Category: Social Movements/Resistance
¿Quien Diablos Es Juliette? / Who In The Hell Is Juliette?
Shot in Cuba and the US over a period of three years, this film features remarkable cinematography by first time director Carlos Marcovich. Winner of the Latin American Cinema Prize.
Cuba, Drama, Mexico, Social Issues, Social Movements/Resistance, USA38 Días
A short reflexive documentary about the search and assassination of Fructuoso Rodríguez a revolutionary and communist student leader by supporters of Batista’s Dictatorship. Rodríguez became the leader of the Federación Estudiantil Universitaria, a group of communist students at Universidad de La Habana who directly opposed Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship in Cuba during the 1950s, after the previous’ leader Jose José Antonio Echeverría assassination. In the documentary, the surviving members of the FEU and Rodriguez’s friends detail the events that lead to his Assassination, focusing on his last 38 days of life soon after becoming the leader of the FEU.
Biography, Cuba, History, Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceAlgo queda / Something Remains
Ordinary Nicaraguans narrate the story of 22 turbulent years (1979-2001) in their nation's history, from the triumph of the Sandinistas, to the day they were voted out of office in 1990, to the tumultuous years since. This film, beautifully shot among the wreckage of Nicaragua's disastrous war, the abandoned properties of its old landholders, and the urban slums of Managua, presents the story of Nicaragua from a variety of perspectives.
History, Nicaragua, Social Movements/ResistanceAmericas: Part 9
"Fire in the Mind" This program looks at revolutionaries in the region today, with a special emphasis on the former guerrilla fighters in El Salvador and the current movement in Peru, and links these movements to the revolutions in Cuba and Nicaragua.
Cuba, El Salvador, Latin America, Nicaragua, Peru, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceAntonia Pantoja: ¡Presente!
Antonia Pantoja (1922-2002), a black Puerto Rican activist and educator, worked tirelessly on behalf of the youth of her generation. Promoting causes like bilingual education and founding organizations such as ASPIRA and Boricua College, she left an indelible mark on the US educational landscape. This documentary tribute reviews her work and its impact through interviews and archival footage.
Biography, History, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/Resistance, USA, Women's StudiesAsaltar los Cielos / Storm The Skies
The documentary is about Jacques Monard/Ramón Mercader, the KGB agent who assassinated León Trotsky in Mexico. It is an account from the people who knew him during his childhood, and up to and after the crime. This film reconstructs his motivations and his destiny. Starring Elena Poniatowska, Carlos Moniváis, and Guillermo Cabrera Infante.
History, Mexico, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/Resistance, SpainBay of Pigs
This documentary shows the change in Cuba to its communist regime, and the reaction of the United States, particularly with the CIA's plan of the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Cuba, History, Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Life and Customs, Social Movements/Resistance, USABlood and Earth: Indigenous Resistance in the North of Cauca
This box-book-film portrays the resistance of the Nasa indigenous people of Northern Cauca in Colombia during the process of the “Liberation of Mother Earth”, a process of recovery of ancestral territories that are in the hands of sugar mills and major ethanol producers in Latin America. It also shows the struggle of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca, a pioneer in Latin America as an indigenous organizational process, its process of autonomy and the defense of the special indigenous jurisdiction, social and community mobilization, as well as the conservation of various manifestations of their ancestral culture. A document of memory and a reflection on state violence against the indigenous peoples of Colombia during the peace process with the FARC guerrillas, signed in 2016.
Inside there are: the 43 minute documentary in HD on usb flash drive held with an 8mm bullet and a QR link for online viewing, a book with the film script, another book about the production process of the documentary and the social life it has had, another book about the historical context of the process of “the liberation of mother earth”, 12 photographs on postcard size, an artistic poster, the posters of the film, all in English and with educational license.
The handmade box is printed on rustic fabric with coca leaf and mango monotypes and closes with a coconut fiber button. Paper ecological made of sugar cane, corn and cocoa fiber, rustic “mother jungle” fabric, Ilford photographic paper.
