El Norte

“A Grapes of Wrath for our time.”—Roger Ebert

One of the key films from the dawn of the American independent film movement, El Norte is an epic saga of a Mayan brother and sister’s journey from their home in Guatemala to “el norte” or North America. They must first cross Mexico, with its border patrols and illegal smugglers, and then face the realities of life in Los Angeles without a permit. The young siblings’ hopeful attitudes fill the movie with humor and compassion, making the tragic story all the more moving. (139 mins., 35mm)



El Norte is part of two Wexner Center film series, New Worlds: Immigration on Film, which explores the contemporary immigrant experience, and Cinema Latino, which offers outstanding films from and about Latin America.

Cinema Latino is cosponsored by Hispanic Chamber of Columbus and Ohio State’s Center for Latin American Studies and Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

New Worlds: Immigration on Film is presented in conjunction with Ohio State’s year-long "Conversation on Immigration" that begins the Conversations on Morality, Politics, and Society (COMPAS) initiative launched by the university’s Center for Ethics and Human Values.