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Subjects
Films by Subject
Latin America and the Caribbean
102 film(s) found
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Filmmaker Geoffrey O'Conner (see Contact and At the Edge of Conquest) chronicles the political events in the Amazon beginning with the assassination of Chico Mendes in l998. He analyzes the complex interaction between indigenous societies and the" outsiders" who are encroaching on the rain forest. more »
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Informative and absorbing, this film illuminates the basis of deforestation and the associated land use problem in the Brazilian Amazon. It includes one of the last interviews with Chico Mendes who was murderd for his outspoken opposition to land clearance. more »
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The slaves of the Caribbean contributed not only to the wealth of their masters, but also to the cultural heritage of the British Empire. As this film shows, the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery, and the British Museum were all funded by money made from the slave trade. more »
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To counteract severe economic hardships, Cubans are seeking strength in religion, from Christianity to Afro-Cuban forms of worship. more »
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This film looks at the situation of the isolated Waiapi Indians in Brazil, focusing on their charismatic leader as he travels to Brazil's capitol to fight threats from gold miners and the government's plans for highway construction across their land. more »
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The film documents the conflict between major banana companies, like Dole and Chiquita, and small growers who champion environmentally safer production methods. more »
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This provocative film, with stirring footage from Mexico's past , shows how life in a small town may be far removed from the pivotal moments of Mexican history. Personal memories recall harvests and natural phenomena, not wars and revolutions. more »
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Using interviews and old footage the film follows the bloody civil war in El Salvador and the role of the Church in the conflict. Archbishop Romero, who took a strong anti-government stand was murdered while delivering a sermon. more »
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A short history of the Panama canal from its beginnings until the recent U.S.withdrawal and the aftermath of that event. more »
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African traditions are kept alive in Brazil by the descendants of those who came to Brazil as slaves. more »
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Bolivia, one of the most troubled countries in the region is fractured. more »
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While everyone knows of the history of slavery in the USA, few people realize that Brazil was actually the largest participant in the slave trade. Forty percent of all slaves that survived the Atlantic crossing were destined for Brazil. This well-researched BBC production charts Brazil's history using original texts, letters, accounts and decrees. more »
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Haitians, who have little access to conventional medicine, depend on local herbs for curing ailments. We are shown how these herbs are gathered and used. more »
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This powerful documentary travels into the hidden world of voodoo practitioners and offers unique insight into a frequently misunderstood religion. more »
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This joyous, upbeat film explodes with the color, music, and pride of Carnival in America's largest Caribbean community, in New York. more »
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Twenty-four indigenous women weavers gather for a festival, each gripped by painful memories of the civil war in Chiapas. Music, prayer, and weavings intertwine in a homage to those who have suffered and died resisting oppression. more »
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This film gives voice to the street children of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil whose dire circumstances forces them to beg, steal and deal drugs. Their loyalty to one another has helped them to survive. more »
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In Haiti, some destitute families give up young children to work as unpaid domestics in other households. The film reveals this exploitation more »
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Bolivia has silver mines which date back to the Spanish conquest. The miners work in hazardous conditions that have not improved over the years, for a meager livelihood. more »
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The film looks at the Zapatista National Liberation Army¹s struggle to attain justice for the Maya Indians of Chiapas. more »
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Filmed at great risk during the height of Pinochet's power, this Academy Award Nominee documents some of the abuses of his regime. more »
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The filmmaker, a Chilean now living in exile, returns to her country to gather testimony of the abuses under Pinochet. She is shocked to learn the the next generation has little knowledge of the horrors of the regime. more »
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Three short films show the vitality of ethnic identity which blends with the prevailing culture, yet keeps its own spirit. Filmed in Trinidad, Tobago, the U.S. and Britain. more »
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In the early 1990s, Bogotá was a city with significant problems: social inequality, pollution, out-of-control population growth, and poor public transportation. When Antanas Mockus, a university president, became mayor in 1993, his experimental leadership transformed the city. more »
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Since 1993 over two hundred of young women who worked in the "maquiladoras" in Juarez, Mexico, have been murdered, and the crimes barely investigated. Many of the victims were assembly-line workers in the over four hundred mostly US-owned factories. more »
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This film exposes the environmental and physical hazards faced by the underpaid coffee pickers in a typical coffee plantation. more »
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Through archival photographs and old newsreels, this documentary shows how coffee has shaped the economy, history and social structure of a large part of Latin America. more »