Colombia, Indigenous Peoples, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceCananea
Story of the revolt at the American-owned Cananea mine in the years preceding the Mexican revolution. This revolt led to the eventual nationalization of Mexican mines. The film is told from both the miners' viewpoint and the American viewpoint, as personified by Colonel Green, the mine owner.
Drama, History, Mexico, Social Movements/ResistanceCaracoles: New Paths of Resistance
This is a celebration of the death of the Aguascalientes and the birth of the Caracoles and the Good Government Assemblies. Zapatista leaders discuss how changes will affect internal political and economic processes, gender relations, and their relationship to international civil society. The video is an open call to join the Zapatista communities in their struggle for recognition of their autonomy and in their fight against neo-liberal economic policies and globalization.
Mexico, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceCarla’s Song
1987, love in time of war. A bus driver George Lennox meets Carla, a Nicaraguan exile living a precarious, profoundly sad life in Glasgow. Her back is scarred, her boyfriend missing, her family dispersed; she's suicidal. George takes her to Nicaragua to find out what has happened to them and to help her face her past. Once home, Carla's nightmarish memories take over, and Carla and George are thrown into the thick of the US war against the Sandinistas. A mystery develops over where Carla's boyfriend is, and the key to his whereabouts may be Carla's friend Bradley, a bitter American aid worker.
Cinema/Theater, Drama, History, Nicaragua, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceChe: The Bolivian Diary
On October 9, 1967, Che Guevara was executed by the Bolivian army, aided by the CIA. Ches diary, a detailed, personal account of his futile 11-month attempt to spark a revolution in Bolivia, is the basis of this intimate filmed portrait.
Bolivia, History, Social Movements/ResistanceChiapas: El Sureste En Dos Vientos
This video describes Chiapas through the eye of Subcomandante I. Marcos from the Selva la Candona, August 1992. It is a journey into the region where 3.5 million Chapanescos live, describing their living conditions, and their movement for peace and justice. Text by Subcomandante I. Marcos.
Mexico, Social Movements/ResistanceChiapas! The Fight for Land and Liberty
Produced by John Alpert and Maryann DeLio; co-produced by the Disarm Educational Fund and the Ecumenical Program on Central America and the Caribbean. Through interviews with peasants and peasant leaders, the Catholic Church, human rights workers and victims of Army abuses, and government officials, this documentary attempts to portray the life of the indigenous in Chiapas and show why and how the revolution of the Zapatista National Liberation Front in 1994 makes sense in their lives.
Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceChile: Memoria Obstinada / Chile: Obstinate Memory
Chile, Obstinate Memory visits with Chileans who experienced Augusto Pinochets coup first-hand. Survivors reminisce as they watch Patricio Guzmáns film The Battle of Chile, recognizing lost comrades and recalling their courage, gaiety, and love of life. Those who were not killed during the coup itself were crowded into the National Stadium in Santiago, where many were tortured, disappeared, and never seen again. Survivors talk about the terror that characterized the Pinochet regime until the dictator was finally obliged to relinquish power.
Chile, History, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceCien Niños Esperando Un Tren
Critically acclaimed film about a cinema workshop that works with poor children in the slums, many of whom have never seen a film before, to understand cinema as a mode of expression.
Chile, History, Social Movements/ResistanceCiudad En Rojo / City In Red
This feature-length film deals with 24 hours in the life of Santiago de Cuba, one of the main supply cities of the rebels led by Fidel Castro and of underground urban action perpetrated by the rebel and clandestine 26th of July Movement. Taking place in 1959, the movie narrates how escalating violence bursts out in the tranquil life of people and different social groups in the city. First-time director Rebeca Chávez participated in the clandestine struggle in her teenage years and has characterized the film as "a reflection on violence."
Cuba, Drama, History, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceCiudad Y Los Perros, La
A story about how cadets rebelling against authority in a military academy end up forming a junta with its own hierarchy and rules. Based on the novel by Mario Vargas Llosa.
Drama, Peru, Social Movements/ResistanceDireito à educação e ações afirmativas
A video presentation about the history of the Black Movement in Brazil. This film includes critical analysis of the themes of institutional racism as well as the public policies of Carater Universalista among other types of policies.
Brazil, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceEl Compadre Mendoza
This rare example of classic Mexican cinema examines the corrupted ideals of the Revolution in the story of an opportunistic landowner who faces the choice of remaining loyal to a general in Zapata's army and being financially ruined or saving his own skin. The character of the general is clearly modeled on Zapata himself.
Classic, Drama, History, Mexico, Social Movements/ResistanceEles Não Usam Black-Tie
Union leader's son doesn't want to engage in a strike, because his wife is pregnant, thus disregarding his father's tradition of political activism.
Brazil, Drama, Economics/Development, Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceElpidio Valdes Contra Dolar Y Cañon
Elpidio Valdés is an animated film which deals with the risky mission of bringing from Tampa, Florida, a shipment of arms for the freedom fighters of the Ejército Libertador. With Captain María Silva, his horse Palmiche, and his compatriots of the Partido Revolucionario Cubano, they confront their enemies, the Spanish colonialists and the Yankees.
Cuba, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceFavela Rising
Favela Rising documents a man and a movement, a city divided and a favela (Brazilian squatter settlement) united. Haunted by the murders of his family and many friends, Anderson Sá is a former drug-trafficker who turns social revolutionary in Rio de Janeiro’s most feared slum. Through hip-hop music, the rhythms of the street, and Afro-Brazilian dance, he rallies his community to counteract the violence and oppression.
Brazil, Music/Dance, Social Movements/ResistanceFrontera, La (The Exile)
During the Pinchet Regime, opposition politicians were often sent into internal exile to small rural towns. This film tells the story of such a relegado in a remote southern fishing village (Puerto Saavedra) where he finds mystery, love, and a new way to see the world. La Frontera is the most awarded Chilean film in history.
Chile, Drama, Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceGallo De Oro, El
Based on a story by Juan Rulfo. A poor man is given a near-dead fighting cock and he nurses him back to life. While this brings him life, he finds that when he forgets his roots and he soon runs out of luck.
Classic, Comedy, Drama, History, Mexico, Social Movements/ResistanceGringoton (Gringo-Thon)
During the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a misplaced gringo in Mexico City helplessly watches the atrocities through Mexican television news. Taking a tip from his local neighbors, he begins to sell chewing gum and wash car windows in the streets...to raise money for a guerrilla army to take out Bush. "Gringo-thon" is a personal expression of protest of an expatriate living abroad and a meditation of the complexities of “gringo” identity.
Mexico, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/Resistance, USAHistoria Oficial, La (The Official Story)
Set in the 1980s, the film follows the sheltered wife of a wealthy businessman who finds herself face to face with a legacy of terror as she begins to discover that her adopted daughter may have been stolen from a family "disappeared" during the Argentine military dictatorship in the 1970s.
Argentina, Drama, History, Social Movements/ResistanceHistorias De La Revolucion
Documentary including three dramatic stories about the insurrection struggle in Cuba during the 50’s. The saga of young people, who lived, loved and fought with the hopes of a better future.
Cuba, History, Social Movements/ResistanceHombre De Exito, Un
With César Evora, Jorge Trinchet, and Daisy Granados. A young ambitious man begins climbing the social and political ladder in Cuba in the 1930s. After the fall of Machado in 1933, his political career takes off, his ethics and scruples continue to decline, and his connections to family and friends deteriorate.
Cuba, Drama, History, Social Movements/ResistanceI Love Pinochet
How can it be that after Pinochet's repressive regime the former general can still count on the uunconditional support of so many Chileans? Constructed from a series of portraits that reveal the breadth and complexity of Pinochetism in Chile, I LOVE PINOCHET offers a unique look at the social and political system left by Augusto Pinochet, as seen from his followers’ point of view.
Chile, History, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceIn The Time Of The Butterflies
Based on the novel by Julia Alvarez and inspired by the true story of the Mirabal sisters, who faced brutal repression at the hands of the regime of Rafael Trujillo as a result of their involvement in an underground plot to overthrow him. Salma Hayek stars as Minerva Mirabal, whose direct personal experience with Trujillo's abuse of power and suppression of his enemies pushes her into active participation in the opposition. She is joined by her two sisters, who become known as the butterflies and serve as an inspirational example of resistance to other Dominicans.
