Adrian Lahuertafounding partner along with Carlota Coloma from the film production company 15L Filmswill be the guest professor for two weeks at the Center for European and Mediterranean Studies at New York University (NYU).
15L Films is characterized by producing works that often explore social, cultural and human issues, with a deep and reflective look. His portfolio of projects mainly includes documentaries. Subjects range from portraits of characters or communities to explorations of social phenomena or historical events. His productions have been selected and received awards in prominent competitions such as “Best National Short Film” at the Seminci de Valladolid (2024), “Perso Agorà (Audience Award)” at the Perugia Social Film Festival (2023), and “Best Documentary” at the Mostra de Cinema Arab i Mediterrani de Catalunya (2023).
Among the activities planned during Adrià Lahuerta’s stay at NYU, the screening of his film stands out Anxious in Beirut to theAnthology Film Archivesthe recognized institution created in 1970 by Jonas Mekas, Jerome Hill, P. Adams Sitney, Peter Kubelka i Stan Brakhagewhich was key to the preservation, exhibition and study of experimental cinema.
NYU’s Center for European and Mediterranean Studies is an interdisciplinary center that brings together teaching, research and programming of activities on Europe and the Mediterranean for undergraduate and doctoral students. Thus, Lahuerta will intervene in the subject “Migration and Borders in Europe and Beyond” taught by the teacher Isabella Trombettawill collaborate with the Film Studies department and also with Espacio de Culturas, where they will be shown two short films followed by a conversation from the producer with specialists and PhD students: the princeGaudí Award 2025 for the best short film, i carmen.
On the other hand, the Cuban teacher and writer Yairen Jerez will be the guest professor this spring at the Mercè Rodoreda chair The City University of New York. From March 2 to 6, Jerez, PhD in Philosophy, Arts and Cultural Studies, will hold a seminar on Interrogating Transculturation: An Introduction to Catalan-Cuban Cultural Studies, in the framework of the collaboration between CUNY and the Ramon Llull Institute. The seminar explores the cultural production of figures from the Catalan artistic and intellectual community in Cuba during different historical periods and cultural movements of the contemporary era.
Jerez, currently an assistant professor in the department of Latin American Studies and Intercultural Communication at Trinity College Dublin, has focused her research on the intersection between cultural studies, communication and interdisciplinary environmental studies. It combines academic activity with essay and poetry and devises initiatives that connect artists, intellectuals and scientists to contribute to equity, diversity and knowledge creation.
The activities will conclude on Friday, March 6 with the public event “An eco-poetic reading of Mercè Rodoreda”, a commented reading of the Cuban writer’s book of poems Of coralspublished in 2024 as a response to Travel and Flowers by Mercè Rodoreda, translated into English by Nick Caistor i Gala Sicart Olavide.
