Return to Home page Schedule - San Diego Latino Film Festival 2000 Find out about this year's films. Click here to buy Festival 2000 tickets. Contact us for information or to send us your opinion on a movie or the Festival.
Back to the main Press page

Contact: Ethan van Thillo, Executive Director,
619-230-1938, ethan@mediaartscenter.org
Contact: Julio Noriega, Film Division Manager,
305-442-3411

Acclaimed Film, "Pantaleon Y Las Visitadoras",
to open Media Arts Center San Diego's
new monthly "Cinema En Tu Idioma" Series

April 8, 2003

* Based on the novel by Mario Vargas Llosa *

San Diego, CA. Media Arts Center San Diego is proud to announce the new monthly "Cinema en tu Idioma" series. Once per month, "Cinema en tu Idioma" will highlight one Spanish-language feature film for a week-long run representing the very best of Latin American and Spanish cinema. "Cinema en tu Idioma" will open with the highly acclaimed Peruvian film PANTALEON Y LAS VISITADORAS. PANTALEON Y LAS VISITADORAS will be released on May 9th.

PANTALEON Y LAS VISITADORAS and the entire "Cinema en tu Idioma" series will take place at the new Madstone Movie Theaters located in Hazard Center in San Diego’s Mission Valley (7510 Hazard Center Drive in Mission Valley). PANTALEON Y LAS VISITADORAS is distributed by Venevision International. "Venevision International is proud to offer its films on such a prestigious platform. The Media Arts Center San Diego is an important vehicle to show our originally produced, high-quality Spanish-language productions." said Luis Villanueva, president and CEO of Venevision International. "The availability of these movies, the best of the new Spanish-language films on the silver screen, is part of our integral effort to make them available in all venues, cinema screens, home video, Pay Per View, Video on Demand, cable and Satellite TV and free TV."

PANTALEON Y LAS VISITADORAS (Peru, 1999, 137 minutes) is directed by Francisco Lombardi. Based on the novel by Mario Vargas Llosa. Captain Pantaleon Pantoja, an outstanding, exemplary, happily married army man, is commissioned to organize The Visitors Service, an ambulatory prostitute system created to placate the sexual needs of soldiers assigned to distant posts in the Amazon Jungle. Pantaleon carries out this mission with obsessive efficiency and it becomes a resounding success. The appearance in his life of La Colombiana; a subduing mysterious woman; and becoming the victim of extortion by "El Sinchi"; and influential and corrupt journalists; muddle Captain Pantaleon Pantoja's objectives and mark the beginning of many conflicts that outline the story. A stride between comedy and drama, PANTALEON Y LAS VISITADORAS intends to be the scrupulous portrait of a character obsessed by retaliations and their rigorous fulfillment and, at the same time, to reflect on a merciless system based upon hypocritical values.

Media Arts Center San Diego Executive Director, Ethan van Thillo, has been waiting for the past three years to bring this entertaining comedy back to San Diego audiences. "Working with a leading Latin American entertainment company such as Venevision International enables the San Diego Media Arts Center to deliver even more culturally diverse programming."

In addition, "The film played to enthusiastic crowds during our 2001 San Diego Latino Film Festival. At last, a wider audience here in San Diego and from Tijuana will have a chance to see one of the best films coming from Latin America in recent years. PANTALEON Y LAS VISITADORAS is a great beginning to our new 'Cinema en tu Idioma' initiative that will be bringing a Spanish-language feature films to San Diego audiences at least once per month."

"Cinema en tu Idioma" is produced by Media Arts Center San Diego (www.mediaartscenter.org). MACSD nurtures and supports media artists working in film, video, audio, and computer-based multimedia. The organization seeks to provide a forum for and promote the diversity of interests of San Diego Border Region media artists through regular screenings, educational outreach, distribution, film festivals, production and technical assistance, scholarships, and fiscal sponsorships. Most recently MACSD produced the successful Tenth Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival held March 13-23 2003 at Madstone Theaters Hazard Center and attended by a record-breaking 15,000 people.

"Cinema en tu Idioma" will present the latest feature films from throughout Latin America and Spain on a monthly basis. Venevision International will supply a high quality film every month for this program. Sponsors for "Cinema en tu Idioma" include: Univision KBNT-TV CH. 17 and Grupo Uniradio (860 AM "La Poderosa", 1470 AM "Radio Unica", 99.7 FM "La Invasora", and 94.5 FM "Radio Amor").

Ticket prices are $8.00 General Admission / $6.00 Students, Seniors & MACSD Members. Tickets can be purchased prior to each screening at the new Madstone Movie Theaters box office.

PANTALEON Y LAS VISITADORAS will be screened daily at 5:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.; with additional screening times on the weekend (12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m.). PANTALEON Y LAS VISITADORAS is in Spanish with English subtitles and is recommended for mature audiences only.

For complete series schedule and ticket information visit www.sdlatinofilm.com or call (619) 230-1938.