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Hispanic Heritage Film Display: Home

So Many Films!

We have both documentaries and feature films on display to mark Hispanic Heritage Month this year--check them out now! You'll find links to most of them below. 

Looking for more? There's a lot! This is just a very small selection of what is available out there--and what you'll find right here in the library.

Want to do some research on the flims you've seen? Check out the subject search "Motion pictures Latin America" in our catalog.

Films from Argentina

El Aura tells the story of a taxidermist thrust into the heist story of his dreams.

Cautiva follows an Argentinean teen as she learns that she is not, indeed, Cristina--but rather Sofía, the daughter of some of Argentina's disappeared.

La Historia Oficial takes viewers into the last days of Argentina's military dictatorship, as Alicia comes to realize that her adopted daughter may be the child of one of Argentina's disappeared. 

Films from Brazil

Doña Flor e seus dois maridos, or Doña Flor and Her Two Husbands, follows the adventures of Doña Flor, her first husband (now a ghost), and her second husband (not a ghost), as they go about their lives.

Elite Squad follows the men of the BOPE as they wage war against the cartels of Rio de Janiero. 

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within picks up after Elite Squad left off, with Captain Nascimiento, now a high-ranking officer in Rio, is swept into a bloody dispute between politicians and paramilitary groups. 

Orfeu Negru, or Black Orpheus, steps into the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice during Rio de Janiero's Carnaval.

Films from Chile

Battle of Chile documents the military coup of September 11, 1973 that overthrew the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende.

Neruda follows a young police officer hunting for the famous poet and politician Neruda, now a fugitive after Chile's president turned against the communists who helped him win an election.

Nostalgia for the Light takes viewers deep into the Atacama Desert and its stars while also delving back in time to Augosto Pinochet's dictatorship. 

Films from Cuba

Buena Vista Social Club steps into the worlds of some of Cuba's greatest musicians. 

Chico y Rita is the animated tale of two Cuban musicians in the 1940s and '50s. It won Best Animated Feature at the 2011 European Film Awards and Best Animated Film at the 2011 Goya Awards and was a joint Spanish-Cuban production. 

Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberries and Chocolate) follows a young man in Havana as he grows up and discovers the complicated secrets of life and love.

Lucía steps into Cuba and the Cuban social milieu through three different women, all named Lucía, one in the 1890s, one in the 1930s, and one in the 1960s.

Memorias del Subdesarrollo (Memories of Underdevelopment), a mix of found footage from newsreels and other sources and scripted film, steps into the early days of Cuba under Castro.

Films from Guatemala

Ixcanul, made in the Kaqchikel Mayan language, follows Maria and her family as they go about their lives at the foot of an active volcano.

When the Mountains Tremble chronicles the true story of Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú.

Films from Mexico

El Compadre Mendoza, a film from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, follows a landowner who tries to maintain good relations with both revolutionaries and government forces during the Mexican Revolution. 

Cronos follows a group of people who discover the secrets to eternal life...but at what cost?

Art of Mexico takes viewers on a tour through Mexican art history.

Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil's Backbone), a Guillermo del Toro thriller from 2001, follows a young boy orphaned during the Spanish Civil War who must uncover the secrets of the orphanage where he lives.

Great Women Artists: Frida Kahlo offers a window into Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's life and work. 

El Laberinto del Fauno (better known as Pan's Labyrinth) tumbles into the darkness of Civil War-era Spain as a young girl discovers a group of resistance fighters...and a mysterious labyrinth leading to another world.

María Candelaria, a film from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, is the tragic tale of the young, poor, and beautiful María.

Rudo y Cursi follows two brothers who, after a talent scout is stranded in their small town, suddenly hit it big as soccer players. You can also stream the film here!

Y Tu Mamá También follows two teenage boys and a young woman in her twenties on a wild cross-country road trip.

Vámonos con Pancho Villa! (Let's Go With Pancho Villa), another Golden Age film, follows six young men as they join up with Pancho Villa and fight the Revolution. 

Films from the U.S.

Coco follows young musician Miguel as he is accidentally transported to the land of the dead and must figure out how to get home while meeting all his late relatives.

Frida, starring Salma Hayek, steps into Frida Kahlo's life.

Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy that Shaped a Nation is the first major television documentary series to chronicle the lives, legacies, and rich histories of Latinx Americans! 

The Motorcycle Diaries, directed by a Brazilian, written by a Puerto Rican, and co-produced by an international array of production companies, tells the story of a motorcycle road trip that helped show the young Che his life's calling. (There's also a book!)

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