Pragda | Our Essential 100 Titles

100 Ways to Cross the Border

Documentary United States, Mexico

An exploration of the 40-year career of performance artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña as he enacts interventions by “queering the border” — claiming all borders as queer and liminal spaces.

7 Boxes

7 cajas

Fiction Paraguay

Reminiscent of Slumdog Millionare, 7 Boxes follows Víctor as he is offered a chance to deliver 7 boxes with unknown contents in exchange for a quick USD $100, getting himself caught up in a crime he knows nothing about.

7 Weeks

7 semanas

Drama, Fiction Chile

Based on true events, 7 Weeks touches upon the politics of pro-choice and the rights to one’s body that still generate heated discussions. A necessary film to open the conversation on the topic in an intelligent manner.

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.

A Film About Couples

Una película sobre parejas

Fiction, Drama, Comedy Dominican Republic

Equal parts a candid exposition of the cinematic industry and a joyful exploration of marriage.

A History of an Assignment

Istoria odnoi komandirovki

Documentary Russia

A film depicting the ins and outs of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s features Castro, Kennedy, and Khrushchev as protagonists.

A Useful Life

La vida útil

Drama, Fiction Uruguay, Spain

An art film enthusiast fears that decrease in attendance will force the Uruguayan Cinematheque to close. To save it, Jorge enters a new world and is exposed to an unknown passion. A modern classic film.

A World for Julius

Un mundo para Julius

Drama, Fiction Peru

Little by little, Julius loses his innocence as he discovers, but never understands, a home and a world full of inequalities and injustices.

Alegria

Alegría

Drama, Comedy, Fiction Spain

A story of reconciliation told by a Jewish woman, a Muslim, and a Christian living in Morocco.

Angel Face

Carita de Cielo

Fiction, Comedy, Romance, Musical Mexico

A singular comedy of errors, this Mexican classic follows Lupe as she pretends to be a thief to infiltrate a criminal cell that is threatening her father.

Angélica [a tragedy]

Angélica [una tragedia]

Documentary Spain

Recipient of important awards in Spain and abroad, Angélica Liddell's dramaturgy is considered one of the most avant-garde in contemporary European theater. As Liddell starts working in her new play, director Manuel Fernández-Valdés decides to capture her rehearsal process on camera.

Asier and I

Asier eta Biok

Documentary Ecuador, Spain

Asier and I follows Aitor as he ties to understand what could have led his childhood friend to join the terrorist group ETA. Armed with a camera, Aitor meets Asier upon his release from jail, ready to tell this story.

Babygirl

La hembrita

Drama, Fiction Dominican Republic

A high-class woman has one of her maid's granddaughters under her care. She must decide between giving the girl back or keeping her in the family.

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.

Bad Influence

Mala junta

Fiction, Drama Chile

A reflection of the ongoing Mapuche conflict and social prejudices portrayed through the friendship and solidarity of two teenagers.

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 Bread

Pa negre

Drama, Fiction, Thriller Spain

The Spanish selection for the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film, Black Bread is set in the war-ravaged Catalan countryside of the early 1940s where a local man is accused of murder and his son sets out to find the truth.

Boca Chica

Drama, Fiction Dominican Republic

Desi's days unfold in the delicate balance between the vivid dreams of becoming an artist and the subdued reality that frames her daily life.

Brickmakers (Chircales)

Chircales

Documentary, Classic Colombia

An essential and highly influential classic, Chircales is the product of two of the most prominent and rebellious voices of the New Latin American Cinema: Marta Rodríguez and Jorge Silva.

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.

Carlos Saura Photographer

Documentary Germany

Legendary Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura unveils his hidden passion: Photography.

Chillida: The Depth of Air

Chillida: Lo profundo es el aire

Documentary Spain

A poetic and fast-paced reminiscence of one of the most prominent sculptors of the 20th century.

Chinese Take-Away

Un cuento chino

Comedy, Fiction Argentina

Argentina’s national treasure, Ricardo Darín, plays Roberto, a gruff, anti-social loner who lords over his tiny hardware shop in Buenos Aires with a meticulous sense of control and routine.