Dominican Republic, History, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceJosé Martí: El Ojo Del Canario / José Martí: Eye Of The Canary
Colonial, Drama, History, Social Movements/ResistanceLacandona : The Zapatistas And Rainforest Of Chiapas Mexico
This is a film that documents the struggle of the people of Chiapas to reclaim their land and rights that were promised to them by the Mexican Constitution. Their land is full of natural resources, such as oil and precious wood. Their belief that they have a right to their land initiated a revolution. This is a brief overview of their struggle and conflict in Chiapas Mexico. Produced by Native Forest Network, Eastern North American Resource Center.
Environment/Geography, Mexico, Social Movements/ResistanceLast Revolutionary, The
CBS Reports with Dan Rather presents a biography of Fidel Castro.
Cuba, Social Movements/ResistanceLegacy: Central America
A six part series produced by Maryland Public Television and the Central Independent Television of the United Kingdom explores the influence of ancient culture on our lives today. In this video -Program Five- host/writer Michael Wood visits the ancient cities of the Inca, Aztec and Mayan peoples. As the world looks toward the new millennium, the West should learn to recognize the value of all traditions and realize that older civilizations still have something to teach us about today.
Cuba, Social Movements/ResistanceLejania
A dramatic and sensitive analysis of the lejanía, the distance or separation among members of the same family, created by the Cuban revolution. A Cuban mother, now living in Miami, returns to visit her son whom she abandoned 10 years earlier.
Cuba, Drama, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceLucia
A classic of Cuban cinema, which looks at the lives of three women, an upper class Lucía in the 1890s, a middle class Lucía in the 1930s, and a working class Lucía in the 1960s.
Classic, Cuba, Drama, History, Social Movements/Resistance, Women's StudiesMachuca
Set in 1973, in Santiago, Chile, Machuca is a poignant coming-of-age film, drawn from the filmmaker's childhood. Two boys from different economic backgrounds become great friends, while the conflicts on the streets lead Chile to the bloody and repressive military coup, changing forever their lives, their relationship and their country.
Chile, Drama, History, Social Movements/ResistanceMadres De La Plaza De Mayo, Las
This Academy award-nominated documentary about the Argentinean mothers' movement to demand to know the fate of 30,000 "disappeared" sons and daughters is extraordinary. As well as giving an understanding of Argentinean history in the 70's and 80's, it shows the empowerment of women in a society where they are expected to be silent.
Argentina, History, Social Movements/ResistanceMaestra
In 1961, over 250,000 Cubans joined their country's National Literacy Campaign and taught 707,000 other Cubans to read and write. Almost half of these volunteer teachers were under 18. More than half were women. Narrated by Alice Walker, MAESTRA (Spanish for "Teacher") explores the experiences of eight women who, as young girls, helped eradicate Cuban illiteracy within one year. Interweaving recent interviews, archival footage, and Campaign photos, this lively documentary includes one of the first Cubans of her generation to call herself a feminist and one of the first openly proud members of Cuba's LGBT community. With wit and spirit, all recall negotiating for autonomy and independence in a culture still bound by patriarchal structures.
Cuba, Gender/Sexuality, Literature, Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceManuela
Manuela is the story of a mulato guajira (peasant woman) who is transformed into a revolutionary guerrilla fighter. With little dialogue and the use of hand held cameras Solas manages to convey the message and engage the viewer emotionally. A collaboration with cinematographer Jorge Herrera.
