Hispanic Heritage Month

I Paint My Reality: Surrealism in Latin America

This exhibition features works by Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Wifredo Lam, Roberto Matta, Carlos Mérida, Wolfgang Paalen, Amelia Peláez, Rufino Tamayo, Joaquín Torres-García, Xul Solar and Remedios Varo, among others. It follows the manifestation of the Surrealist movement in Latin America in the 1930s and examines its continued influence through today, including in South Florida, with works by Juan Abreu, José Bedia, Pablo Cano, William Cordova, Demi, Luis Gispert, Guillermo Kuitca, Julio Larraz, Ana Mendieta, Maria Martinez-Cañas, and Jorge Pantoja, among others.

MOLAA En Casa

Explore select exhibitions from the Museum of Latin American Art from your own home.
Featuring the exhibits 
OaxaCAlifornia: Through the Experience of the Duo Tlacolulokos 
Dreamland: A Frank Romero Retrospective
En Visión: Picturing the Self
José Bedia and Belkis Ayón

Google Arts and Culture: Latino Cultures in the US

Explore the rich history of Latino cultures in the US through this Google Arts and Cultures page. This page offers a wide variety of editorials, art exhibits, and virtual galleries to view. 

¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now

In the 1960s, activist Chicano artists forged a remarkable history of printmaking that remains vital today. Many artists came of age during the civil rights, labor, anti-war, feminist and LGBTQ+ movements and channeled the period’s social activism into assertive aesthetic statements that announced a new political and cultural consciousness among people of Mexican descent in the United States. ¡Printing the Revolution! explores the rise of Chicano graphics within these early social movements and the ways in which Chicanx artists since then have advanced innovative printmaking practices attuned to social justice.

Smithsonian: LatinX Art and Artists Spotlight

Smithsonian collections reflect the rich diversity of Latino art and artists. The Smithsonian American Art Museum's growing Latino art collection represents the rich contributions of Latinos to our country from the colonial period to the present with artworks that range from colonial religious works and woven textiles to abstract expressionist paintings and contemporary installations. Artists featured in the collection reflect the diversity of Latino communities in the United States, including artists of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican descent, as well as other Latin American groups with deep roots in the United States.

Luis González Palma at the Lisa Sette Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona

Guatemalan photographer Luis González Palma's multifaceted body of work uses photography to create portraits, tableaux, abstract compositions, installations and objects. In rich sepia tones, his early portraits explored the identities of indigenous Mayans and the mestizo people of Guatemala. He is interested in the mechanism, culture and responsibility of perception. For him, the work of art is an opportunity to question the way we look at things and to understand how history and society train us to react to what we see in the world. Text and images from Lisa Sette Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona.

Entre Nos

Newly arrived to New York City and deserted by her husband Gabriel, Mariana must find a way, in a strange city where she barely speaks the language, to provide for her family, financially and emotionally.

Winner of Best NY Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. Winner of Best Feature at the Ashland Independent Film Festival and the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival.

"A bittersweet saga chronicling both the rough lot of the recent immigrant and the indomitability of the human spirit." - Kam Williams, NewsBlaze

Chicano! History of the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement

This four part landmark documentary series now a classic for Mexican American history of the U.S., chronicles the struggle for equality and social justice of the Mexican American community in the United States from 1965 to 1975. Produced from Austin Texas by Galan Productions, Inc. It features the Chicano land struggle, Cesar Chavez and the UFW, the Los Angeles High School Walk-outs and the creation of the political party La Raza Unida.

I Am the Queen: A Celebration of Chicago's Puerto Rican Transgender Community

In Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood, the Vida/Sida Cacica Pageant brings together members of the Puerto Rican community to celebrate its transgender participants.

I AM THE QUEEN follows Bianca, Julissa and Jolizza as they prepare for the pageant under the guidance of Ginger Valdez, an experienced transgender from the neighborhood. These trans women share stories of their transition, their relatives' varying reactions, and how they find support from within the community.

Family dynamics, cultural heritage, and personal identity all play a part in how the contestants face the daily struggle that comes from being true to themselves.

