[Portuguese with English subtitles]

Val (stunningly performed by Regina Casé) is perfectly content to take care of every one of her wealthy employers’ needs, from cooking and cleaning to being a surrogate mother to their teenage son, who she has raised since he was a toddler. But when Val’s estranged daughter Jessica suddenly shows up, the unspoken but intrinsic class barriers that exist within the home are thrown into disarray. Jessica is smart, confident, and ambitious, and refuses to accept the upstairs/downstairs dynamic, testing relationships and loyalties and forcing everyone to reconsider what family really means.

The Hispanic Graduate Student Association (HiGSA) is proud to present Cinehassee, a Hispanic Film Festival that celebrates diversity so valuable in any democratic society. Cinehassee contributes to foster this value by exposing topics, problems, ideas and realities that are different from what many citizens live today in the day to day basis; in this opportunity to celebrate the Hispanic Heritage month. Select films are going to be followed by Q & A sessions featuring a panel of experts. All events are free to the general public, and the first 25 first attendees get free popcorn!