Latin America Filmography - The Caribbean
updated (10/00)

And the dish ran away with the spoon [videorecording] / a Banyan production for BBC Television. Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, 1992. Developing stories. 1 videocassette (50 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. Using poetry, interviews, music, and clips from television shows, this film highlights the effects of American television broadcasts on local cultures in the Caribbean. The film looks at Cuba's attempts to produce locally-oriented broadcasting, and the response to this from the United States by introducing the anti-Castro station TV Marti. VHS 3471

Baby business [videorecording] / a co-production of the National Film Board of Canada and Les Productions du Rapide-Blanc, made in association with TVOntario ; director/writer/narrator: Judy Jackson. Montreal . c1995. 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. A journey of discovery into the international adoption maze. Also documents a Haitian adoption program which eliminates the intrusion of entrepreneurial middlemen and is run with integrity and genuine accountability. VHS 4071

The Bay of Pigs [videorecording] / Oregon Public Broadcasting ; written, directed, and produced by David Davis. [United States] . c1997. 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sd., col. & b&w ; 1/2 in. Using documentary footage and eyewitness interviews, film explores every aspect of this complex event and considers the effects in both Cuba and the United States. VHS 5318

The business of hunger [videorecording] / Maryknoll World Films ; producer, director, Robert Richter. Maryknoll, NY . 1985. 1 videocassette (28 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. Examines a major cause of world hunger which is being created when small, native farmers are forced off the land and are replaced by multinational agribusinesses that produce food for export rather than local consumption. Shows scenes of recent food riots in Brazil and the Dominican Republic, starving women and children, and displaced farmers. Includes testimony by religious missionaries in third world countries and comments by representatives of human welfare organizations. VHS 166

Castro's Cuba [videorecording] / produced for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. by Varied Directions International and Barraclough Carey Productions Ltd in association with the British Broadcasting Corporation. Portrait of Castro's Cuba. New York . c1991. 2 videocassettes (91 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences ; 1/2 in. Fidel Castro has delivered to his people the education and health care he promised, but the communist bloc that has backed him - both economically and ideologically - is crumbling. For both he and the Cuban people the pressing question is: Will the Revolution outlast the revolutionary? Film looks at Cuba as it has become and at evidence of coming change. VHS 1580

Caught in the crossfire [videorecording] / an Independent Production ; Atu Emberson-Bain in association with Fiji TV with TVE. Caught in the crossfire, Fiji. Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, c1998. A question of rights. 1 videocassette (15 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. This film is part of the series "A Question of Rights" that explores what governments, communities, NCOs and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Latvia, Jamaica and Fiji. This segment looks at Fiji which, since the armed coup in 1987, has become a cauldron of ethnic persecution and human rights abuses. Male authority in Pacific culture is so deeply entrenched that women have no power to say "no" to sexual exploitation. Prostitution is a taboo subject in Fiji and is illegal, but it is the women and not the men who get prosecuted. VHS 5512

Cocolos y rockeros [videorecording] = For rock or salsa? / Pandora Films ; producción y dirección de Ana María García. For rock or salsa For rock or sala. New York . c1992. 1 videocassette (45 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. Explores the polarized world of adolescents in Puerto Rico who prefer salsa music, "cocolos," and the world of those who prefer rock music and rockers. Shows the participation of Dr. Angel Quintero Rivera, sociologist, who actually studies the sociology of popular music in Puerto Rico. VHS 3832

Cuba va [videorecording] : the challenge of the next generation / produced, directed, and edited by Gail Dolgin, Vicente Franco. Cuba va, the challenge of the next generation Challenge of the next generation. San Francisco, CA . c1993. 1 videocassette (59 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. Considers Cuba's future from the perspective of Cuban youth. Young people born after the 1959 Revolution discuss the challenge of Cuba's economic crisis in the nineties. Socialists and dissidents debate the merits of socialism vs. capitalism, the need for change, internal difficulties, and international politics. Documentary style interweaves interviews and spontaneous debates with rarely seen views of Cuban youth culture. VHS 2883

Desounen, dialogue with death [videorecording] / a film by Raoul Peck ; a Velvet Film Production with KS Visions ; BBC & TVE in association with One World Group of Broadcasters. Dialogue with death Developing stories II : Desounen, dialogue with death Desounen. Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, 1994. Developing stories. 1 videocassette (50 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. Interviews with Haitians concerning the years of economic and political chaos in Haiti which have led to a mass exodus of Haitians trying to reach the mecca of the United States. Includes interviews with those who remained in Haiti and those who successfully emigrated who are now reluctant to return although they are the ones who have the necessary skills to rebuild their homeland's shattered economy. VHS 3681

