"The Everlasting Sleep Dealer (2008): Alex Rivera’s Visionary Mind and Fantasy Nightmares in Present Times" Lecture at the New Assemblages in Latin America and the Iberian World Film Festival

LECTURE as a part of the FILM FESTIVAL: NEW ASSEMBLAGES IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE IBERIAN WORLD (FEB 26 - APRIL 29)

The Everlasting Sleep Dealer (2008): Alex Rivera’s Visionary Mind and Fantasy Nightmares in Present Times
Lecture by DR. CAROLINA RUEDA, UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
Wednesday, April 10
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Academic Building, Room 5191 (5th Floor)
Lunch and talk

Presented by the Literary Studies in Spanish Organization (LSSO, GSO)

Sleep Dealer is a transnational film that mixes the iconography of US sci-fi/cyberpunk and Latin American socio-politics. This presentation brings to the fore the director’s early personal experiences that later prompted his concerns with the impact of high technology in rural areas of the Global South. Also, it engages in the analysis of sci-fi and dystopian symbols that uniquely connect the actions and flows in the film with current global matters –nodes as dialectical images (Benjamin), the blindness of the "sleep dealer" workers, racism/nativism, and robots as enslaved hybrid beings. Additionally, we discuss current concerns about future “fantasy nightmares” in the 21st century threatening social and economic stability. The presentation underscores Sleep Dealer's enduring relevance as the director's foresight continues to manifest in our evolving world.

Thank you for your interest in the Film Festival: New Assemblages in Latin America and the Iberian World, hosted by Rutgers University New Brunswick, School of Arts and Science (SAS), Spanish and Portuguese Department, with co-sponsorship from the Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for Latino Arts and Culture, the minor in Creative Expression and the Environment (SAS, MGSA, SEBS), the Graduate Student Association, the Literary Studies in Spanish Organization (Graduate Organization), Active Minds at Rutgers (Undergraduate Organization), and Students for Environmental Awareness (Undergraduate Organization).

This Film Festival is made possible thanks to the support of the IDEA Innovation Grant from the Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement (DICE), Associate Dean Jorge Marcone from the Humanities Division School of Arts and Science, PRAGDA Spanish Film Club, and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain.