Afro Latin Narratives

The collection unveils the often overlooked and underrepresented experiences of Afro Latin Americans in the Americas and throughout the diaspora, and their profound contributions. These films delve into themes of cultural heritage, discrimination, and the dismantling of stereotypes; they challenge perceptions and foster understanding.

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The Afro Latin Narratives collection includes the following titles:

A Bruddah's Mind

Cabeça de nêgo
Drama, Fiction Brazil
A reminder of the importance of activism, political engagement, and the sacrifices that come with it, A Bruddah’s Mind follows Saulo, a black introvert student and fan of the Black Panther Movement, as he challenges his school in the largely white city of Fortaleza.

Bad Hair

Pelo malo
Drama, Fiction Venezuela
A nine-year-old boy’s preening obsession with straightening his hair elicits a tidal wave of homophobic panic in his hard-working mother, in this tender but clear-eyed coming-of-age tale.

Baracoa. 500 Years Later

Baracoa. 500 años después
Documentary Cuba, Spain
Baracoa, the small town surrounded by mountains and rivers, is immersed in its own legend and in the work and dreams of its people. It prevails half a millennium from the day in which Christopher Columbus planted the “Parra” Cross on its shore. It was Cuba’s initial capital.

Between Fire and Water

Entre fuego y agua
Documentary Colombia
Camilo is a young black man adopted by an indigenous couple in rural Colombia. Supported by his adoptive father, Camilo embarks on a journey to find his true identity and understand his two races.

Bixa Travesty

Bixa travesty
Documentary Brazil
Linn da Quebrada, a Brazilian transgender singer and artist, presents a powerful and courageous feminist film-discourse on the body and its representation.

Black in Latin America, Ep. 01 - Haiti & Dominican Republic: An Island Divided

Documentary, Series United States
In the Dominican Republic, Professor Gates explores how race has been socially constructed, while In Haiti, hear the story of the birth of the first-ever black republic.

Black in Latin America, Ep. 02 - Cuba: The Next Revolution

Documentary, Series United States
In Cuba, Gates finds out how the culture, religion, politics and music are linked to slave labor, and how race and racism have fared since Fidel Castro’s Communist revolution in 1959.

Black in Latin America, Ep. 03 Brazil: A Racial Paradise?

Documentary, Series United States
In Brazil, Professor Gates goes behind the façade of Carnival to discover how this “rainbow nation” is waking up to its legacy as the world’s largest slave economy.

Black in Latin America, Ep. 04 - Mexico & Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet

Documentary, Series United States
In Mexico and Peru, Professor Gates explores the almost unknown history of slavory and the worlds of culture that their descendants have created.

Boston's Latin Quarter

Documentary United States
The Latin Quarter, a Latinx neighborhood in the middle of Jamaica Plain in Boston, serves as an example of community, resilience, and growth.

Burning Night

Breve miragem de sol
Drama, Fiction Brazil, France, Argentina
Along with the lonely cab driver Paulo, the night and Rio de Janeiro are the main protagonists of the new film by Eryk Rocha (awarded at Cannes'16 for Cinema Novo).

Calls from Moscow

Llamadas desde Moscú
Documentary Cuba, Germany, Norway
An apartment in Moscow becomes the stage for one day in the lives of four queer Cuban exiles, shortly before Putin’s invasion to Ukraine changes everything.

Carajita

Fiction, Drama Dominican Republic, Argentina
Sara and her nanny Yarisa have a relationship that transcends class and race: they are close to a daughter-mother; but an accident will test their intimate loyalty.

City of God - Ten Years Later

Cidade de deus -10 anos depois
Documentary Brazil
An investigation into the fate of the young actors who participated in the award winning film City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund, featuring actress Alice Braga (Queen of the South) and musician and actor Seu Jorge, among others.

Cravos

Documentary Brazil
Photographer Christian Cravo travels through Africa, exploring his efforts to overcome traumas while navigating familial disagreements and memories.

Diaspora Drums

Tambores da diáspora
Documentary, Musical Brazil
Using stories, batucadas, and songs, Diaspora Drums addresses a political and cultural vision embedded in the course of two African drums and their ramifications in Brazil.

Dicing with Death, Ep. 01 - Brazil: Stronger Together

Brazil: Stronger Together
Documentary, Series France
In the heart of the Amazon rainforest, transporters wait to cross the most difficult passages, sometimes surfing in the mud with their enormous vehicle.

