 48.7 percent as of July 2024.
Glendale itself is home to an estimated 35,500 Latinx members or 18.5 percent of the total population as of 2023. These numbers show that the Latinx community makes up a substantial portion of Californian society. With the short films allowing for the community to represent themselves to people who may not live in as diverse society as Glendale or Los Angeles.
At the same time, the short films serve as a tool to promote awareness in whatever culture they are celebrating such as the Latinx community for September. “I think it’s (short films) a very powerful way to learn about a culture, celebrate a heritage,” Steiner said.
While these screenings educate culturally, they are also used as an educational tool. “I think it’s great if my students get to analyze the different academic techniques we’re learning in class…They’re applying everything we talk about to new things,” Steiner said.
Short films present a challenge that allows for a specific beauty in and of themselves as well, according to Steiner. “It’s so hard to tell a perfect story. It’s harder to tell a short story than a super long story,” Steiner said. “I feel like the short films have to be so precise, so exact, and they can be so powerful. Sometimes more powerful than a 2-hour long film.”
Steiner said she hopes the one thing students take away from this is a stronger knowledge of a new culture.
To find out more about the Media Arts division, visit the Glendale Community College website or email Carley Steiner at [email protected].