Spanish language, literature and culture

Hollman Morris is an internationally acclaimed journalist whose weekly television show, Contravía, boldly confronts the violence that ravages his homeland of Colombia.

In her second feature documentary, Tatiana Huezo has a young mother recount her journey through hell: innocent, robbed of her liberty, she’s handed over to those for whom she’s being made to atone – in a private prison controlled by the Gulf Cartel.

Dolores Huerta is among the most important, yet least known, activists in American history. Dolores tirelessly led the fight for racial and labor justice alongside Cesar Chavez, becoming one of the most defiant feminists of the twentieth century—and she continues the fight to this day, at 87. With intimate and unprecedented access to this intensely private mother to eleven, the film reveals the raw, personal stakes involved in committing one’s life to social change

OSCAR and Emmy awarded director Jon Blair offers us an intimate look at one of the bloodiest urban conflicts on earth; a gripping film with unprecedented access to some of Rio de Janeiro’s most wanted men, together with the specialist police units that hunt down and kill them.

In Colombia, trade unionists are being murdered to stop them forming unions, and one of the alleged companies behind the crimes is Coca-Cola. In a legal and human rights battle, three U.S. activists launch a crusade against the soft drinks giant.

Violence is a fact of everyday life in Colombia, where the drug cartels have kept the country in an armed conflict for decades, and where almost all families have lost a loved one.
The unorthodox presidential candidate Antanas Mockus does all he can to reverse the vicious circle with an imaginative and positive election campaign. His idealism is both his strength and his weakness in a corrupt political system, where the people have lost faith in being able to make a difference.

A story of how a large Swedish mining company in the 80s send its toxic waste to a city in Chile, to be reprocessed and disposed of by a Chilean company. Instead of safely disposing of this waste, the forgotten waste formed land piles. The children who played on these land piles gradually begun to get sick. This film raises questions about morality, and issues of responsibility in a world of multinational companies.

This documentary tells the story of Latin American coffee farmers and how our daily brew is deeply connected to the region's troubled past and hopeful future. Following a 1000-mile journey from Mexico to Nicaragua, the film shows how equitable trading relationships are helping empower communities and take a step towards social justice.

This is the story behind Latin boogaloo, a colorful expression of 1960's New York City Latino soul. From its origins to its recent resurgence, WE LIKE IT LIKE THAT is documents the music that redefined a generation and was too funky to keep down.

Why is the well-being of millions of poor farmers in Central and South America crucial to the future of tropical rain forests, and our global environment? "A Fragile Paradise" explores the options and finds surprising evidence that there is a better way. Winner of top video documentary honors from Agricultural Communicators in Education in 1993. Superb viewing for students of agriculture, geography, biology, political science, ecology, and Latin American studies.

Manuela is the perfect mother. A hard-working nurse, she's built a comfortable life for herself and her teenage son. But when tragedy strikes and her son is killed in a car accident, her world crumbles.

In a private clinic Barco and Benigno strike up a friendship while caring for comatose women.

"Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie."

Describes the history of Spain from 711 to 1492, a period of Arab domination and intellectual ferment.

Depicts the life of Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, from her humble upbringing to her worldwide fame as a painter. Portrays how Kahlo expressed her physical pain through her paintings. Reveals the controversy that surrounded both her and her husband, muralist Diego Rivera, with whom she had a difficult, but devoted relationship.

Should she leave home, go to college and experience life? Or stay home, get married, and keep working in her sister's struggling garment factory? It may seem an easy decision, but for 18-year-old Ana, every choice she makes this summer will change her life.

Traces the history of Islamic Spain. Tells how in Southern Spain the Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together and thrived, and the seeds of the Renaissance were sown, but within a few centuries the fragile union of these people dissipated and the time of tolerance was lost forever.

Nominated for the Best Documentary Award at the 2012 Goyas, this is the unbelievable story of Manuel Cortes, the 'mole of Mijas'. When the Spanish civil war ended and the borders closed, hundreds of people were forced to go into hiding to escape Franco's repression. They lived for decades, hidden under floorboards or in holes behind walls in their own home, knowing they could be discovered at any time. One of the most famous of these moles was Manuel Cortes, the former mayor of Mijas, Malaga. With the help of his wife, Juliana, he spent 30 years hidden in a small hole in the wall of their house. For the first year of his captivity, Cortes couldn't even tell his daughter he was alive. He spent months watching her play, unable to even touch her. But this is not just a story about the Spanish civil war. It's a story about survival and humanity. About the consequences of war and dictatorship. Beautiful animated sequences capture the drama of Manuel and Juliana's story while archive and interviews provide historical context.

Despite being declared enemies by their countries, people in the Rock of Gibraltar and La Linea depended on each other, got married, and lived with their bilingual children. But Franco's decision to close entrance to the British territory forced the separation of thousands of mixed families. THE ROCK examines the lasting effects of Franco's decision, which haunts Spain to this day. Winner of the Golden Giraldillo for Best European Documentary at the Seville European Film Festival. Recieved Special Mention from the Jury at the Atlantida Film Festival.

A photographer purchases an anonymous 19th-century portrait in Barcelona. He believes that it is an original Goya painting but is it real or fake? The acquisition of the portrait is the starting point of a journey d'auteur, a look into the authorship of his canvases and a reflection on art as a business.