Latino Studies

Examines the history and present-day reality of Puerto Rico, including the history and the contemporary relationship between the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S.; the impact of industrialization on the island's economy, ecology and social life; economic exile and life in New York City; and the history of the Puerto Rican independence movement.

This unusual video examines the ways in which corporate representations have shaped Americans' ideas about Third World countries.

This documentary examines the situation of Dominican immigration into New York City, detailing the economic pressures of unemployment and poverty in the Dominican Republic which have led to a rapidly growing Dominican community in New York, primarily in Brooklyn and the Washington Heights area of Upper Manhattan.

This expose of the plight of undocumented Mexican workers in the U.S. also provides a comprehensive overview of the complex issue of Mexican immigration, including interviews with prominent scholars, attorneys and organizers.

Particularly recommended as a teaching tool regarding issues of Latino Studies, Chicano Studies, Immigration, and Cultural Studies.

An insightful documentary portrait of young black and Hispanic teenagers, primarily girls, growing up in a poor urban neighborhood.

This short drama on domestic abuse, based on extensive research with battered Latinas, focuses on a Hispanic family, showing how the father's machismo has intimidated both wife and daughter into continual fear of physical abuse and alienated the son who resents his father's authoritarian attitudes.

Documents the efforts of a group of American volunteers--including architects, artists, teachers and psychologists--in building and operating a primary school in a poor Tiajuana neighborhood.

Examining the case of Martin Sostre, a black Puerto Rican bookstore owner in Buffalo, New York who was framed on drug possession charges in 1967 and sentenced to prison, this film shows how the American justice system can be abused for purposes of political repression.

Depicts life in Cuatro Flats, a housing project in East Los Angeles, as seen through the eyes of Chicano gang members, or "homeboys."

Chronicles the remarkable life of 89-year-old Pedro J. Gonzalez, from his early years as a telegraph operator for Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution to his pioneering career as a radio and recording star in Los Angeles, his 1934 arrest on trumped-up charges and subsequent imprisonment, his deportation to Mexico and eventual return to the U.S. some thirty years later.

Examines the key issues, problems and concerns of the Mexican-American community in the U.S. through interviews with prominent Chicano leaders and activists.

Follows anthropologist Robert Alvarez and his 10-year-old son Luis as they recreate the journey which their family's ancestors made in coming north from Mexico several generations ago.

Portrays the Chicano experience, from its roots in pre-Columbian history to Mexican- American struggles in the early '70s.

Chronicles the history of Chicano Park, famous for its giant murals painted on freeway pillars, which became the focus for the revitalization of San Diego's Chicano community in the 1970s and '80s.

Based on actual historical events, this docudrama, which blends archival photos, dramatic reenactments and interviews with former students, portrays the efforts of the Mexican- American community in Lemon Grove, California, to challenge local school segregation practices and racial discrimination in Depression-era America.

Surveys the history of the Mexican community-its origins, culture, achievements, and difficulties-in the Los Angeles basin, from the establishment of the city in 1781 by Mexican settlers to the present-day Chicano struggle for civil rights.

Examines the impact of AIDS within Hispanic-American communities, focusing on the specific economic, social and cultural factors which influence perception of the AIDS crisis, including macho attitudes about sexuality, traditional relations between men and women, prejudices against homosexuality, and the prevalence of drug abuse.

Surveys the work of plastic artists in Puerto Rico during the 20th century, as well as significant forerunners in the 18th and 19th centuries, focusing on the artists' expression of national identity. The video combines illustrations of hundreds of art works with interviews with a dozen major contemporary artists and commentary by art critics.

Hosted by Cheech Marin, this documentary examines the work of several Hispanic- American writers and how their poems, short stories and novels reflect what it means and what it's like to grow up Hispanic in America.

A high school teacher and one of his students don Elizabethan garb and travel back in time to London in 1609 to have lunch with William Shakespeare at the Mermaid Tavern.