Dicing with Death, Ep. 05 - Cuba: Viva la Vida

Cuba: Viva la vida
Documentary, Series France
In Cuba, no matter the obstacles, people keep smiling and moving forward.

Dicing with Death, Ep. 07 - Brazil: Dust and Fire

Brésil: De poussière et de feu
Documentary, Series France
Chica delivers a precious good that cannot wait in Brazil: materials to build a football field. Evandro transports children and workers aboard an antediluvian pick-up truck.

Dreams of Chonta

Documentary, Musical Colombia, United States
Diego, an Afro-Colombian musician, leaves his family behind on the Pacific Coast of Colombia, and endures a solitary life as an undocumented immigrant and a minimum wage job at a cemetery all to become an ambassador of his music and culture in NY.

El Blanco

Drama, Fiction Dominican Republic
Genesis has been forced into marriage with a white foreigner known as El Blanco "to improve her race", but finds herself unable to get pregnant.

Elena

Documentary United States, Dominican Republic
When the Dominican Republic’s Supreme Court stripped the citizenship of anyone with Haitian parents, Elena becomes the face of the struggle against the opaque bureaucratic process and a racist, hostile society, to stay in a country built on the labor of her forefathers.

Enough with Catcalling

Chega de fiu fiu
Documentary Brazil
While the #MeToo Movement united sexual harassment victims throughout the world, this crucial documentary explores the public space as a place of violence for women—especially sexual harassment. It analyzes how feminist campaigns have changed power relationships between men and women in the streets of Brazil.

Faith and Fury

Fé e fúria
Documentary Brazil
Focusing on evangelical drug dealers in Brazilian slums, the film depicts the rise and power of the evangelical faith and its power in Brazil today.

Foreign Soldier

Soldado estrangeiro
Documentary Brazil
A war documentary in which cameras and weapons merge to talk about young Brazilians so eager for war that they leave their now peaceful country to find it.

Heritage

Herencia
Documentary Spain
A showcase of modern Cuban culture and the centuries of history that precede it.

I, Prisoner, Ep. 01 - Mothers

Mãezinhas
Documentary, Series Brazil
What happens to a family when a mother goes to prison? How is day-to-day life in the mother-child ward of a penitentiary? A portrait of women behind bars.

I, Prisoner, Ep. 02 - Provisory Sentencing

Próvisorios
Documentary, Series Brazil
More than a third of the country's prisoners are provisional, that is, they were arrested before trial. What does this mean? Why do we arrest first and judge later?

I, Prisoner, Ep. 03 - LGBTQ+ in Prison

LGBTs no cárcere
Documentary, Series Brazil
The LGBTQ+ community represent the most vulnerable segment within the prison system. What is life like in an LGBTQ+ wing of a São Paulo prison?

I, Prisoner, Ep. 04 - Minors

De menor
Documentary, Series Brazil
Socio-educational system or gateway to the prison system? How do the Brazilian organizations CASA Foundations and the former FEBEMs work?

I, Prisoner, Ep. 05 - Work in Prison

Trabalho
Documentary, Series Brazil
Is inmates’ work while in prison of any use on the outside, after the sentence has been served? Or is it just to help pass the time inside?

I, Prisoner, Ep. 07 - Alternative Sentencing

Penas alternativas
Documentary, Series Brazil
There are other types of sentencing besides prison. Community service, reflective groups, and restorative justice. In this episode we'll talk about alternative sentencing.

I, Prisoner, Ep. 08 - After Prison

Eu, um expreso
Documentary, Series Brazil
What does it mean to be an ex-convict? How much is the resume of a person who has left the prison system worth? We delve into the lives of three people after prison.

La Soledad

La soledad
Drama, Fiction Venezuela, Canada, Italy
Handyman José lives with his family in La Soledad, a ramshackle villa located in what was once among Caracas’ most affluent neighborhoods. Might a fabled treasure supposedly hidden in La Soledad’s walls offer José’s family a chance at a better life?

Let It Burn

Diz a ela que me viu chorar
Documentary Brazil
A gritty observation of precarious romance, debauchery, and heartbreak between addicts living in a São Paulo hotel.

Los Hongos

Fiction, Drama Colombia
During the day, street artists RAS and Calvin band together with other graffiti artists to paint a tribute to student demonstrators.

Mateo

Fiction, Drama Colombia, France
Mateo agrees to infiltrate a local theatre group to reveal its members’ political activities. Enthralled with the troupe's lifestyle, he's under pressure to incriminate the actors.

