Feature Films:
In 1520 the illegitimate son of Montezuma rebels against the Spanish army and the new religion it imposes on the Mexican people. *Rated R- use at your discretion
Jesuit priest Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) enters the Guarani lands in South America with the purpose of converting the natives to Christianity, where he is later joined by Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro), a reformed slave trader seeking redemption. When the Portuguese government wants to capture the natives for slave labor Mendoza and Gabriel resolve to defend their mission, but disagree on how to accomplish the task.
The story of Eréndira, a young Purépecha woman who became an icon of bravery during the destruction of indigenous Mexico by the Spanish conquistadors. This feature length film was shot entirely in the original Purépecha language.
Growing up in one of the poorest favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the main character of this film manages to escape a destiny condemned to drugs through photographs. Ironically, it’s by taking photos of the opposing gangs and their drug wars that he’s able to improve the favela’s future by showing the world what a bleak outlook it has.
This film tells the story of a nine year old Venezuelan boy desperate to transform his curly, kinky hair into straight and flowing “pelo bueno”. Unafraid to delve into subjects of race relations and sexual orientation during the Chavez era in Venezuela, the film brings otherwise taboo subjects to the table.
Single mother Rosario (Kate del Castillo) leaves her son, Carlitos, behind and illegally crosses the border into the U.S. hoping to eventually make a better life for herself and her son, only to find herself in a dead-end job as a cleaning lady in Los Angeles. When Carlitos' grandmother passes away some years later, the boy begins a difficult and dangerous journey to join her.
Documentaries:
Race: The Power of an Illusion
Three-part documentary by California Newsreel, each part 1 hour. Helps to better understand the history of racialization in America and how racial categories came about (and were inaccurately equated with biology).
The Myth of Race, Debunked in 3 Minutes
Quick video on YouTube for explaining the ways in which race is considered a social construct.
A Conversation With Latinos on Race
6 minute documentary on YouTube. Latinos discuss grappling with their racial and ethnic identities.
Embracing Afro Latin America Culture
7 minute YouTube video. Follows five women to offer an insider’s guide to the traditions, experiences, and destinations that exemplify Afro-Latinx accomplishments and cultural pride. Great for discussion on intersectionality.
Afro-Mexicans: Dancing Their Way Back to Their Roots
2 minute video on YouTube. Shows Obatala, an Afro-Mexican dance group that travels and performs throughout southern Mexico. Through their performances, they express their pride in their African heritage and stay connected to their roots.
These Latinx students aren’t afraid to face and tackle the odds stacked against them. In this documentary, they highlight the Latinx dropout crisis in the US by inspiring others and showing why they choose to not become a statistic.
Documentary following the lives of a group of Latinos in South Williamsburg. It’s a rare depiction of a story told from a Latinx perspective, as the community deals with discrimination, gentrification, skyrocketing housing prices, and crime.
“They are we!” is a colorful celebration of Afro-Cuban culture, tracing back the origins of the Afro-Cuban songs and dances brought by an ancestor during the slave trade to Perico, Cuba
Lost History: Rediscovering the Taíno People
8 minute documentary on YouTube. Looks into the history and culture of the Taíno people, the indigenous peoples of present-day Florida and the Carribean.
Explores the period from 1565-1880, as the first Spanish explorers enter North America, the U.S. expands into territories in the Southwest that had been home to Native Americans and English and Spanish colonies, and as the Mexican-American War strips Mexico of half its territories by 1848.
History Documentary narrated by Michael Wood and published by BBC,PBS in 2002. The Spanish conquest of the Americas in the sixteenth century.
Portrait Of: The Founder and CEO of KIND
14 minute podcast from NPR. Interview with Daniel Lubetzky, a Mexican immigrant and son of a Holocaust survivor, as well as the founder of the popular Kind Bar, talking about the role that racial identity played in his life.