Official Selection at the Chicago Latino Film Festival

"The story of these girls is so completely compelling that you will want to sit through to the very end to cheer them on. " - Roger Walker-Dack, Queeritiques.com

"...If you are a transgender youth or you are a parent of a transgender youth, there is no better movie currently that takes you into a world that you are living in right now." - Ali Naro, Movies Over The Rainbow

Some Girls: A Journey of Self Discovery for Latina Girls

This feature documentary follows a group of troubled Latina teens from a Bronx-based suicide prevention program who are transformed by an exploration of their roots via the use of ancestral DNA testing, followed by a trip to the Dominican Republic.

On that journey, the white supremacist narratives about American history they've been taught are challenged, leaving them free to reconstruct their own respective identities. What does it really mean to be American? And, more importantly, what does that look like?

"This powerful documentary offers a much-needed look into Latina identity, depression and self-harm" - Latina Magazine

Los Punks: We Are All We Have - The Hispanic Punk Rock Scene in Los Angeles

From the producers of DOGTOWN and Z-BOYS AND BONES BRIGADE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY comes a look at an expressive, explosive world that is known about but almost never entered by outsiders. The film, directed by renowned photographer Angela Boatwright, explores the young, mostly Hispanic, Punk scene in L.A. and finds an undeniably gritty, yet creative environment.

With unprecedented access to backyard parties, concerts, and daily ups and downs, the film shares a verite look at the realities of the 21st century, our need for community, the importance of self-expression and of course, the power of rock & roll. The sense of belonging is palpable; emotional bonds fostered among good families and those broken, poverty and wealth, adolescence and maturity, with the music emanating a magnetic chorus for all to sing together. LOS PUNKS: WE ARE ALL WE HAVE portrays this vibrant "DIY" community with candor and rough beauty.

Songs of the Homeland: History of Tejano Music

Filmed on location throughout Texas, Songs of the Homeland tells the story of Tejano Music. This critically acclaimed documentary features images of the past and present and includes performances and interviews with musical pioneers such as Tony de la Rosa, Valerio Longoria, Lydia Mendoza, Isidro Lopez, Sunny Ozuna, Mingo Saldivar, and Little Joe Hernandez. Produced and Directed by Award Winning Filmmaker Hector Galan, Songs of the Homeland is an exuberant journey into the heart and soul of Tejano music. Songs of the Homeland tells the story of Tejano Music. This critically acclaimed documentary features images of the past and present and includes performances and interviews with musical pioneers such as Tony de la Rosa, Valerio Longoria, Lydia Mendoza, Isidro Lopez, Sunny Ozuna, Mingo Saldivar, and Little Joe Hernandez. Produced and Directed by Award Winning Filmmaker Hector Galan, Songs of the Homeland is an exuberant journey into the heart and soul of Tejano music.

Visiones: Latino Art & Culture Series

The award winning PBS series VISIONES: LATINO ART & CULTURE, is a journey through the music, words, dance, painting and performance of rich Latino cultures made more complex and fascinating by their history in our country. The series explores how contemporary Latino artists continue to build on rich traditions that reflect a unique multi-ethnic experience, taking established art forms and reinventing them, constantly challenging themselves and the communities which nurture them. From New York City's break-dancers to mural-painters in Los Angeles and Chicago to theater in Texas, the series offers a unique cross section of Latino artists working today.

El Canto del Colibri: Latino Immigrant Men and Their LGBTQ Family Members

Much like the seldom-heard song of the hummingbird, the voices of Latino fathers are rarely heard in addressing LGBTQ issues. This film aims to amplify their voices.

"El Canto del Colibri," is a story of Latino fathers dealing with issues of immigration, faith, marriage equality, machismo, culture, and the process of their LGBTQ children coming out. Responding to requests from "Tres Gotas de Agua" audiences around the world, the filmmakers are taking this journey by inviting Latino men to speak frankly about delicate and deeply personal topics. This film will address political issues about LGBTQ families, social oppression, shared responsibility and acceptance of LGBTQ people as members of Latino families.

The filmmakers will bring you real stories, Latino immigrant fathers' stories, with interviews and interactions with family members, and their everyday lives in their communities as a background. Using spectacular cinematography of our colorful Latino communities around the country, the filmmakers intend to expose different points of view and help spur the development of powerful dialogue in our communities. This film seeks to fight isolation and build bridges of hope and solidarity among our Latino fathers, their families and community activists.