Miriam Lies

Miriam miente
Drama, Fiction Spain, Dominican Republic
A quinceañera celebration exposes how racial prejudices affect a teenage girl’s choices, while shooting sharp criticism at the heart and mind of Caribbean society.

On the Starting Line

La arrancada
Documentary Cuba, France
This intimate family chronicle, seen from the perspective of two women, unfolds the portrait of a generation unsure of what’s next in Cuba.

Panama Canal Stories

Historias del Canal
Drama, Fiction, Romance Panama
Spanning a century, from 1913 to 2013, this impressive, sweeping historical drama chronicles five incredible stories of people who helped build the famous canal and Panama itself.

Perro Bomba

Perro bomba
Drama, Fiction Chile, France
Steevens is a young Haitian immigrant living a challenging, but somewhat stable life in Santiago de Chile: he has a construction job, a home, friends, and fun. This precariously balanced life is disrupted when a childhood friend arrives seeking assistance to establish himself.

Present Tense, Ep. 01 - The Agro that Is Toxic

O agro que é tóxic
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 02 - Alive and Strong

Vivas e fortes
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 03 - Survivors

Sobreviventes
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 04 - The City Is Ours

A cidade é nossa
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 05 - Education that Transforms

Educação que transforma
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 06 - Black Genocide

Genocídio negro
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 07 - Racist Inequality

Desigualdade racista
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 08 - Hidden Hunger

Fome oculta
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 09 - Precariousness of Work

Precarização do trabalho
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 10 - Full, Universal, and Free

Integral, universal e gratuita
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 11 - Fake News

Fake News
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 12 - Struggle for Land

Luta pela terra
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Present Tense, Ep. 13 - Invisible Mud

Lama invisível
Documentary, Series Brazil
An insightful and educated exploration of Brazil at this stage and age.

Return to Cuba

Volver a Cuba
Documentary Cuba, Canada
After 18 years living in Italy, Barbara Ramos returns to live in the town of Santa Clara, in Cuba, her homeland. Through the projects of family and friends, she discovers what has changed, what hasn’t, and what will likely never change in her country.

Roberto Clemente

Documentary United States
Explore the life of Roberto Clemente, the man who broke racial barriers to become baseball’s first Latino superstar.

Seeds: Black Women in Power

Sementes: Mulheres pretas no poder
Documentary Brazil
The 2018 elections turned into the biggest political uprising led by Black women in Brazil's history, in response to the brutal execution of Marielle Franco.

Siembra

Fiction, Drama Colombia
Colombian fisherman Turco yearns to return to the land he abandoned years ago due to an ongoing conflict. When his son is killed, it shatters Turco's dreams of returning.

Song for Cuba

Documentary, Experimental Canada
A young Cuban couple chart a new course for themselves on an island in the North Atlantic.

The City of the Future

A cidade do futuro
Drama, Romance, Fiction Brazil
A beautiful naturalistic film that shuns convention, embracing love in all its dazzling iterations.

The Companion

El acompañante
Drama, Fiction, Thriller Cuba
Set in 1988 Cuba as the government dispatched HIV patients to AIDS centers under military rule, The Companion narrates the unlikely friendship between a boxing champion and a conflictive patient.

The Forgotten Boys of Brazil

Menino 23 - Infâncas Perdidas no Brasil
Documentary Brazil
During the 1930s, fifty black boys were taken from an orphanage in Rio de Janeiro and led to a farm where they were identified by numbers and subjected to slave labor by a family that was part of the political, military, and economic elite of the country while proclaming their affinity for the Nazi ideology.

The Plastic Turtle

La tortuga de plástico
Animation Colombia
Sea turtle faces survival challenges.

Unconscious Revealed

Inconscientes revelados
Documentary Brazil
An examination of racial issues in Brazil from its historical formation, including Black representation in markets, entrepreneurial women, generational patterns, and the lingering scar of racism.

Water Steps

Los pasos del agua
Drama Colombia
Two fishermen in a forgotten hamlet near the Cauca river find a dead body in their net and, opting not to inform authorities, decide to bury it.

We All Like Plantain

A todos nos gusta el plátano
Documentary, Experimental Spain
Seven black people living in Spain try to craft a film that delves into self-representation. A powerful exploration of identity and community.

You and Me

Tú y yo
Documentary, Comedy, Drama Dominican Republic
The Mrs., a 70-year-old widow, and Aridia, her young maid, live in isolation in a house in Santo Domingo where domestic chores keep them occupied.