Latino, Caribbean & Indigenous Film Series

Note: As of Friday, October 13, all films will now be shown in Tukey Theatre (USC Upstate Library).

Also note that the film, Connecting Traditions: Rendezvous with the Dead will now be shown on October 27 and Mi Puerto Rico will now be shown on November 3.

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In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 (September 15-October 15), the USC Upstate Library and the South Carolina Centro Latino are excited to present our first Latino, Caribbean & Indigenous Film Series.

This series of documentary films will be shown in the Library on Fridays at 12 noon, beginning September 29 and continuing until November 3. The films will be shown in (new location) Tukey Theatre. These films are free to view, and students, staff, faculty, and community members are welcome to attend. Seating is first-come, first-served. Most of the films are an hour long with the exception of the November 3 film, Mi Puerto Rico, which runs for approximately 1-1/2 hours.

Did you know? As of July 1, 2022, Latinos constituted 19.1% of the U.S. population or 63.7 million people. (U.S. Census Bureau)

The following films are planned for the series. Films and dates are subject to change without notice.

Friday, September 29

Celebrating Semana Santa: Change, Conflict, and Continuity in Rural Honduras (Berkeley Media, 2012; 44 minutes)

This ethnographic documentary explores the vitality and controversies surrounding a syncretic religious ceremony held in neighboring remote villages in rural Honduras during the Easter Holy Week. During the week leading up to Semana Santa (Holy Week), the two villages are overrun by characters called "Judíos" (Spanish for Jews), masked individuals who cause mayhem, in part, by staging mock sword fights in the streets. Members of the local Catholic Church, including the parish priest, consider these indigenous celebrations to be sacrilegious and want them stopped. Tensions between the church members and celebrants arise, which the filmmaker tries to help defuse. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Friday, October 6

Black in Latin America (Episode 4) Mexico & Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet (PBS, 2011; 53 minutes)

In the documentary series, Black in Latin America, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., travels to places in Latin America where Africa has touched the continent with lasting cultural results to explore what happens when African and Hispanic worlds meet. Episode 4 of this series focuses on Mexico and Peru. Professor Gates explores the little-known history of the significant numbers of Black people who were brought to Mexico and Peru as slaves (Mexico and Peru together received far more slaves than did the U.S.) and the worlds of culture that their descendants have created in Veracruz, Mexico, and Lima, Peru.

Friday, October 13

Sons of Benkos (ArtMattan Productions, 2003; 54 mins.)

This documentary explores the African culture of Colombia through music. The film presents the music of Sons of Benkos, named in honor of Benkos Biohó (late 16th century--1621), one of the most important Black leaders in the fight for freedom during the times of slavery in Colombia. The film also shows the evolution of Afro-Colombian music over time through the fusion of Cuban and contemporary African rhythms with traditional Afro-Colombian music.

Friday, October 20

Fall break - No film will be shown today

Friday, October 27 (new date)

Connecting Traditions: Rendezvous with the Dead (Mexico) (ZED, 2013; 52 minutes)

This documentary examines and celebrates the traditional Mexican holiday of the Day of the Dead (Día de los muertos), commemorated annually on November 1. In this first-person travelogue, the filmmaker, a photographer by training, recounts the simple tale of a community in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, and the importance of the transfer of knowledge between generations that plays a direct role in the survival of its culture.

Friday, November 3 (new date)

Mi Puerto Rico (Berkeley Media, 2005; 1 hour 27 minutes)

This documentary explores Puerto Rico's rich cultural traditions and history, revealing the stories of its revolutionaries and abolitionists, poets and patriots, all of whose struggles for national identity unfold within the complex relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States. The film moves between Puerto Rico and New York's South Bronx barrio. By illuminating the past, examining the present, and bringing Puerto Rico's vibrant cultural heritage to audiences, the film illustrates why the political fate of this tiny Caribbean island concerns all Americans.

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Watch this space for updates about the film series or call the library at (864) 503-5620.