FLICKS FILM AND VIDEO FILE : Contrasting Styles : A festival on Latin American culture and society will open with a film series beginning Monday at Cal Lutheran University.

Cal Lutheran University will kick off its “Festival de Encuentros,” a look at Latin American culture and society, with a film series Monday through Wednesday.

The featured presentations are vastly different in style, but organizer Donaldo Yurioste said they are similar in the importance of the messages they deliver.

Monday’s film is the 1982 movie “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez,” starring Edward James Olmos. It’s based on the true turn-of-the-century story of a Mexican man who killed an American sheriff and was pursued by a posse for two weeks. The story is told from both the Mexican and the American perspectives.

“It deals with cultural conflicts. When you have two cultures meeting with each other, conflicts can ensue because of ignorance,” said Yurioste, an assistant professor of Spanish at Cal Lutheran. “The man is wrongfully charged with the killings of several people. He did indeed kill one, but the act itself was wrongfully interpreted. How it happened and why, was interpreted from a man who didn’t know the language.”

“Born in East L.A.,” the 1987 movie directed by and starring Cheech Marin, will be the feature on Tuesday. The comedy is about a third-generation Latino-American who is caught in an immigration raid without any identification and subsequently deported to Tijuana. “It has a strong message about immigration,” Yurioste said.

On Wednesday there will be a showing of a video titled “A Bowl of Beings.” It’s a production by the Sacramento-based Chicano theater group “Culture Clash.”

All three presentations will begin at 7 p.m. in the school’s Preus-Brandt Forum. As with all festival events during the week, admission is free. Cal Lutheran is at 60 W. Olsen Road in Thousand Oaks. For more information, call 493-3302.

At what age does life become a hassle? If the movie being presented Saturday by the Thousand Oaks Classic Cinema group is any indication, the answer is mighty early.

“Being Two Isn’t Easy,” a 1962 Japanese film by highly regarded Japanese director Kon Ichikawa, is told from the perspective of a 2-year-old. It’s a satirical look at the way parents deal with their own needs through their children. The movie is in Japanese with English subtitles.

The movie will be shown at the Thousand Oaks Library, 1401 E. Janss Road. Show time is 7 p.m. Admission is $2. Call 495-1392.

The Ray D. Prueter Library in Port Hueneme will present the half-hour film “Dancer’s World” tonight at 6:30. In it, dancer/choreographer Martha Graham talks about the life of the dancer while her dance company puts on a show.

Prueter Library is at 510 Park Ave. Admission is free. Call 486-5460.