Monthly Documentaries
November 2009: La Herencia Latina Month
Women of Latin America
This series looks at Latin America through its women. Some of them transport drugs across borders, fight in rebel armies, bear children in poverty, search for sons and daughters who have vanished during political oppression, and generally bear the burden of living a third-world existence. Other women, teachers, engineers, deputies, ministers and even a president, contribute their stories. But it also shows the struggle against great odds to survive racial and class discrimination, revolution, political injustice and chronic economic instability.
Hot tamale
Susana Cook (www.susanacook.com) is a New York-based Argentinean theater and performance artist. Mainly directed to queer and Latino communities in New York City, Cook's work also encompasses a heated response to broader State policies that oppress communities defined in the intersection of race, gender, and class. In her shows, Cook parodies discourses of power, drawing attention to the close ties between the state, religious and political conservatism, and the military. Cook's plays usually feature all-women casts that defy the normative performance of gender, race, and sexuality. Hot Tamale is a Latina fiesta about the Latina stereotype. 1999 was Latin pop singer Ricky Martin's year with his hit song 'La fiesta.' Latinos became the new market. They were considered hot, great lovers, great dancers, and big consumers. Hot Tamale is a show about sex and hot tamales.
Miami-Havana
This video discusses how the relationship between the United States and Cuba has affected Cuban families separated by the political conflict. It includes interviews of children from Cuban families and senior citizens in both the United States and Cuba.
Frontier life
Documentary of Tijuana, Mexico that searches to find the true identity of this often misunderstood city.
The Status of Latina women
Program looks at the differences between the U.S. Latina and her Latin American and American counterparts. Examines how Latino men regard successful Latina women, and the myths and mystique of machismo.
Growing up Hispanic
In this program, experts address pervasive health concerns for Hispanic American population, most notably dental problems, pediatric obesity, and insufficient access to healthcare, which undermines Latino children's education as well as long-term well-being. Health initiatives in California, Texa, Florida, and New York are featured, along with case studies from those states.
Latino Hollywood
Program looks at the history and image of the Latino and Latina in Hollywoood films from the 1940s through the mid-1990s. Also reviews the roles Latino actors and actresses were given to play in popular films during this period and examines the few social realist films of the period. It then charts the gradual shift in the 70's and 80's from the Latino stereotypic.
Latin beat
Drawing on interviews with more than fifty major personalities from abroad cross-section of disciplines, this tour de force both analyzes and celebrates the growing influence of Latino culture in the U.S. Featured guests include artist, Andres Serrano; poet, Pedro Pietri; composer, Luis Dias; dancer, Paloma Herrera; actor, Guillermo Diaz; fashion designer, Willey Esco; photographer, Mariluz Gordillo; radio host, Paco de Radio Mega; TV producer, Gamelier de Jesus; Newsweek editor, Veronica Chambers and Washington Post journalist, Jaime Manrique, who share their personal and professional experiences of being of Latino descent in America today.
Mama- I have something to tell you
This autobiographical video, in which the filmmaker reveals his homosexuality to his mother, explores the awkward situation of being 'out' to friends but closeted to family. Prompted by the deaths of his father and best friend, Salvo returns to his native Venezuela to 'come out' to his mother. In this intimate dialogue she discusses her preconceptions, fears and love, and he re-veals childhood memories, adolescent thoughts and fears, and affirms his present loving relationship. Supplementing this story are interviews with other Latino lesbians and gays who offer further insights into family responsibilities, death, and the importance of honesty.
Bilingual education
This 3-part program examines Latino consensus on the issue of bilingual education while also looking at efforts to increase literacy levels and English language skills among Latinos. It also looks at both the use of non-Spanish speakers as bilingual education teachers in some parts of the country and the increasing opportunities for Spanish speakers in the general workforce.
Religious fervor and popular culture
Video documentation of the \”Religious Fervor and Popular Culture\” mini-seminar presented as a part of the 4th Encuentro of the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, celebrated in July of 2003 in New York City, United States under the title \”Spectacles of Religiosities\”. Moderated by Ulla Berg and Alyshia Gálvez. Silvia Spitta, is Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Dartmouth College. Her field of interest ranges from contemporary and colonial Latino/Latina American writers, theories of transculturation, and narratives of mestizaje or miscegenation. Author of '\”Between Two Waters: Literary Transculturation in Latin America\”, Spitta is currently working on a book titled \”Theories of Colonialism in/of the Americas\” and on a project concerning the mestizo in Latin American and Latino narratives. Paper title: \”New Mexico/New Mestizo: Enacted and Otherwise\”.
The double life of Ernesto Gomez Gomez
Documentary focusing on the odyssey of Guillermo Morales Pagán, the son of Puerto Rican freedom fighters Dylcia Pagán and William Morales. With his mother in prison in California and his father in exile in Cuba, Guillermo was adopted and grew to adolescence in Mexico as Ernesto Gómez Gómez. After discovering his original identity he moved to San Francisco to become acquainted with his mother and become involved in her cause.
Made in L.A.
Story of three Latina immigrants working in the sweatshops of Los Angeles.
Brown is the new green
Film examining how efforts to profit from Hispanic American culture have contributed to the shaping of its contemporary identity. The documentary's focal point is comedian George Lopez, an icon and advocate for Hispanic Americans' move into the mainstream. Features conversations with members of the Hispanic American youth market. Also includes interviews with Lopez and other Hispanic Americans.
