7:30 on Wednesday, April 3rd
Room 137, Isenberg School of Management
UMass Amherst
20,000 Species of Bees
(2023, Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren, Basque Country, 128 min, Basque & Spanish w/ English subtitles)
The feature debut from Basque director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren unfolds during a summer holiday against the backdrops of Bayonne, France, and Laudio in the Spanish Basque Country. This coming-of-age film explores the story of an eight-year-old child navigating the challenges of self-discovery. Addressed by names that don’t align with her identity, such as Cocó and Aitor, the young protagonist, Lucía, embarks on a journey to find herself. With handheld camerawork, the film follows three generations of women as they explore the healing power of bees and the earth, seeking peace within themselves. Notably, 20,000 Species of Bees has garnered numerous accolades, including the Silver Berlinale, bestowed upon the talented 9-year-old actress, Sofía Otero. The film was also shortlisted for submission to the 96th Academy Awards as the Spanish entry for Best International Feature Film.
Film Screening
Wednesday, April 3rd
Free and open to the public
Introduction by Reyes Lázaro (Associate Professor in the Spanish and Portuguese Department at Smith College)
Reyes Lázaro
My name is Reyes Lázaro Gurtubay. I got a degree in Philosophy at the Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao, my hometown, and a Masters in Philosophy and a PhD in Spanish at UMass, Amherst. I am presently an associate professor in the Spanish and Portuguese Department at Smith College, where I also teach in the Smith World Literatures Program and I have directed the Translation Studies Concentration since 2018. I teach and write on Iberian literature, cultures, film, and historical ‘dis-memory’ as created through a Spanish TV series. Since about seven years ago I focus on the study of Iberia from the perspective of the racialization of Black Africa. My most recent publications are a reading of Don Quijote from the perspective of translation and Flemish tapestries, and an edition of a popular 17th-century play on enslavement in Seville. What brings together my career-long interests is the relation between literatures, languages and other forms of representations and power, as well as an awe for fiction-making as an enlightened non-binary “foreign language” which avoids simplistic “yes or no” answers (where did I recently hear that brutal demand for a clear-cut answer waged against academics?) and promotes the inclusion of nuances, contradictions and uncertainties in the pursuit of truth. No surprise, Don Quijote is a favorite book of mine.
Trailer