The Sunday, January 8, screening of El Bracero del Año at the Granada Theatre was timely given the political climate and the hot topic that immigration has become. The hosts of the film series, Assemblymember Monique Limón, and local media personality Andy "El Genio" (The Genius) Lucas- Valdes, invited the Mexican Consulate for a prescreening discussion on the film’s themes of migration and the “American Dream.” Jonathan Elías Alvarez-Alzua, the consul for Community Affairs for the consulate, attended the event representing the Mexican Consulate. “It’s a great honor to be here today,” said Alvarez before presenting the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts and the Granada Theatre with certificates of recognition for promoting Mexican culture.
The film series, Cine en Domingo (Theater on Sunday), is in its second season, following Época de Oro (Golden Era), which focused on Mexican films throughout the '40s and '50s. “It was exciting, but limited,” said David Grossman, director of community engagement at the Granada, on the transition to Cine en Domingo. “We want to engage and inspire all parts of the community,” said Grossman about the series, “and have the community experience the magic of the Granada.”
For Limón, one of the most rewarding aspects of her involvement is “seeing the number of people that have never been [to the Granada] before.” Two years ago, they were looking to touch more lives in Santa Barbara, and this film series grew out of it, she said.