The Salt mines & The Transformation
The Salt Mines explores the lives of Hispanic male transvestite prostitutes and crack addicts living in abandoned garbage trucks at a road salt storage facility near lower Manhattan. The Transformation follows Ricardo (Sara in The Salt Mines) as he rejects his street life to join a group of Born Again Christians in an effort to transform his life from that of a homosexual to a heterosexual.
The dangerous border game
This theatrical performance art piece is the product of a five-year ongoing collaboration between Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Roberto Sifuentes, and a troupe of Washington, D.C. performance artists. Presented by the Washington Performing Arts Society and GALA Hispanic Theater, this 'multi-cultural, end-of-the-century, post-NAFTA, freak show extravaganza' blends narrative, poetry, dance, rap, and performance art in a multi-lingual exploration of cross-cultural, border-crossing issues and debates on multicultural fears and desires, stereotypes, diversity and identity. La Pocha Nostra (www.pochanostra.com) is an ever-morphing trans-disciplinary arts organization, founded in 1993 by Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Roberto Sifuentes, and Nola Mariano in California. The objective was to formally conceptualize Gómez-Peña's collaborations with other performance artists.
The Hugo Chavez Show
Frontline looks at Venezuela's controversial and outspoken president, Hugo Chavez, and the revolution he claims is turning his country into an anti-capitalist beacon for Latin America and the world. Through the lens of his unique weekly program \”Aló Presidente\” and the eyes of the Venezuelans who know him well, Frontline digs below the surface of his presidency and his personality to try to understand the mercurial leader.
Chile
Cecilia Araneda, an exile from Chile, interviews Chilean citizens who suffered through the 1973 revolution and regime of Pinochet which brought to an end the first Marxist democracy in Latin America.
Revelaciones
An exhibition held Nov. 6-Dec. 13, 1993 at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., curated by José Piedra and Chon A. Noriega, consisting of art works that would soon be obliterated. The artists discuss their work, and the controversy that some of the works created.
Beyond the screams
A documentary about the U.S. Latino punk scene from its roots in the Los Angeles renaissance in 1976 with bands like The Zeros, Plugz and The Brats through the late 1990s with bands like Youth Against, Bread and Circuits, and Kontra Attaque. Features performances by Huasinpungo, Los Crudos, Subsistencia, Sbitch and others.
MAP Program Descriptions
Berlin
The seat of the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and the GDR, Berlin was powerfully shaped by the political aftershocks of World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. As the capital of Europe's wealthiest and most populous nation wrestles with its future, this program searches for the essence of modern Berlin. Markus Wolf, the former head of East German foreign intelligence; ice skating champion Katarina Witt; and other contemporary figures provide insights into the city's development as a major hub in a unified Europe.
In search of myths & heroes
Follows Michael Wood as he travels in search of the truth behind four famous legends. Explores not only the historical past and literal truth of these myths, but also the mythic past and archetypal stories behind them. Examines the Biblical myth of the Queen of Sheba, an exotic and mysterious woman of power who, with King Solomon, plays a key role in the founding myths of the modern states of Israel and Ethiopia. Traces the Celtic legend of King Arthur and its role in British literature. Asks whether the legendary Shangri-La as depicted in James Hilton's Lost horizon could have its roots in Indian views of Tibet or in the Tibetan Buddhist stories of the land of Shambhala, a paradise behind the Himalayas. Discusses the Greek hero Jason and his quest for the golden fleece.
Karavanen
Every September a group of Toubou nomad women in Niger travel approximately 1300 miles by camel caravan across the desert. They go to sell livestock and also to collect dates that they will sell. Anthropologist Ingrid Poulsen joins the caravan, which is organized and led without men.
Diaspora conversations
Actor Danny Glover and director Manthia Diawara travel through West Africa from Goree to Dogon, creating conversations that link different sides and accounts of the African Diaspora.
Wonders of the African world
This documentary presents Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on a journey from Zanzibar to Timbuktu, the Nile River Valley to Great Zimbabwe, the slave coast of Guinea to the medieval monasteries of Ethiopia in search of the lost wonders of the African world.
The fourth dimension
An incisive and insightful examination of Japan through its art, culture, and social rituals. ... With its lush imagery, Minh-ha's Japan is viewed through mobile frames, with doors and windows sliding shut, revealing new vistas as it blocks out the old light.
Dissonance and harmony
Follow a group of musicians from the Middle East as they travel to the United States to form bonds, entertain people, and discuss how the political situations in their country have a direct effect on their music, careers, and beliefs.
The Venetian dilemma
In Venice, a declining population of locals is being overwhelmed by tourists. A broad array of public works is being promoted in an attempt to modernize and revitalize the city. This film shows the debate between deputy mayor Roberto D'Agostino and several other Venetians about the pros and cons of these efforts to change the city. The film offers a portrait of a society in crisis and looks at a situation where efforts to modernize may threaten the existing culture.
Frontier life
Documentary of Tijuana, Mexico that searches to find the true identity of this often misunderstood city.
Hidden India
Traces the culinary history and customs of Kerala--colorful religious festivals, dramatic boat races, parading elephants, magnificent lyrical dances and haunting music.
Fond memories of Cuba
At the urging of a socialist fellow Australian, filmmaker David Bradbury travels to Cuba and documents the current economic, social and cultural realities and disappointments of post-revolutionary Cuba.
Escuela
This film documents the experiences of the children of Hispanic migrant farm workers in trying to complete their education. Filmed in California, Texas, and Mexico.