February’s Community Cinema screening and discussion features Las Marthas, a documentary about the annual debutante ball in Laredo, Texas, which dates from the aftermath of the U.S.-Mexico War. The film follows two Mexican American girls carrying this tradition on their young shoulders during a time of economic uncertainty and political tension over immigration.
Sponsored by the Illinois Public Media/Spurlock Museum Community Cinema Partnership, the event takes place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, at the Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana. Free parking is available in U of I lot D-22 next to the museum.
Illinois Public Media reporter Sean Powers will moderate a discussion among panelists including:
- Julie A. Dowling, University of Illinois associate professor of Latina/Latino studies and sociology, an expert in the area of Latino racial identity construction and racial attitudes and the author of the forthcoming book, Mexican Americans and the Question of Race. She is a native of Texas.
- Robert M. Morrissey, U of I assistant professor of history, a specialist in the history of colonial America, the American frontier and borderlands.
- Cele Otnes, U of I professor of business administration, whose area of research interest is ritual-based consumer behavior, such as weddings and gift giving. She is the co-author of the book, Cinderella Dreams: The Allure of the Lavish Wedding.
- Angharad N. Valdivia, U of I professor of Latina/Latino studies, Latin American and Caribbean studies, media and cinema studies, gender and women’s studies, and Center for Global Studies. In her research, she focuses on gender and transnational identity issues, particularly those of young Latina women in the U.S. She is the author of numerous book chapters and journal articles.
Every February, one of the largest celebrations of George Washington’s birthday in the world takes place in the border town of Laredo, Texas. This 116-year-old tradition has evolved into an entire month of inventive reenactments and bicultural celebrations, many of them involving Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, their sister city across the border. The most preeminent event of them all, however, is the invitation-only Colonial Ball hosted by the elite Society of Martha Washington.
Society daughters, most of them Mexican American, are invited to debut in elaborate colonial gowns representing iconic figures from America’s revolutionary history. Their goal: to recreate a party hosted by Martha Washington, but this time set on the U.S./Mexico border. Las Marthas follows two of the young debutantes — one a prominent member of Laredo society and the other a newcomer from Mexico — as they prepare for this rite of passage.
A year in the making, each girl’s dress can weigh up to 100 pounds and cost up to $30,000 — nearly the median family income of Laredo. Many of these spectacular creations are made by highly coveted dressmaker Linda Leyendecker Gutierrez, an oil heiress who designs her dresses with “heavenly inspiration from God.”
Las Marthas premieres on the PBS series Independent Lens at 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, on WILL-TV.