1. For purposes of the Journal of Latin American Geography, "film" may include documentary or feature films and videos in cassette, DVDs, or CD-Rom format. The limiting factor is that the item reviewed contain content that makes it useful for teaching and/or research on Latin American geography.

2. Reviews may be of a single item (limited to 1000 words) or of several items on related themes or topics (limited to 4000 words).

3. Reviews should focus on material that is related to Latin American geography. This is a broad area, and it is our intention to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Nevertheless, unless the item under review is clearly related to Latin American geography, we request that the reviewer indicate why or how the item is "geographical" in content or theme.

4. Reviews should indicate how the content of the film might be used in geography classes, and they should provide some background or context for the film. Details about where the film was made, places shown in the film, and other information about setting are also useful. References to context may include relevance for government policies, socio-economic situations, and specific national or regional cultural values or preferences. The film reviews published in JLAG, Vo. 4, No. 2, 2005, provide some good examples of how such information may be woven into a film review.

5. Provide critical comments about the film. Tell the reader what you think is good and bad about the film. Does the film represent a particular point of view on a topic or does the filmmaker attempt to provide a balanced perspective? Are there evident omissions or biases in the film? To what extent does the film reflect Latin American perspectives (or North American or European)? Is the film contemporary or historical? Are there subtle allusions, references to topics that might be known only to people familiar with the setting of the film, or hidden cultural or political messages that might not be apparent to audiences in the United States? In other words, provide any information that might help an instructor who is less knowledgeable than you to decide if a film is appropriate for use in class and to explain the film to students.

6. It is helpful to indicate if a film contains sexual or political content that might be offensive to a U.S. student audience. This will alert a prospective user to consider whether or not the film is suitable for his/her classes. Most of the time, controversial material is included because it contributes to the impact of the film. If this is the case, the review might so note. Students are generally tolerant of controversial content if they know it serves a specific purpose in a film

7. Please include complete credits for the film, including: title (both original and English translation if appropriate), director, producer, authors of the screenplay, country or countries of production, language, location of filming, year of production (or release), whether the film is in color or black and white, running time, and U.S. distributor.

8. Submissions in digital format are encouraged and may be sent via e-mail to the address below or by U. S. Mail on CD ROM. Microsoft Word is the preferred word processing program. For examples of film reviews, please see Journal of Latin American Geography, Vol. 4, No. 2 (2005).

Gary S. Elbow
JLAG Film Review Editor
Honors College
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409-1017
Tel: (806) 742-1828

gary.elbow@ttu.edu