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This lively film follows a group of Latina musicians as they break the gender barrier to perform mariachi music in America. more »
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This documentary, shot in the remote Brazilian Amazon, graphically depicts the devastating impact of contact with the outside world on an indigenous tribe, the Yanomami Indians, the last major Stone Age people in the Amazon. more »
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Costa Rica has been called the Switzerland of South America. It has no army, is a democracy and has maintained its neutrality although surrounded by warring neighbors. more »
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This documentary examines the origins of Castro's revolution and charts U.S.-Cuban relations since 1898. more »
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This vibrant film focuses on the struggles and successes of two local women's groups fighting to preserve their land, forests and way of life in Brazil's Amazon region. The women combine scientific study, political advocacy and grassroots activism to save their communities' fields and forests from ranchers and loggers and to improve their standard of living. more »
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This fanciful film takes us to the Mexican village of Patzcuaro where, on October 31 people return home from everywhere to celebrate and communicate with their ancestors and deceased loved ones. more »
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The border that runs between Tijuana and San Diego is the most heavily militarized border between "friendly" countries anywhere in the world. Yet an average of one person a day dies trying to cross into the U.S. more »
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An in-depth profile of Father Ricardo Rezende who, at personal risk, defends the landless peasants in the Amazon against the abuses of the rich cattle ranchers. Produced by Geoffrey O'Connor, filmmaker of Amazon Journal, Contact, and At the Edge of Conquest more »
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Trash collecting may sound dismal, but in this film, shot in Rio de Janeiro, the people featured are undaunted, and proud of their survival skills. They make their living picking through trash in search of recyclable material and are popularly known as donkeys without a tail. more »
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The artwork of unschooled Haitian artists, painting with riotous color and beguiling fantasy, is gaining appreciation in the outside world. more »
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Anthropologist and psychologist Peter Elsass studied two Indian tribes in Colombia and Venezuela over a 16-year period. In this film we see their different ways of dealing with encroaching white civilization. more »
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Here the filmmakers return after several years to show the original film to the tribes who have suffered great injustice in the intervening years. more »
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Luis Miguel, a young peasant living in Oaxaca, had a dream. He wanted to lift his family out of poverty by becoming a champion Mexican boxer. He even invented a name for himself -- “El Chogui” (Little Bird) more »
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n the 1980's thousands of Salvadorans fled to refugee camps in Honduras. After years of exile, they decided to return to rebuild their country although the war was still raging. more »
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Filmed after the civil war in El Salvador ended, the filmmaker traveled through out the country to hear the survivors' poignant stories and to document how former enemies are now working together to reconstruct their nation more »
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Haiti is a nation caught in a tragic, downward spiral. Its economy is broken, its land denuded, and its children hungry. Combining vivid footage with interviews of those in the throes of events, the film documents the US and UN's failure to help a country in crisis. more »
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This film explores the importance of the Virgin of Guadalupe as a liberating symbol for Mexican women today more »
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Fond Memories of Cuba is an affectionate and thoughtful portrait of Cuba, some forty years after Castro took power. Academy Award-nominated David Bradbury (Frontline, Chile Hasta Cuando?) documents the erosion of the revolution in Cuba and sadly acknowledges that the socialist dreams of earlier decades have evaporated in the face of harsh circumstances. more »
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Formerly a thriving, prosperous French possession inhabited by descendants of African slaves, Haiti is now one of the poorest countries in the world, while an economic boom linked to tourism has occurred in the Dominican Republic. Their border is plagued by daily violence and tension. more »
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Directed by a Brazilian filmmaker, the film gives a socio/political framework to the devastation of the Amazon. more »
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Through exclusive historical footage, interviews, and artworks, this film provides a history of the Haitian people's struggle for freedom. more »
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Two Peruvian musicians journey into the rainforest to preserve the traditional tribal music and instruments before they vanish completely. (more) more »
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Bolivia, the poorest of the South American countries, is on the verge of civil war. After centuries of oppression, the Indian people are now demanding their rights, including the nationalization of Bolivia's natural gas. This is a matter of concern to the U.S. more »
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A probing look at the situation in Cuba after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, including an interview with Castro. more »
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The truth of Pinochet¹s brutal regime is revealed in this secretly filmed record of one of the concentration camps, in the desert where prisoners were held without a trial. more »
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The world-famous Chilean author reveals her passionate engagement with life and politics. The author of nearly twenty novels, her books have been translated in over thirty languages. In this film, she reveals how events in her life impacted on her writing. more »