The Last Colony: Puerto Rico's Unique Relationship With The United States

In 1898, the United States invaded and colonized Puerto Rico as part of the Spanish American War. For 114 years the people of Puerto Rico have maintained a polarizing debate on the STATUS ISSUE that has been front and center of the political discourse on the Island. Puerto Ricans (American citizens since 1917) constantly dispute between the options of Statehood, Independence and Commonwealth.

On November 6, 2012 the people of Puerto Rico held the fourth plebiscite in the Island's history to try to redefine the political relationship with the United States.

Weeks before the plebiscite vote, filmmaker Juan Agustin Marquez traveled back to his homeland and interviewed leading politicians, historians, sociologists, and economists to dissect the status debate in a multilayered conversation about the pros and cons of each option on the ballot.

His mission: To explain the status debate to the people of the United States, Congress and the President, and bring the American people up to date on this century old question: Will there be a change in status in America's Last Colony?

Winner of 2016 Suncoast Emmy Award for Best Director

I Was Born in Mexico, But…: Growing Up Undocumented in America

A poetic short featuring the voice of an undocumented young Latina woman who was brought to the U.S. as a child. The film introduces viewers to a personal voice on the immigration debate: DACA, the Dream Act, and other immigration reform, speaking about what it's like to grow up and face an uncertain future as a young undocumented person in America.

Because she doesn't want to appear on camera, found footage from American culture illuminates the anonymous woman's voice as she travels between despair and determination, struggling with her new identity and the reality that going to college will be very difficult without financial aid, and the uncertainty of her future when she can't legally drive, work or reside in what she considers to be her home country of the United States. This film is available with English or Spanish subtitles.

"...a powerful reminder of the plight of illegal Mexican immigrants. Recommended." - Video Librarian

Paraiso for Sale: The Growing Migration to Panama

What price would you pay for paradise? And who would you be willing to take it from? The pristine archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama attracts retirees and developers from the U.S. with its crystal-clear waters and its island culture. In Paraiso for Sale, filmmaker, Anayansi Prado, returns to her homeland to document the effects the fast-growing migration is having on the local community.

This engaging and revealing documentary tells the personal stories of the people who call this area home and would like to keep it that way. From an American couple who've invested not just in their home but in their Panamanian community to a local businessman turned political hopeful and an indigenous leader fighting for his land, the characters and stories in Paraiso for Sale speak to the larger global issue of communities, new and old, under siege from faceless corporations.

Paraiso for Sale explores issues of modern day colonialism, residential tourism, global gentrification and reverse migration, by revealing that immigration between Latin America and the US is not just a one-way street.

Latinos Beyond Reel

Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, and among the most diverse -- accounting for one-sixth of all Americans and tracing their origins to more than 20 countries. They are also a rising force in American politics. Yet across the American media landscape, from the broadcast airwaves to cable television and Hollywood film, the reality and richness of the Latino experience are virtually nowhere to be found. In Latinos Beyond Reel, filmmakers Miguel Picker and Chyng Sun examine how US news and entertainment media portray -- and do not portray -- Latinos. Drawing on the insights of Latino scholars, journalists, community leaders, actors, directors, and producers, they uncover a pattern of gross misrepresentation and gross under-representation -- a world in which Latinos tend to appear, if at all, as gangsters and Mexican bandits, harlots and prostitutes, drug dealers and welfare-leeching illegals.

The film challenges viewers to think critically about the wide-ranging effects of these media stereotypes, and to envision alternative representations and models of production more capable of capturing the humanity and diversity of real Latinos. Features commentary from Charles Berg, Otto Santa Ana, Angharad Valdivia, Federico Subervi, Mari Castaneda, Chon Noriega, Isabel Molina, Alex Nogales, Juan Gonzalez, Moctesuma Esparza, Josefina Lopez, Alex Rivera, Luis Ramos, Lisa Vidal, and others.

Cubamerican: A Million Refugees' Quest for Freedom

CUBAMERICAN is the stirring story of how the Cuban Revolution shattered the Cuban family. Spanning the past 60 years of Cuban history, the film evokes this tragedy and its universal themes of loss, freedom, assimilation, struggle and triumph through the stories of Cuban exiles that have achieved acclaim in diverse fields in the U.S.A. and beyond, rendering a mosaic of a bittersweet exile experience.

A pro-immigrant story that grapples with the agony of displacement, contributes rumination on the future of Cuba, and highlights the absolute need for all of the world's people to be able to freely exercise their fundamental human rights; CUBAMERICAN is an insightful and powerful experience.