Cows Wearing Glasses

Las vacas con gafas

Drama, Fiction Puerto Rico

Directed by one of the most talented emerging filmmakers coming out of the new wave of Puerto Rican cinema, Cows Wearing Glasses uses a subtle sense of humor to touch upon issues of aging.

Delicate Balance

Frágil equilibrio

Documentary Chile, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, Japan

Centered around an extensive interview with Jose “Pepe” Mujica, the former President of Uruguay who gained notoriety on the world stage as a rare politician: one that lives according to the ideas and principles he preaches, Delicate Balance is a contemplative essay on the everyday reality of globalization.

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.

Drowning Letters

Cartas mojadas

Documentary Spain

An urgent and necessary film to understand one of the most tragic chapters in contemporary history; the migratory crisis taking place across the Mediterranean Sea in search for European shores.

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.

Everybody Leaves

Todos se van

Drama, Fiction, Romance Colombia, Cuba

A celebration of freedom and a confrontation of the authoritarian Cuban regime of the 1980s, which led to one of the country’s worst economic crises. The film is based on the award-winning novel by Cuban writer Wendy Guerra.

Fearless

Sin miedo

Documentary Mexico, Spain, Guatemala

A group of relatives of people disappeared during the Guatemalan military dictatorship requested and obtained, among many other measures of compensation, the production of a documentary film describing the events by the State. Fearless is an exploration of the current shapes of our memory (individual and collective).

Fidel

Documentary United States

Just 9 years after Cuba's Revolution, filmmaker Saul Landau joined Fidel Castro in Cuba for an unprecedented interview for this classic documentary.

Freedom Is a Big Word: After Guantanamo

La libertad es una palabra grande

Documentary Uruguay

After 13 years in Guantánamo, Muhammad starts a new life in Uruguay. He’ll get a home and welfare for two years, then be on his own.

Gabo & Cinema

Gabo y el cine

Documentary Mexico

A commendable and well documented contribution to the general study of Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez’s cultural production. In the voice of his friends and accomplices, the documentary takes us beyond his literary figure and immerses us in his cinematic one.

Giants Don't Exist

Los gigantes no existen

Drama, Fiction Guatemala

Based on the true story of Guatemalan activist Jesús Tecú, Chema Rodríguez’s second feature is a harrowing and powerful drama about survival and hope. Teco was one of the few survivors of the 1982 Río Negro massacre against indigenous populations, in which 177 women and children died.

Good Manners

As boas maneiras

Fiction, Comedy, Drama, Thriller Brazil

When lonely nurse Clara is hired as a nanny by wealthy Ana, she hardly expects the dark secrets which will engulf all that they hold dear.

Guaraní

Drama, Fiction, Adventure Argentina, Paraguay

Part road movie and part coming-of-age drama, Guaraní portrays two generations of Paraguayans whose views of the world seem centuries apart. A long journey to Buenos Aires will make Atilio and Iara understand the real meaning of traditions and family bonds.

Guie'dani's Navel

El Ombligo de Guie'dani (XQUIPI' GUIE'DANI)

Drama, Fiction Mexico

A striking contrast to Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, Guie’dani’s Navel is a unique coming-of-age narrative exploring the racism inflicted on indigenous people in Mexico and the empowerment of a new generation that refuses to accept it silently.

Home Is Somewhere Else

Mi casa está en otra parte

Documentary, Animation Mexico, United States

Recommended by Alejandro González Iñárritu, this multi-award-winning animated story offers an intimate window into the hearts and minds of immigrant Latin youth. A powerful reminder of how the color of your passport determines your life.

Horizons

Horizontes

Documentary Cuba, Switzerland

Alicia Alonso’s splendor still radiates throughout the world of ballet today. A star so brilliant, she has captivated audiences worldwide. Even now at the age of ninety, she continues to encourage the dreams of young dancers who seek to follow in her footsteps.

In a Foreign Land

En tierra extraña

Documentary Spain

The film portrays the experience of intra-European exile tackled by Spain’s highest-profile female director, Icíar Bollaín (Even the Rain, Take My Eyes).