Divine horsemen [videorecording] : the living gods of Haiti / filmed by Maya Deren. Living gods of Haiti. New York, N.Y. c1998. 1 videocassette (52 min.) : sd., b&w ; 1/2 in. Documentary look at the Voodoo religions of Haiti by Maya Deren, a Voudoun initiate who was able to take her camera and recorder where few have gone before or since. Presents rituals performed by the Rada, Petro, and Congo cults, whose devotees commune with cosmic powers through invocations, sacrifices, and possession. VHS 5195

Drew Pearson's Washington merry-go-round [no. 9] . 1997, [orig. early 1950s]. 1 videocassette (12 min., 25 sec.) : sd., b&w ; 1/2 in. Drew Pearson presents his views regarding FBI advance knowledge of the Puerto Rican attack on Congress in which five Congressmen were shot and information on Dwight Eisenhower and McCarthism. Following this Pearson interviews the Governor of Puerto Rico. The discussion focuses, in part, on the Puerto Rican revolutionaries. The program is concluded with a segment titled "Drew Pearson's predictions of things to come.". Neel Archive 9

Ernesto "Che" Guevara [videorecording] : le journal de Bolivie = [Ernesto "Che" Guevara] : das bolivianische Tagebuch = The Bolivian diary / La Sept/Arte, la Télévision Suisse Romande, Ciné Manufacturing S.A., Bernard Lang AG, Les Films d'ici ; un film de Richard Dindo. Ernesto "Che" Guevara : das Bolivianische tagebuch Bolivianische tagebuch Ernesto Che Guevara : the Bolivian diary Bolivian diary. New York, N.Y. 1994. 1 videocassette (95 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences ; 1/2 in. While passing through Frankfurt, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the Argentine-born Cuban revolutionary, purchased a German date book which he used as a diary. Documentary (based on this diary) looks at Guevara's futile 11-month attempt to spark a revolution in Bolivia in 1967 that ends with his execution by the Bolivian army. Portrayed as a man with idealistic intentions, film explores his life as a guerilla, his relationship with Tania, his betrayal by local peasants, his battles with asthma, and his distress at the death of his comrades. VHS 4706

From maids to compañeras [videorecording] / produced by Jean Weisman. [New York, NY . c1998. 1 videocassette (23 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences ; 1/2 in. Three black women who worked as domestic servants before the 1959 Cuban revolution tell the story of their transformation from being dispossessed and poor to full participants in the new social order. After attending school in the 1960s, they now work as a poet, a judge and a cook. VHS 5556

Gay Cuba [videorecording] / directed by Sonja de Vries. San Francisco . 1995. 1 videocassette (57 min.) : sd., col. : 1/2 in. A look at homosexuality in Cuba, featuring interviews with lesbians and gays. VHS 3919

Get up, stand up [videorecording] / a production of WGBH Boston and Central Television Enterprises for Channel 4, UK. Getup, standup, problems of sovereignty Problems of sovereignty. South Burlington, VT : Annenberg/CPB Collection, c1993. Americas ; 8. 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment addresses internal and external challenges to sovereignty in the Americas and examines the ways in which several nations cope with the dilemma of maintaining economic and cultural sovereignty in the face of strong pressures, both foreign and domestic. Looks at Colombia, Jamaica, and Panama, exploring a wide range of threats to sovereignty, from narco-terrorism to foreign intervention. VHS 2128

H-2 worker [videorecording] / produced and directed by Stephanie Black. H2 worker. New York . c1990. 1 videocassette (67 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences ; 1/2 in. Examines the exploitation of Jamaican laborers by the Florida sugar cane industry. VHS 1581

Haiti, killing the dream [videorecording] / Crowing Rooster production in association with Perry Films and Goman Films ; produced and directed by Babeth, Katharine Kean, Hart Perry and Rudi Stern ; written by Juan Gonzalez and Marc Levin. Killing the dream. New York, N.Y. : Mystic Fire Video, Inc., [1993?]. 1 videocassette (59 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences ; 1/2 in. Presents an overview of the political history of the Haitian people and their current struggle for self-rule. Includes presidency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide and discussion of the situation of Haitian refugees in the United States. VHS 2812

Havana nagila [videorecording] : the Jews in Cuba. Havana nagila, the Jews in Cuba Jews in Cuba. [United States] . c1995. 1 videocassette (56 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. The program uses archival materials and interviews to explore the history of the Jewish community in Cuba and the effect of the 1959 revolution, the U.S. trade embargo, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. VHS 3545

