Spanish Lens film series opens Sept. 14 with 'The Fish Child' (El Niño Pez).

The Bill Cosford Cinema at the University of Miami presents a cinematic celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month beginning Friday, Sept. 14, with Spanish-language movies (English subtitles) by Hispanic female filmmakers.

The Cosford’s new film series “The Spanish Lens” showcases movies from Spain, Mexico, Argentina and Nicaragua and takes place on Fridays and Saturdays Sept. 14 through Oct. 13, at the cinema, 1111 Memorial Dr.

The series highlights emerging and established female filmmakers working in the Spanish language.

The featured films are The Fish Child (El Niño Pez) from Argentina by Lucia Puenzo, Even the Rain (Tambien la Lluvia) from Spain by Iciar Bollain, Island Inside (La Isla Interior) by Dunia Ayaso and Felix Sabroso, The Cinema Hold-Up (Asalto al Cine) from Mexico by Irina Gomez Concheiro, and La Yuma from Nicaragua by Florence Jaugey. (Movie times and descriptions are below).

Tickets are $9 for general admission, $7 with discounts for seniors and UM alumni, and free for UM students.

“It’s the perfect time to showcase these films,” said Trae DeLellis, director of the Cosford Cinema. “Spanish-language cinema has always been at the forefront of film history, but in recent years, especially in Latin America, a booming renaissance has produced some of the most engaging and innovative filmmaking in recent memory.”

The Spanish Lens film series was made possible through the support of Pragda, the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain, and its Program for Cultural Cooperation with United States’ Universities.

SCREENING TIMES AND DESCRIPTIONS:

THE FISH CHILD (Friday, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 15, 6 p.m.):  The Fish Child is a steamy tale of star-crossed love set on both sides of the class divide in South America. Lala is the privileged teenage daughter of a powerful judge, and she’s fallen hard for her family’s maid, La Guayi.  The two women plan to escape but become entwined in a murder mystery.

EVEN THE RAIN (Friday, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 22, 6 p.m.): An intriguing dialogue about Spanish imperialism, Even the Rain follows a film director (Gael Garcia Bernal) and his film crew in Bolivia as they make a revisionist film about the conquest of Latin America.  Obsessed with finishing his film, the director is oblivious to the political turmoil going on around him that creates a dangerous environment.

ISLAND INSIDE (Friday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 29, 6 p.m.): Island Inside is a dark family drama about three siblings who are forced to confront their disparate and dysfunctional lives after the sudden death of their schizophrenic father.

THE CINEMA HOLD-UP (Friday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., Sat.; Oct. 6, 5:30 p.m.): The Cinema Hold Up is a vibrant, authentic, and wonderfully observed portrait of the tempo and texture of today’s Mexican youth culture.  The film follows a group of youths who spend their days listening to hip-hop, smoking marijuana and fantasizing about the opposite sex. One day they have the bright idea of robbing a movie theater, jeopardizing the one sure thing they have in life – their friendship.

LA YUMA (Friday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 13, 6 p.m.): Nicaragua’s first full-length feature in 20 years, La Yuma tells the story of a young woman who dreams of transcending her bleak life in the slums of Managua by becoming a boxer. Looking beyond the meager possibilities that seem available to her (and ignoring the advice of her gang-member friends), she finds solace and hope in her training and falls in love with a middle-class journalism student.

All films are in Spanish with English subtitles. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861.