Cuba, History, Social Movements/ResistanceMaría Cano
When María Cano (Maria Eugenia Dávila) was recruited into the labor movement in Colombia in 1925 she was prepared for the revolution to come. She worked strenuously to organize workers becoming something of a folk hero. What she was not prepared for, after her five years of imprisonment (beginning 1928), was that the whole movement would lose steam and that she would have to live the rest of her life with her lost dreams of what might have been. These feelings are very strongly represented in her poetry. This biographical movie shows her life during those years, and considers her bitterness in later life
Colombia, Drama, Social Movements/ResistanceMissing
John Shea, Sissy Spacek, Jack Lemmon. A young American journalist mysteriously disappears during the violent 1973 military coup in Chile. When his wife and father attempt to find him, they are confronted with a deeply disturbing political reality relating to their own country and the country they are investigating. A 1982 Cannes Film Festival winner.
Biography, Chile, Drama, History, Latin America, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/Resistance, USAMontaña De Luz
On a Honduran mountainside overlooking vast fields of sugar cane, a six-year-old boy named Marlon dreams of becoming an artist. Twelve-year-old Inri dreams of attending university. Little Yorleni simply dreams of having a family. Meet the children of the Montaña de Luz orphanage, their lives a living testament to the beauty and innocence of childhood in the face of adversity beyond their years. With artistry and honesty, the camera paints a stirring portrait of a loving community where nothing is truly certain but hope and where each birthday is a celebration of dreams fulfilled and dreams to come.
Biography, Chile, Drama, History, Latin America, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/Resistance, USAMuerte De Un Burocrata
The story of a young man's attempt to fight the system is an entertaining, hilarious account of galloping bureaucracy and the tyranny of red tape
Cuba, Drama, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceNegra Angustias, La
Daughter of a rebel, Angustias is ostracized for her refusal to marry, her independence, and her scorn for men. She falls in love, only to be rejected because of her race and class which cause her to return to her role as a revolutionary.
Classic, Drama, Gender/Sexuality, History, Mexico, Social Movements/ResistanceNiños De Zapata
A documentary about the Zapatista National Liberation Army's struggle to attain justice for the Maya Indians of Chiapas. The film includes footage of various figures in the movement, including the elusive subcomandante Marcos. Produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Mexico, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceNo Nos Tientes
This film, narrated by Edward James Olmos, presents a forceful analysis of the possibilities for radical change through Guatemalan student protest. Shot in urban ghettos, rural villages and jungle encampments, this documentary reveals the immediate and personal struggle of a cross-section of the country's population during the forty years of civil war. Recommended for undergraduates and high school students.
Guatemala, Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceNoche De Los Lapices, La
The brutal kidnapping, torture, and killing of six out of seven high school students in 1976 is the subject of this powerful docudrama, a highly-charged, emotionally gripping condemnation of Argentina's military rulers at that time. One of the students survived the ordeal, and this story is based on his experiences and knowledge of the tortures they endured under a military government that laid down oppressive restrictions on student activities
Argentina, Social Movements/ResistanceOtro Francisco, El
An impassioned exploration of the roots of black rebellion in nineteenth-century Cuba, based on a famous Cuban anti-slavery novel of the period.
Cuba, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceOwners Of The Water: Conflict And Collaboration Over Rivers
The Xavante of central Brazil and the Wayuu of Venezuela are two indigenous groups who both face considerable challenges in their efforts to maintain control over and access to one of the most basic of natural resources, fresh water. In this compelling documentary an anthropologist from the United States collaborates with a member of the Xavante and a member of the Wayuu to explore the ways in which indigenous peoples are responding to threats to their environment and natural resources. The film focuses primarily on efforts by the Xavante to combat the deforestation and excessive use of agritoxins associated with the expanding Brazilian soy industry that threatens the viability of the Rio das Mortes as a viable water source. Through a focus on this particular movement, the filmmakers explore the close connection between the the goals of protecting our environment and defending the interests of indigenous peoples, as well as an growing solidarity among indigenous peoples throughout South America that is centered around mobilization with respect to environmental issues.
Brazil, Economics/Development, Environment/Geography, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements/Resistance, VenezuelaPa Poder Que Nos Den Tierra
In Colombia's Cauca region, the Nasa (Paez) people's movement known as "Freedom for Mother Earth" has long fought to recover their lands. This video documents the group's recent protest, which resulted in harsh reprisals and suffering for the community.
