The ITVS-funded documentary (airing Friday, June 29 on PBS) presents a year in the life of top-ranked members of Zapata High School’s championship mariachi ensemble on the Rio Grande in South Texas.
At a time when the Latino dropout rate is the highest of any group nationwide, intolerance toward immigrants (and perceived immigrants) is growing, and public school funding is being cut, these teens continue to pursue excellence through a connection to their cultural heritage.
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ITVS celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Raymond Telles’ documentary and interactive website on the complex historical, social, political, economic and cultural forces that shaped the Mexican Revolution and its legacy.
The Mexican Revolution, the first major political and social revolution of the 20th century, not only changed the course of Mexican history, but also profoundly impacted its relationships with the rest of the world. The Storm That Swept Mexico, produced in association with Latino Public Broadcasting, looks at the complex historical, social, political, economic, and cultural forces that shaped the Revolution, influenced its course and determined its consequences and legacy.
Watch The Storm That Swept Mexico throughout Hispanic Heritage Month on PBS (check local listings).
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The prestigious ALMA awards promote accurate and balanced portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry. Raymond Telles was recently lauded with a ALMA award for Outstanding Career Achievement.
Telles’s distinguished 30-year career as a documentary filmmaker includes three ITVS-funded films: The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers’ Struggle, Race is the Place, and The Storm that Swept Mexico, a documentary about the Mexican Revolution currently airing on PBS in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (check local listings).
ITVS is proud to be part of Ray’s extended family, and speaking of extended family, our good friends and co-funders at Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) published a blog post about Ray and his illustrious career. Click here to read the post >>
Watch the trailer for The Storm That Swept Mexico after the jump >>
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The Longoria Affair (El caso Longoria) — which aired this past November on Independent Lens — has been nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Historical Programming Long Form category. The film examines the refusal of a Texas funeral home to care for the body of WWII Mexican American soldier. Filmmaker John Valadez spoke with Independent Lens about the film and its impact through a series of community screenings.
When you set out to tell this story through film, was there a particular audience you wanted to reach, and if so, did you succeed?
I remember when I first started college, I came across a really stunning and disheartening statistic: the high school drop out rate for Xicanos hovers was around 50 percent and it has been that way for at least half a century. That fact has always troubled me. For Mexican American kids who do get into college they find a world largely devoid of educational materials about how Xicanos have helped shape the destiny of this country. The same absence in history that is so devastating to Mexican Americans is something that ultimately hurts non-Xicano students as well. You can look to the ethnic studies wars taking place in Arizona to see just how determined many policy makers are to maintain this absence of self-knowledge.
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Made in L.A. airs this Sunday on Global Voices
Follow the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from a trendy clothing retailer. Catch Made in L.A. this Sunday, September 26th on Global Voices on PBS WORLD (check local listings).
In intimate observational style, filmmakers Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar tell a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find one’s voice. The film was a regular in our Women’s Empowerment screenings last month and we’re delighted to bring it to you on Global Voices this Sunday.
Parts three and four of Visiones airs this Sunday on Global Voices on PBS World. The six-part series examines the richness and impact of Latino culture through the eyes of some of the most influential painters, musicians, dancers, and writers working in America today.
The film, directed by Hector Galan, explores everything from New York’s break-dancing community to the theater scene in Texas, offering a truly unique cross section of Latino artists working today.
Visiones weaves a tapestry of paintings, songs, dances, and spoken-word performances to reflect on how Latinos have impacted arts and culture.
Watch a clip from parts three and four of Visiones, airing this Sunday on Global Voices on PBS WORLD.
Visiones: Latino Art and Culture, directed by Hector Galan
Visiones: Latino Art and Culture profiles some of the most influential painters, musicians, dancers, and writers working in America today. Parts one and two of the six-part series air this Sunday, August 15 on Global Voices on PBS WORLD.
Directed by Hector Galan, Visiones explores how contemporary Latino artists continue to build on rich traditions that reflect a unique multi-ethnic experience, taking established art forms and reinventing them, constantly challenging themselves and the communities that nurture them.
From New York City’s breakdancers to mural painters in Los Angeles to stage actors in Texas, the series offers a unique cross section of Latino artists working today.
Check out parts one and two of Visiones this Sunday on Global Voices.
Tune in tonight for the season premiere of VOCES, the only Latino anthology series on public television devoted to exploring and showcasing the best of Latino culture. Featuring films about musical legends Tito Puente and Celia Cruz and documentaries about subjects ranging from the Puerto Rican activist Antonia Pantoja to Mexican “guest workers” to a unique soccer league made up of former stars from Latin America, VOCES is a presentation of Latino Public Broadcasting and is distributed by American Public Television.
Tonight’s episode, CELIA THE QUEEN, airing at 10:00 PM on public television (check local listings), is a loving look at the amazing life and legacy of a woman whose voice symbolized the soul of a nation and captured the hearts of fans worldwide. Erupting onto the Cuban music scene as the lead singer for La Sonora Matancera, Celia Cruz broke down barriers of racism and sexism. With the powerful weapon of her voice and the warm tolerance of her heart, Celia soon became all things to all people. The film shows the diversity of the people whose lives she touched, from stars like Quincy Jones, Andy Garcia and Wyclef Jean to ordinary people all over the world who loved not only her music but her incredible spirit. Tonight’s episode is a co-presentation with National Black Programming Consortium.
In addition to the public television broadcast, films will be available for online viewing on the VOCES Web site.
Over the past decade, thousands of Latinos seeking una vida mejor (“a better life”) have migrated to Kentucky, finding low-paying service jobs. As the Latino communities have swelled, so too have xenophobia and discrimination. BEYOND THE BORDER traces the painful transition made by four sons who leave their family in Mexico and fight cultural, class and language barriers in the United States.
Watch a preview below:
BEYOND THE BORDER airs Sunday, June 21 at 10:00 PM on Global Voices on PBS WORLD (check local listings).
Are you an independent producer working on a project that relates to or is representative of Latino Americans? Be sure to apply to Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB)’s Open Call 2009.
Deadline: June 1 at 5:00 PM.
LPB supports the development, production, acquisition and distribution of non-commercial educational and cultural television that is representative of Latino people or addresses issues of particular interest to Latino Americans.
Programs should bring new audiences to public television and have a recognizable impact on a broad range of viewers, presenting a range of subjects, viewpoints and forms from a variety of Latino producers across the country that complement and challenge existing public television offerings.