How to find Latin American Films in HOMER and list of recent film acquisitions (Part 1)

Hi folks!

I recently got a very interesting question regarding how to search HOMER to find Latin American films. It is not easy to do so for many reasons, mainly because Latin American is a region but most films are cataloged by country of origin. Even harder is to find films about Hispanic and Latinos because again those are broad categories and sometimes films may be cataloged by the particular Hispanic group such as Puerto Rican, Mexican American, etc... I will share some of my tips on how to find these films next time you are searching in HOMER.

Your first stop should be Darlene Hull's compilation at http://www.lib.uconn.edu/online/research/bysubject/lasvideos.htm This listing unfortunately is not up today, since it was last updated 1999, but it is a good place to start your search. Another place you may want to look is the Human Rights Film Collection created and updated regularly by the Human rights liaison Valerie Love. This is an scripted search that will show a list generated by HOMER and will take you to the current records in HOMER.

Finally at HOMER you can try doing a search as follow:
Search under keyword—relevance and limit the search to videorecording (that is the last choice in the drop down menu to the right of the screen)

Depending of what you are looking for you can use this keywords: Latin America, Caribbean or use each country names, e.g. Puerto Rico, Argentina to narrow down your results.

For Latinos in the US, use the following keywords: Hispanic American, Latino, Latina, Puerto Rican, Mexican American, Chicano, Salvadorean, Central American, etc...

But always remember to set the search limit to videorecording so you don't get books or journals in your search results.

I wish there was an easier way to search for these films but we have so many and there are so many countries in both Latin America an the Caribbean that right now it will take me a long time to get a megalist with all our titles. I am working on a way to do this so when I have more progress in this area I'll let you know.

Finally, sometimes people ask me why we don't have more commercial type movies in our collections. Mostly the reason is that I concentrate my purchases spending in hard to find, expensive documentaries. In contrast of blockbusters movies, which can cost $30-40, a documentary can cost between $100-600. This include screening rights. I always recommended if you want a popular movie to be shown to your class, be at the library or the classroom, to order it when doing your reserve request. The library has funding to cover such materials and when the class is over, it is integrated to our collection. If for whatever reason the cost of the film is over $50, I usually get a call to see if I can use my funding to cover for the purchase. Most of the time I am more than happy to cover the cost. If you have questions about this process, let me know and I will be happy to assist you.

That is all for now. Following is a list of the films I have acquired since I started working in UCONN. Enjoy!


Note: New additions (2007-2008) Films and Documentaries in HOMER. All summary notes came from the publishers and/or vendors of these documentaries and movies (Third World Reel, New Day Films, Amazon.com). Personal reviews are noted as needed.

Telenovela

• La Esclava Isaura
• ("The Slave Isaura") it is a 1976 Brazilian telenovela soap opera produced by Rede Globo. It was based on A Escrava Isaura, a Brazilian romance novel written by Bernardo Guimarães. Isaura was played by Lucélia Santos while slave owner Leoncio Almeida was portrayed by Rubens de Falco. The series's emotional story created an incredibly loyal audience all around the world. It was a major hit in South America, Eastern Europe, Africa and China. (Wikipedia.com)

Latinos in the US/Caribbean Immigrants in the US

• Made in L.A.
  
• Made in L.A. follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from trendy clothing retailer Forever 21. In intimate observational style, Made in L.A. reveals the impact of the struggle on each woman’s life as they are gradually transformed by the experience. Compelling, humorous, deeply human, Made in L.A. is a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your voice. (http://www.madeinla.com/about)

• Maid in America
  
• MAID IN AMERICA is an intimate, eye-opening look at the lives of las domésticas, as seen through the eyes of Eva, Telma and Judith: three Latina immigrants, each with a very different story, who work as nannies and housekeepers in Los Angeles, California. Filmmakers Anayansi Prado and Kevin Leadingham followed their subjects for several years, and their cameras caught some of the most intimate moments of these women’s lives, both on and off the job. (http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/maidinamerica/film.html)

• Morir por Amor: Latinas and AIDS
• Maria suspects that her husband is being unfaithful. "And have you thought about AIDS?," her friends warns her. The development of the story is juxtaposed by documentary elements filmed in Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and the United States. Morir por Amor: Latinas and AIDS is a story of hope in the middle of the threat by the increase of AIDS among women. It doesn't present women as victims, but as a active agents in the transformation of their lives.