La Llorona

Fiction, Classic, Thriller, Drama Mexico

A new restoration of Mexico's pioneering horror sound film, La Llorona is a romantic melodrama with expressionist and supernatural elements based on the chilling tale of the ‘wailing woman’.

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?

La Suprema

Drama, Fiction Colombia

When Laureana finds out that her uncle is fighting in a boxing world championship, she gets the whole town on board with watching it live on national television. The problem? The village has no electricity or a TV set.

La Yuma

Drama, Fiction Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain

Nicaragua’s first full-length feature in 20 years, La Yuma tells the story of a young woman who dreams of transcending her bleak life in the slums of Managua by becoming a boxer.

Lessons for Luca

Documentary The Netherlands

In this mesmerizing family saga, a personal story is inseparably intertwined with the history of Cuba when a farmer gets a six-year sentence for selling his own cow.

Liquid Truth

Aos teus olhos

Drama, Fiction Brazil

An incisive look at the dangers of selfies and social media culture and how they can be used (or misused) to expose and taint a person’s character.

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.

Los Lobos

Los lobos

Drama, Fiction Mexico

An absorbing coming-of-age story about migrant life through the prism of its most innocent figures: children.

Luchadoras

Documentary Germany

Courageous female wrestlers of Ciudad Juárez - a city known for its high murder rate against women - fight to redefine the image of what it means to be a woman in Mexico.

Machuca

Drama, Fiction, Classic Chile, Spain

A political and emotionally charged story, experienced by two 11-year-old boys coming from opposite ends of the social spectrum in the days leading up to the military coup in Chile.

Marina Abramovic in Brazil: The Space in Between

Documentary Brazil

Marina Abramović travels through Brazil in search of personal healing and artistic inspiration, experiencing sacred rituals and revealing her creative process.

Martírio

Documentary Brazil

Filmed over the course of 40 years, indigenous expert and filmmaker Vincent Carelli seeks out the origins of the Guaraní Kaiowá genocide. A conflict of disproportionate forces: the peaceful and obstinate insurgency of the dispossessed Guaraní Kaiowá against the powerful apparatus of agribusiness.

Miguelito: A Song to Puerto Rico

Miguelito: canto a Borinquen

Documentary, Musical Colombia, Australia, Puerto Rico

Reminiscent of Searching for Sugar Man, the filmmaker follows the steps of Puerto Rico's child music sensation Miguelito. Featuring incredible archival footage of NYC in the 70s’ and salsa performances from Papo Lucca’s La Sonora Poncena, Malo Malo and many others, this is a film that celebrates the musical and cultural depth of the Caribbean.

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.

My Brothers Dream Awake

Mis hermanos sueñan despiertos

Drama, Fiction Chile

Ángel and his younger brother Franco have been incarcerated in a juvenile prison for a year. Despite the difficulties, they have formed a solid group of friends.

My Emptiness and I

Mi vacío y yo

Drama, Fiction Spain

Working at a Barcelona call center, romantic dreamer Raphi grapples with her gender dysphoria diagnosis. As she chases an elusive image of modern love, surprises and shifts await. A queer film classic.

My Name is Gennet

Mi Nombre es Gennet

Drama, Fiction Spain

Based on a true story, this poignant and inspirational film follows the life of Gennet Corcuer, from her childhood in extreme poverty in Ethiopia to her achievement as the first Deaf-blind woman to obtain a university degree in Europe.

NN

NN sin identidad

Drama, Fiction Peru

A powerful, nuanced look at a country’s efforts to come to terms with a dark chapter in its history.

Nobody's Watching

Nadie nos mira

Drama, Fiction Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, United States

A fresh and unexpected take on the immigrant tale, where the journey is not to get a green card but confronting the true reasons for leaving home and redefining one’s identity in one’s own terms.

Nudo Mixteco

Nudo mixteco

Drama, Fiction Mexico

A quietly powerful triptych of stories that speak about the impact of migration and the plight of indigenous women in a rural Mixtec village in Oaxaca.

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.

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.