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The most beautiful and prized roses find perfect growing conditions in Ecuador, where huge greenhouses replace small farms and are the only employment available. However, to grow these flowers requires heavy applications of pesticides and fumigants; many plantations do not provide protective gear for their workers. more »
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This is fascinating portrait of Juchitan, a small Mexican city near the Guatemalan border where homosexuality is fully embraced and gay individuals are considered a third gender. more »
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This film shows the much maligned Afro-Cuban religion, Santeria, and its practitioners in Puerto Rico gathering for the initiation of a priest over a three-day period. more »
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Interweaving past and present and combining fabulous archival film
and photographs with current documentary footage, The Lacandon Maya
tells the story of an isolated community catapulted into civilization
within the space of one generation. more »
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This remarkable film documents of the final hours of Salvador Allende, before the country fell under the military government of General Pinochet. more »
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Every year thousands of migrants from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala leave their families and homes, staking everything they own on a one-way trip to the promised land of the United States, and encountering unimaginable hurdles along the way. more »
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An investigation of the drug war raging in Columbia, the cocaine capital of the world. more »
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The Longing, set in Ecuador, tells the story of a group of ”conversos" attempting to regain their birthright. Their ancestors Spanish Jews were forced to convert during the Inquisition. more »
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This film examines the cultural, political and historical reasons behind the persecution of homosexuals in the early years of Cuba's revolution and shows the improvements in their lives today. more »
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Victoria, a young Argentine woman, set out to find the truth about her parents who disappeared in 1978 during the military dictatorship. Painful questions emerge: were her parents terrorists? Did they suffer more because they were Jewish? more »
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This film shows the roots and beliefs of Afrospirit religions as practiced by the privileged rich as well as the illiterate poor, shot primarily in Rio de Janeiro. more »
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The Peruvian town of Paradise was once a tropical Utopia.The villagers survived by growing coca. Then the Shining Path came in to control the drug trade. The town became embattled in the drug war. This firsthand account from deep inside the Peruvian jungle reveals the complex problems of stopping coca cultivation. more »
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This delightful short is for film lovers everywhere. Jose Zagati is a trash gatherer on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. He has with created a fully functioning film theater from recycled objects. His modest garage is a gathering place for the children of the village who experience the joy of cinema (and popcorn) free of charge. more »
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This unique film shows the art, craft, dance and history of the moko jumbie, which means "dancing spirit", as they appear at street festivals in New York City. more »
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This film gives us an intimate look at a resilient and spirited woman whose skill as a weaver keeps her family afloat through difficult economic times in Mexico. Through her eyes one can see how the forces of global economy affect her people. more »
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My American Girls is a vivid portrayal of a year in the life of the Ortiz family—hard working Dominican immigrants who live frugally in Brooklyn and dream of retiring one day in their native country. But their American-born daughters have a different idea. more »
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An exploration of the opinions of international law experts, American legislators, and many others on the Helms-Burton Act. more »
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In a bid to win reelection and position himself for a lifetime presidency, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega circumvents the Constitution and begins persecuting opposition. The former revolutionary hero’s actions unite activists in a protest movement to thwart his illegal maneuvers. more »
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Half the population of Mexico City are illegal squatters. This film introduces us to several families struggling to survive, putting a human face to Mexico's urban problems. more »
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When a revered military commander in Cuba was accused of drug trafficking and other crimes, the country was rocked by the televised show trial that ensued. more »
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This is the affirming story of how Candomble, a Brazilian religion of African origin, has become a source of strength and power for a group of AIDS sufferers in Brazil's cities. more »
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Street life in Rio de Janeiro is astoundingly varied. There are more ways to earn a living than any North American can imagine. In this colorful film, Sergio Bloch, who has a special affinity for recording the pulse of urban life in his native Brazil, presents a variety of performers, vendors and special artisans. more »
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Our Lady's is the story of how one Boston suburban parish, energized by a dynamic leader, rose up against the powerful Church hierarchy to demand that their voices be heard. more »
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The struggle for ownership of land in Nicaragua has been particularly bitter. This film takes an in-depth look at the history of agrarian reform policies since they were first instituted by the Sandinista administration in 1979. more »
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The Shining Path, despite their Marxist philosophy, wreaked havoc on the lives of poor Indians, not understanding their culture. After years of terror, the Indians are now rebuilding their devastated villages more »