Colombia, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements/ResistancePais de los Pueblos Sin Dueños, El
The documentary features the voices of indigenous peoples, campesinos, Afro-Colombians, trade unionists, students, displaced peoples and all those who mobilized in the Social and Communitarian Minga in October and November of 2008.
Colombia, Economics/Development, Indigenous Peoples, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistancePanama Deception / El Engaño de Panamá
Banned in Panama and labeled "subversive" in the United States, The Panama Deception gives an account of the events of 1989, when 26,000 U.S. government troops invaded the country searching for one man, Manuel Noriega. Made by a group of independent filmmakers, the film documents the atrocities that the official story omits. Includes follow-up interviews with the film's creators, and several bonus features concerning Panama, Latin America, and Iraq.
Latinos/Chicanos, Panama, Social Movements/Resistance, USAPictures From A Revolution
Photographer-filmmaker Susan Meiselas returns to Nicaragua to find out what happened to the people she photographed years earlier at the height of the civil war. Meiselas and her collaborators capture the shattered lives and broken dreams of people on both sides of the conflict.
Art, Drama, Nicaragua, Social Movements/Resistance, USAPresumed Guilty / Presunto culpable
In December, 2005, Tono Zuniga was picked up off the street of Mexico City, Mexico, and sentenced to 20 years for a murder he knew nothing about. A friend of Tono's contacted two young lawyers, Robert Hernandez and Layda Negrete, who gained prominence in Mexico when they helped bring about the release of another innocent man from prison. Shot over three years with unprecedented access to the Mexican courts and prisons, this dramatic story is a searing indictment of a justice system that presumes guilt.
Docudrama, Mexico, Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Movements/Resistance, SubjectProyecto Videoastas Indigenas De La Frontera Sur
Five short documentaries created by the the Indigenous Video Makers Project of the Southern (Mexican) Border: "Te xa wuil a va (Que tengas el poder de mirarte a ti mismo)," directed by Linda Lothe, Cecilia Monroy Cuevas and Roberto Chankin Ortega (10 minutes, Spanish). "Kin santo ta sotzoleb (Dia de muertos en la tierra de los murcielagos)," directed by Pedro Daniel Lopez Lopez (33 minutes, Tzotzil). "Squinal Ixim (Fiesta del Maiz: El Tercer Encuentro del Maiz Maya-Zoque)," directed by Jose Angel Lopez Dominguez and Roberto Alejandro Corzo Leon (16 minutes, Spanish). "Mas de mil años despues...," directed by Pablo Chankin Najbor, Axel kohler and Tim Trench (19 minutes, Lacandon Maya). "La tierra es de quien la trabaja: Keremetik busca autonomia," directed by Pedro Daniel Lopez Lopez and Jose Miguel Hernandez (10 minutes, Spanish).
The objective of the project is the development of a collaborative decolonized anthropology that permits intercultural dialogue and self-representation
Quilombo
A handsome tale of revolution and conflict, set in the mid-1600s. Disgruntled slaves in northeastern Brazil leave their plantations and form Quilombo de Palmares-their own democratic nation in the jungle. This doesn't sit well with the Portuguese landowners, who send in their troops to restore control. This historical saga is a stirring fusion of folklore, political impact, and dynamic story-telling, realized in vibrant colors and set to the pulsing beat of Gilberto Gil's musical score.
Brazil, Colonial, Drama, History, Social Movements/ResistanceRaça. Um Filme Sobre A Igualdade
Raça tackles racial inequality in Brazil, via the lives of three black Brazilians: Paulo Paim, the only black senator of the republic; Netinho Paula, singer and TV presenter, and Tiny dos Santos, Maroon activist and granddaughter of slaves. The filmmakers followed these 3 people for a number of years - people they consider are on the frontlines of the country's race debate/divide - in an effort to bring something unique to the public.
Brazil, Social Issues, Social Life and Customs, Social Movements/ResistanceRevolution Will Not Be Televised, The / La Revolución No Sera Televisada
This daring documentary about political muscle and media manipulation captures the short-lived overthrow of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Two independent filmmakers were present in April 2002, when the president's powerful political enemies forcibly removed him from office, and when 48 hours later he remarkably returned to power amid cheering aides.
History, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/Resistance, VenezuelaRomero
Incisive, quietly powerful drama chronicling the last three years of the life of Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador. The focus is on the way in which he became an outspoken defender of human rights and was eventually assassinated.
Drama, El Salvador, History, Social Movements/ResistanceSuper Amigos
In this mix of live action and comic book style animation, five masked activists fight against corruption, homophobia, animal rights, pollution and poverty in Mexico City.
Mexico, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceThe Year My Parents Went On Vacation / O Ano em Que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias
The year is 1970, and Mauro (Michel Joelsas) is taken to live with his grandfather while his mother and father flee the politically repressive Brazilian regime. As the nation prepares to watch their team compete in the soccer World Cup, Mauro anticipates the return of his parents. When his grandfather dies suddenly, he is set adrift and befriends the characters who live in the surrounding Jewish neighborhood, all the while anxiously awaiting news of his parents' fate.
Brazil, Drama, Migration/Immigration, Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Movements/ResistanceTlateloco: Los Claves De La Masacre
This documentary represents the culmination of four years of investigation into the military operations behind the October 1968 massacre of students at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlateloco, Mexico. It incorporates all known film footage related to the events of October 2, 1968 and presents evidence that documents the steps taken by the government and other repressive forces against the student movement.
Mexico, Politics/Human Rights, Social Movements/ResistanceUma Mãe Como Eu
This film records the testimonies of mothers in Brazil whose sons have been the victims of police brutality and who have united to fight this systemic problem in their nation.
Brazil, Gender/Sexuality, Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Movements/Resistance, Women's StudiesVenezuela: Revolution From The Inside Out
This documentary seeks to get beyond the cult of personality of Hugo Chavez to gain a deeper understanding of what the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela has meant for many citizens at the local level. Through interviews with government officials, community memebers and scholars such as former Duke Mellon visiting professor Steve Ellner, the film examines political developments of the last twenty years from the perspective of popular participation. Beginning with a brief discussion of the Caracazo of 1988, the documentary looks at the role that grassroots mobilization in the form of cooperatives and other locally-based organizations in efforts to reshape Venezuelan economy and society.
Economics/Development, Politics/Human Rights, Social Issues, Social Movements/Resistance, VenezuelaViva la causa
Viva La Causa focuses on one of the seminal events in the march for human rights - the grape strike and boycott led by César Chávez and Dolores Huerta in the 1960s
Economics/Development, Indigenous Peoples, Latinos/Chicanos, Social Movements/Resistance, USAWhen The Drum Is Beating
This documentary explores the music of the famous Haitian orchestra “Septentrional” along with the violent history of Haiti. Through Septentrional’s powerful musical pieces, accompanied with brutal scenes, viewers are taken on a graphic journey through Haiti’s culture and history; from French colonialism and bloody revolutions to natural disasters and foreign debt while Septentrional’s beautiful sounds of Haitian voodoo beats and Cuban big band serve as a backdrop. This film contains graphic images.
Colonial, Haiti, History, Music/Dance, Politics/Human Rights, Religion, Social Issues, Social Life and Customs, Social Movements/Resistance, USAZapata’s Garden
In 1994 the Zapatistas reclaimed land in Chiapas' Lacandon jungle in southern Mexico to found the Autonomous Municipality of Emiliano Zapata. Since then, they have been building a new society in which there are neither servants nor bosses. Members of the community ensure their autonomy by tending to an organic vegetable garden and working collectively in all endeavors.
Drama, Indigenous Peoples, Mexico, Social Movements/ResistanceZoot Suit
Adapted from the 1978 stage play by the preeminent Chicano playwright Luis Valdéz, Zoot Suit is a musical drama of racism and intolerance in the culture of Los Angeles. It begins in 1942 with the death of a young Chicano (Mexican-American) which directly leads to the infamous "zoot suit riots."
Drama, History, Latinos/Chicanos, Music/Dance, Social Movements/Resistance, USA