Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15, celebrates the contributions of Hispanic and Latinx Americans—one of the fastest-growing populations—to the society of the United States. While the Census Bureau classifies this group of people by the ethnicity “Hispanic or Latino,” the category includes a culturally, racially, and linguistically diverse group of real individuals with all kinds of experiences. The time is long overdue for their stories to be amplified.
Audiences will connect profoundly with the films about migration on this list. These stories of hopes and dreams and sorrow and loss have the power to break down barriers and build bridges between community members. Collectively they call for a national shift towards greater inclusivity.
If you are planning to celebrate, consider joining the movement by hosting a single screening or a series of these films. If you are brainstorming programming ideas, the three categories below should help get you started: Musical Migrations, Mother of Exiles, and Borderlines.
Musical Migrations
“Moving” in all senses of the word: feet-tapping, heart-swelling stories of musicians migrating from Latin America to the U.S.
Dreams of Chonta
An Afro-Colombian musician’s journey away from his family to New York’s underground Latin American music scene, becoming an ambassador of his native music and culture.
Read more here.
Read our review of Dreams of Chonta
Miguelito
A Searching for Sugar Man-like quest to find one of Puerto Rico’s greatest musical stars.
Read more here.
Off the Road
The Baja 1000, a world-renowned off-road motorsports competition, meets the Mexican musical tradition of corridos. Buckle up for an epic sing-along!
Read more here.
Mother of Exiles
A nod to Lady Liberty: Films about the Latin American diaspora to New York. Group Dreams of Chonta and Miguelito (above) with the following:
The Journey of Monalisa
Chilean-born performer Iván Monalisa’s daily life as an undocumented transgender immigrant–sex, drugs, and poetry in the Big Apple.
Read more here.
Borderlines
Journeys of both body and mind between Mexico and the U.S.
Include Off the Road (above) with the following:
Los Lobos
The only non-documentary, autobiographical film on the list. An adventurous, imaginative coming of age with a unique perspective: that of child immigrant brothers.
Read more here.
Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America
An eye-opener that pulls at heartstrings, the film follows activist Moisés Serrano as he embarks on a crusade for critical immigration reform and expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.
Read more here.
The Wall
Five urgent shorts that expose the reality and raise awareness about the ongoing undocumented immigration crisis.
Read more here.
Inner Borderlines
Thought-provoking explorations of Southern California’s Chicanx/Latinx communities guided by pioneer writer Alejandro Morales.
Read more here.
Anna Cox is a former professor of Spanish-language cinema with great admiration for the role librarians play in higher education. If you’d like to explore any of these films or other titles in our collection, please reach out.
Anna Cox, PhD
Educational Sales/Marketing Strategist
anna@pragda.com
Pragda: www.pragda.com
Spanish Film Club: www.spanishfilmclub.com