Filmmaker and Buffalo State alumnus Edward Ellis, '01, returns to campus to screen his new documentary, Tierras Libres (translation: Free Land), Thursday, March 17, at noon in Upton Hall 230.

Ellis will be present to discuss the film and answer questions.

After graduating from Buffalo State with a degree in anthropology, Ellis (pictured at right) lived and worked in Venezuela for five years. An aspiring filmmaker, Ellis chose to use his talents to document the plight of impoverished Venezuelan farmers. "The film is about the historic struggle for land in Latin America and the contemporary manifestation of that struggle in Venezuela," said Ellis.

While relatively new to filmmaking, Ellis already has an impressive cinematic resume. Along with his own work, Ellis served as a production coordinator for Oliver Stone's documentary South of the Border. His next project, Miss, deals with Venezuela’s multi-billion dollar beauty industry and the disparity between the country’s objectification and treatment of women.

The screening is free and open to the public.