Rojo

Fiction, Drama, Thriller Argentina, Brazil, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland

As the country faces political turmoil, Claudio is involved in a dangerous situation when he discovers a connection between a stranger and his wife's best friend's missing brother.

Santo vs. the Evil Brain

Santo contra Cerebro del Mal

Fiction, Science Fiction, Adventure, Classic Mexico, Cuba

In this cult classic from El Santo's saga, an undercover police officer is kidnapped by Dr. Campos who brainwashes him into becoming a member of his gang.

Searching for Oscar

En busca del Óscar

Documentary

A film critic and President of the Spanish Association of Film Critics, Óscar Peyrou has a peculiar method for reviews: instead of seeing films, he critiques them by their posters.

Secrets from Putumayo

Segredos do Putumayo

Documentary Brazil

A documentary about the man widely considered to be the pioneer of international human rights inquiries, Roger Casement (1864-1916). His work in Africa, Brazil, and his native Ireland still has repercussions today.

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.

Silent Witnesses

Mudos testigos

Experimental, Drama, Documentary, Romance Colombia, France

An imaginary trek through the history of Colombia (and its cinema) during the first half of the 20th century, using footage of Colombian silent film.

Singled [Out]: Being a Single Woman in an Era of Choice

Documentary Spain

Five educated women in four corners of the world travel solo in a world where pairing up is the norm. Together with the voices of experts in the areas of sociology, law, and demography, the film unveils modern love in an era of choice, and is a journey to the heart of being a single woman today.

Southern District

Zona sur

Drama, Fiction, Comedy, Romance Bolivia

Bolivia’s official entry for the Academy® Awards, this searing portrait of a patrician family in flux exposes the bubble of decadence in which they exist. The threat of shifting aristocratic privilege heralds a new era in a seemingly interminable class war.

Spain in Two Trenches: The Civil War in Color

Documentary Spain

The extraordinary and moving story of the convulsive years of the Spanish Civil War (1935-1939) is explained as never seen before thanks to the coloring and restoration of 150,000 frames.

Spider Thieves

Niñas araña

Drama, Fiction, Adventure, Thriller Chile

Inspired by actual events, the teenage thriller Spider Thieves is a unique social commentary on dreams, class, and unfulfilled expectations in contemporary Chile.

Sun and Daughter

Cuidando al sol

Drama, Fiction Bolivia, Spain, Germany

Ten-year-old Lucía builds her daily in a small village near Lake Titicaca around the eternal wait for her father's return.

Tehran Blues

Un blues para Teherán

Documentary, Musical Spain

The city’s musicians and poets take us on a musical tour of Iran’s capital in a charming film about a music culture rarely heard of in the West.

The Apostate

El apóstata

Drama, Fiction, Comedy France, Uruguay

An existential comedy about a young man in the increasingly quixotic quest of formally having his name struck from the Catholic church’s baptismal record.

The Awakening of the Ants

El despertar de las hormigas

Drama, Fiction Costa Rica, Spain

Isa finds herself at a breaking point awakening to the possibilities of a life lived on her own terms, in this engrossing and intimate feature debut from writer/director Antonella Sudasassi Furniss.

The Bat Woman

La mujer murciélago

Fiction, Adventure, Science Fiction, Classic Mexico

A new restoration of a fascinating and little-known Mexican entry in the Batman superhero canon.

The Calm After The Storm

Como el cielo después de llover

Documentary Argentina, Colombia

After studying abroad, Mercedes returns to her native city to join her father, acclaimed filmmaker and writer Victor Gaviria (The Rose Seller), in the shooting of his next film

The Chess Player

El jugador de ajedrez

Drama, Fiction Spain

A story of love and survival set during the Nazi invasion of France during World War II.

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 Day That Lasted 21 Years

O dia que durou 21 anos

Documentary Brazil, United States

A look at how and why the United States supported a conspiracy to overthrow the Brazilian elected President Joao Goulart in 1964, when Ambassador Lincoln Gordon planned South America's longest military dictatorship with the support of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

The Empty Classroom

El aula vacía

Documentary, Fiction Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, El Salvador

To explore the dropout crisis in Latin America, creative director Gael García Bernal gathered 11 award-winning filmmakers who have created a captivating anthology of short films that delve into the underlying reasons, from poverty to societal traditions, why students aren’t graduating.