• Bruja: A Witch from the Bronx
• Art, labor and family blend in this intimate documentary about performance artist Caridad De La Luz, better know as 'La Bruja'. Born and raised in the Bronx, this daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants takes the number 6 train to downtown Manhattan where she performs at popular New York City venues. She reads her poetry in Joe's Pub, stages her one-woman show in the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and performs at Def Poetry Jam. But opportunities are scarce and she struggles to make ends meet in an industry where 'to keep it real' often means to work for free. But La Bruja is not alone in her struggle. Her husband, G-Bo, is a music producer and DJ that sacrifices his own artistic career to work full-time, take care of their two kids and help La Bruja with her music album. Her parents encourage her to continue developing her talents, while her Spanish-speaking grandmother happily baby-sits when La Bruja performs late at night. This documentary is a celebration of La Bruja's perseverance to gain visibility and recognition in the entertainment industry and her extended family's unconditional support.

• Politics con Sabor
• A two-part documentary film derived from research material that has been added to the archives of the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños at Hunter College/CUNY. It documents the political trajectory of Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics in New York from the early 1900's and into the 21^st Century. While the struggle for political representation is ongoing...Politics Con Sabor makes a strong case for the empowerment of Hispanics and other disenfranchised communities throughout the Unites States. Two-Part Documentary Film: Part 1- 73 minutes; Part 2-88 minutes 2006

• Cuban Roots/Bronx Stories
  
• Cuban Roots/Bronx Stories highlights the experience of a black Cuban American family, revealing that the Cuban-American experience is more diverse, racially and ideologically, than we are often led to believe.

• The Promised Land
• This evocative documentary is a visual mosaic about West Indian migration to the North. The conflicting feelings and memories of one young woman intersect those of elders born in the Caribbean who talk about their journeys, first to Britain, and then to the United States, in search of a land "where milk and honey flows, and no trouble blows".

Border Issues (also Women Issues)

• Beyond the Border--Mas Alla de la Frontera
  
• BEYOND THE BORDER - Más Allá de la Frontera traces the painful transition made by four sons in a Mexican family as they leave behind their parents and sisters and struggle to overcome cultural, class and language barriers in Kentucky. (http://www.pbs.org/itvs/beyondtheborder/story.html)

• SEÑORITA EXTRAVIADA.
  
• MISSING YOUNG WOMAN' tells the haunting story of the more than 350 kidnapped, raped and murdered young women of Juárez, Mexico. Visually poetic, yet unflinching in its gaze, this compelling investigation unravels the layers of complicity that have allowed for the brutal murders of women living along the Mexico-U.S. border. In the midst of Juárez’s international mystique and high profile job market, there exists a murky history of grossly underreported human rights abuses and violence against women. The climate of violence and impunity continues to grow, and the murders of women continue to this day. Relying on what Portillo comes to see as the most reliable of sources – the testimonies of the families of the victims –SENORITA EXTRAVIADA documents a two-year search for the truth in the underbelly of the new global economy. An Independent Television Service (ITVS) Production. (http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c579.shtml)

• Walking the Line
  
• Walking the Line offers a harrowing view of the chaos, absurdity, and senseless deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border through private citizens who are taking the law into their own hands. The film explores the frontlines of what many fatigue-wearing, self-styled warriors dub a “border war.” As once disturbing, offbeat, and reveling, the film offers a scathing critique of a policy—and people—gone mad. Following rancher vigilantes with semiautomatic weapons, outlaw pastors with four wheel drives and impoverished immigrants with dreams of a better life, Walking the Line explores the uncertain line between what is patriotic, what is moral and what is just. (http://www.walkingthelinefilm.com/about.htm)

Cuba

• HAVANA: Te New Art of Making Ruins
• A portrait of the inhabited ruins of Havana. Filmakers Borchmeyer and Hentscher capture the final moments of these buildings. An indelible portrait of the city of Havana, an architectural landmark. A searing view of its inhabited ruins and their strange blend of magic and demolition. The film captures the final moments of these buildings before they are renovated or simply collapse altogether. (Review from http://reysmont.blogspot.com/2008/04/havana-new-art-of-making-ruins-award.html)

• ¡Salud!
  
• A timely examination of human values and the health issues that affect us all, ¡Salud!looks at the curious case of Cuba, a cash-strapped country with what the BBC calls ‘one of the world’s best health systems.’ From the shores of Africa to the Americas, !Salud!hits the road with some of the 28,000 Cuban health professionals serving in 68 countries, and explores the hearts and minds of international medical students in Cuba -- now numbering 30,000, including nearly 100 from the USA. Their stories plus testimony from experts around the world bring home the competing agendas that mark the battle for global health—and the complex realities confronting the movement to make healthcare everyone’s birth right. (http://www.saludthefilm.net/ns/synopsis.html)