Friday, September 13, 2024
Around Campus, Recognitions, Community
By Amanda Alaniz
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – SEPT. 13, 2024 – UTRGV’s Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools, known as the CHAPS Program, has earned recognition for its exploration of the geologic history of the Rio Grande Valley.
The CHAPS documentary film, “Ancient Landscapes of South Texas: Hiding in Plain Sight,” is an official film selection for the 2024 South Texas International Film Festival (STXIFF). The film was entered in the South Texas Cinematography category.
STXIFF is an annual, multi-day celebration of cinema open to the public. It shows a variety of films from around the world, and hosts workshops and a screenplay pitch competition. As a competitive, international film festival, it accepts works in the categories of RGV Film, Short Film, Feature Length Film, Documentary Film, Music Video, Animated Film and Student Film.
The CHAPS documentary explores the Valley’s 50 million years of geologic history, featuring ancient beaches, salt lakes, a cataclysmic volcanic eruption, Pleistocene megafauna and the impacts of a large river. It also shows how prehistoric people benefited from the area’s resources, and how it is being reshaped by human occupants.
THE FILM TEAM
The following professors and filmmakers made up the multidisciplinary team for “Ancient Landscapes of South Texas: Hiding in Plain Sight.”
- Juan L. González, professor of Geology for UTRGV College of Science, School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences (SEEMS); CHAPS Program Co-Director; documentary film executive producer.
- Christopher L. Miller, professor of History for UTRGV College of Liberal Arts; CHAPS Program Associate Director; documentary film associate producer.
- Russell K. Skowronek – professor of History and Anthropology for UTRGV College of Liberal Arts; CHAPS Program Director; documentary film associate producer.
- Roseann Bacha-Garza – Lecturer II Anthropology for College of Liberal Arts; CHAPS Program Manager; documentary film associate producer.
- Gerardo "Bull" Sanchez – Little Tex Productions film company; documentary film director.
NOT JUST A FILM
Accompanying the film is “Ancient Landscapes of South Texas,” a traveling exhibit put together by UTRGV students enrolled in the “Discovering the Rio Grande Valley” class, and UTRGV faculty involved with CHAPS.
The exhibit displays artifacts and information about natural landscapes discovered around the Valley.
Bacha-Garza said the team was excited to find out they were an “Official Selection” for the festival, especially in a competitive field of 75 entries chosen to be shown during the festival.
She said she hopes people who see the film and exhibit come away with an appreciation for the history surrounding them in the Valley.
“We would like people to not only enjoy the beauty of the Rio Grande Valley, but also to consider how development is removing our valuable natural resources and reshaping our natural landscapes,” she said. “The Ancient Landscapes of South Texas project shows the world that we can put our best foot forward by revealing the natural beauty of this borderland region we call home.”
HOW TO SEE THE FILM & EXHIBIT
- The “Ancient Landscapes of South Texas” documentary film will showcase at the STXIFF in Edinburg on Friday, Sept. 13, at the Edinburg Arts, Culture & Events Center, 315 W. McIntyre St. Doors open at 4 p.m.; “Ancient Landscapes” to be shown at 4:30 p.m.
- The “Ancient Landscapes of South Texas” traveling exhibit currently is on display at the Museums of Port Isabel through the middle of December.
- The film currently is being showcased at the Port Isabel Lighthouse Boutique Hotel from Wednesday – Friday, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.