The Heiresses

Las herederas

Drama, Fiction Paraguay, France, Germany, Norway, Brazil, Uruguay, Italy

Chela's life takes a turn when her partner is imprisoned, forcing her to drive a taxi and connect with new people and leading to a personal revolution.

The Journey of Monalisa

Documentary Chile, United States

Chilean-born performer and writer Iván Monalisa fully embraces his / her dual selves: scrappy, masculine Iván as well as diva, transvestite sex-worker Monalisa.

The Padilla Affair

El Caso Padilla

Documentary Spain, Cuba

A startling documentary about the poet Heberto Padilla that opens a window into the past and offers insights into Cuba’s current crisis.

The Rose Seller

La vendedora de rosas

Drama, Fiction, Classic Colombia

A poignant portrayal of life in the streets of Medellín, Colombia, directed by the iconic Colombian poet and filmmaker Victor Gaviria.

The Sleepwalkers

Los sonámbulos

Drama, Fiction Argentina, Uruguay

A chaotic look at the struggles of adolescence and a deliciously observed, tightly focused drama about a family falling apart over a New Year's vacation. 

The Socialist Dream: Lázaro Cárdenas and the Reconstruction of Post-revolutionary Mexico

El sueño socialista

Documentary Mexico

In the violent times of a post-revolutionary Mexico, a complex and divided country, the ideas of a man paved the way towards social transformation. Radical, practical, and courageous, Lázaro Cárdenas and a socialist dream shaped the future of a Mexico in reconstruction with their political concepts.

The Trial

El juicio

Documentary Argentina, Italy, France, Norway

The Trial is a chilling record of the trial of nine representatives of Argentina's military dictatorship for unlawful detention, torture and murder.

The Wall: The Effect of its Imposing Presence on Migrant Families

Documentary United States

A firsthand look at the reality of the Hispanic population in the United States and the current undocumented immigration crisis, touching on topics such as the U.S.-Mexico border wall, the effects of family separation at the border, deportation, and DACA.

The Welles Raft

A jangada de Welles

Documentary Brazil

During Orson Welles' filming of It's All True in Brazil, a fishermen's raft vanishes at sea, evoking memories of dictatorship, WWII, and labor rights battles.

They Called Me King Tiger: A Biography of the Chicano Malcolm X

Me llamaban el Rey Tigre

Documentary Mexico

A balanced view of Reies López Tijerina, who inspired Mexican-American college students of the late 1960s and early 1970s to start the Chicano Civil Rights Movement that stressed ethnic pride, ethnic studies, and opposition to police brutality.

This Stolen Country of Mine

Mein gestohlenes Land

Documentary Germany, Ecuador

Recently assassinated journalist and presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio and the indigenous resistance exposed the Ecuadorian government's corrupt agreements that allow Chinese exploitation of local mines.

Timecode

Drama, Comedy, Fiction Spain

Luna and Diego are the parking lot security guards. Diego does the night shift, and Luna works by day.

Vicenta

Animation, Documentary Argentina

A film as necessary as it is beautiful, Vicenta explores the struggle for the right to a legal, safe, and free abortion.

Vicenta B

Drama, Fiction Cuba, France, United States, Colombia, Norway

A gifted Afro-Cuban woman with the unique ability to see into the future finds herself in a crisis when her only son decides to leave the country.

Wandering Girl

Niña errante

Fiction, Drama Colombia

On the violent border between Brazil and Paraguay, a battle wages between agribusiness and indigenous sovereignty.

We Are Mari Pepa

Somos Mari Pepa

Comedy, Drama, Fiction, Musical, Classic Mexico

Alex has big plans for his summer in Guadalajara. He'll get a girlfriend and a new job, learn a new song with his band, Mari Pepa, and win the ”battle of the bands” concert.

Without Prescription

Receta no incluida

Drama, Fiction Puerto Rico

Olivia's obsessive-compulsive voice in her head, which was under control, suddenly returns, prompting a search for the pills that once helped.