Acquiring proficiency in a language is like honing any other skill: it requires individual as well as group practice. Just as athletes should run and lift weights on their own when not at practice or games and musicians must practice their instruments outside of rehearsals and performances, language learners grow by listening to the language outside of class.

A fun and free way to do so is by watching movies through the online video streaming site, Kanopy Video. Simply log on with your MyNova username and password and you can enjoy a plethora of Spanish language movies (all with subtitles).

In no particular order, here are some of our favorites:

Malacrianza (El Salvador), Pelo malo (Venezuela), Ixcanul (Guatemala), Return to Cuba, Pequeñas mentiras piadosas (Cuba) and Las analfabetas (Chile).

You can also browse “Global Studies & Languages,” “Latin American Studies” for more titles. (For movies from Spain, search under “European/Baltic Studies.”

Enjoy!