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In December 2001, there was a seismic shift in Argentina¹s economic and political landscape. The Government devalued the currency and froze people¹s savings effectively pushing he middle class into the even larger pool of working poor. In response to this crisis a leader, Raul Castells, has emerged. more »
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An old purple t-shirt donated to charity in Toronto surfaces in a market in Costa Rica, an ironic aspect of global trade. more »
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The discovery of sugar cane in the New World became the basis for a flourishing rum industry in the Caribbean. This film provides a lively social and cultural history of the industry, which for years depended on slave labor more »
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Reflections of Africa in Brazilian Culture This lively film goes behind the scenes of the samba and carnival world in Rio de Janeiro to reveal how the cultural clash of the African/Black and European/White cultures gave birth to a new tradition. more »
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The colorful film portrays the musicians of a mountainous region in the Peruvian Andes who have adopted saxophone music from New York's big band era. Dressed in sharp suits and fedoras from the 40s and 50s they blend divergent cultures as they play for village celebrations. more »
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When the Pinochet dictatorship came to an end, it left a legacy of bereaved mothers, sisters and wives, who were determined to find out the fate of their loved ones who had "disappeared." more »
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This is an innovative, intimate portrait of stalwart members of an indigenous people who inhabit Mexico¹s Sierra de Santa Marta and speak a derivative of ancient Olmec. more »
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Narrated by Rita Moreno, this film documents startling testimonies of women who were mistreated and sexually abused while seeking care in Peruvian public health facilities. more »
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Because of the U.S. embargo, hundreds of Cuban musicians struggle with barely working instruments. "Send a Piana to Havana" is the slogan of a US-based organization that sends pianos and volunteer tuners to Cuba to refurbish their broken- down instruments more »
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In Guatemala City, five warmhearted psychic healers try to solve the problems of the poorest of the poor, who search for advice, healing and comfort more »
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This award-winning film is a lively portrait of the Kuna Indians of Panama's San Blas Islands, determined to protect their rainforest homeland and survive the encroachment of the Western world. more »
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Tourism has traditionally been presented as a factor of modernization and economic growth for poor nations. But it often develops at the expense of indigenous populations. This film looks at the issue in five countries: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Honduras. more »
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A grassroots theater company in Honduras led by a Jesuit priest brings messages of social justice to remote villages. more »
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Sabrina Mathews met Martha Aguilar on a journey to show support for the Sandinistas. Their ten year correspondence reflects affairs of the heart as well as global turmoil. more »
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In the early 1990’s there were two catastrophic attacks against Jews in Buenos Aires. A car bomb blew up the Israeli Embassy, and a powerful bomb destroyed a Jewish community center. No one has been successfully prosecuted. more »
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This is a poetic representation of the lifestyle and culture of the Tarahumara Indians who live in the vast, astonishing and isolated Copper Canyon area of Chihuahua, Mexico. more »
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Collapsing prices on the world coffee market have thrown millions of growers around the world into poverty. Filmed in Nicaragua and Vietnam, the film describes the human consequences that the collapse of coffee prices has caused in producer countries. more »
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Once a tropical paradise, the island of Vieques off the coast of Puerto Rico was expropriated by the U.S.Navy in the 1940¹s. Many of Its pristine beaches became launching sites to test explosive weaponry. Inhabitants were moved, their homes razed, to make room for the naval base. more »
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The Mexican government has occupied the Indian village, Taniperla, in Chiapas in an effort to suppress the Zapatistas. In defiance, the community painted a mural to celebrate their autonomy. The mural has been reproduced around the world as a symbol of their movement more »
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Barely one year after Conrad Hilton opened his new luxury hotel in Havana, Fidel Castro overtook the building for use as his revolution’s headquarters. more »
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The focus is on three vulnerable women refugees who must cope with being uprooted. One is a 13 year-old Vietnamese girl living in a camp in Malaysia, another a widow from Mozambique and the third is a Salvadorian mother living precariously with three children in Costa Rica. more »
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Part II is dedicated to the women of the Americas. It begins in El Salvador, a country where torture and terrorism are part of every family's history. Salvadorean women are assuming leadership positions in the popular front movements for a more just society. In Boston, New York, Washington and Los Angeles, we meet women who are leading the fight to reclaim their neighborhoods from crime. more »
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Profiles of women who have championed human rights both in their own country and internationally. They mobilize to improve conditions for workers in foreign -owned factories in Mexico. more »
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¡Ya No Mas! chronicles the epidemic of domestic violence in Nicaragua, as several women recount their attacks and their frustrating attempts to obtain justice from the Nicaraguan police, district attorneys, and judges. more »
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