Hot money [videorecording] / coproduced by WGBH and BBC-TV. [Alexandria, Va.] . c1994. 1 videocassette (57 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. Investigates the movement of most of the world's money to huge off-shore banking centers, many located in the Caribbean. Examines how the secrecy and lax regulations of these centers play a critical role in facilitating international financial crimes such as money laundering, insurance fraud and tax evasion. VHS 3341

House on fire [videorecording] / a Kinross Films Inc. Production with TVE. House on fire, Jamaica. Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, c1998 A question of rights. 1 videocassette (15 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. This film is part of the series "A Question of Rights" that explores what governments, communities, NCOs and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Latvia, Jamaica and Fiji. Segment looks at Jamica and the Caribbean area which has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world. Triggered by unemployment and drug use, it's also perpetuated by a culture that still fails to condemn violence against women, and sexual violence in particular, as a crime. VHS 5513

Josephine's imagination [videorecording] : a tale of Haiti / Arnold Dobrin ; Fireworks Films. Josephine's imagination, a tale of Haiti Tale of Haiti. Sag Harbor, N.Y. : Fireworks Films ; [S.l.] : Great Plains National and Social Studies School Service [distributor], 1991. Curriculum Materials Center. 1 videocassette (14 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. + 1 teacher's guide (2 p. ; 28 cm.). While attending the local market with her mother, Josephine meets a man who makes toy animals. When questioned by her as to how he learned to make toys, he responds that no one had taught him. He used his imagination. Later on, Josephine thinks about his answer. Her own imagination starts to develop and she begins to make broom dolls which prove very popular and sell well at the market. VHS 2566

The JVC/Smithsonian Folkways video anthology of music and dance of the Americas [videorecording]. Video anthology of music and dance of the Americas Music and dance of the Americas. [S.l.] . Victor Company of Japan ; Montpelier, VT : Distributed by Multicultural Media, c1995. 6 videocassettes (332 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. + 6 guides (19 cm.) in kit boxes. KIT 67

Latin America [videorecording] : intervention in our own backyard / produced by Anthony Potter Productions in association with Reeves Entertainment Group. Latin America, intervention in our own backyard Intervention in our own backyard. Great Neck, N.Y. : Best Film and Video, [1991?] Between the wars ; pt. 10. 1 videocassette (26 min.) : sd., col. and b&w ; 1/2 in. Series uses original newsreels, soundtracks and rare archival footage to document the years between World War I and World War II. This segment examines four decades of U. S. intervention in Latin America from the Spanish American War in 1898 until World War II. For over a century, the Monroe Doctrine was invoked to justify intervention in the Caribbean, Central and South America. Pan-American relationships deteriorated until 1933, when the policy of intervention is abolished and FDR's "Good Neighbor" policy is launched. VHS 630

Learning to say no [videorecording] / KCET/Los Angeles ; producer, Arthur Barron ; written by Arthur Barron and Blaine Baggett. [Washington, D.C. : Bender Library Non-print Media Dept., American University], 1988. Secret intelligence ; pt. 3. 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. This program documents the broadened political consciousness within the Agency as the country grappled with the controversy surrounding the Vietnam War and the assasination plots against Fidel Castro during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and with the Agency's use to spy on private U.S. citizens during the Nixon administration. The CIA's covert activities were investigated by the Church Committee in the early 1970's. VHS 835

Looking for a space [videorecording] : lesbians & gay men in Cuba = Buscando un espacio : los homosexuales en Cuba / a presentation of La Mulata Cache ; produced and directed by Kelly Anderson. Buscando un espacio : los homosexuales en Cuba Lesbians & gay men in Cuba Homosexuales en Cuba Lesbians and gay men in Cuba. New York, NY : Filmakers Library, inc., c1993. 1 videocassette (38 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. Examines the treatment of lesbians and gay men in Cuba from the early years of the Castro Revolution to the present. Through interviews with several gay Cubans, this film gives the perspectives of current residents of Cuba on questions of political ideology and sexual identity. VHS 6415

Manos a la Obra [videorecording] : the story of Operation Bootstrap / Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos, City University of New York ; producers and directors, Pedro A. Rivera and Susan Zeig. Manos a la Obra, the story of Operation Bootstrap. Story of Operation Bootstrap Operation Bootstrap. New York, NY . 1983. 1 videocassette (59 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. A documentary on Puerto Rico's "Operation Bootstrap," an economic development plan undertaken in the 1950s which was to attract U.S. capital and serve as a model for the Americas. Using newsreels, archival photographs, and excerpts from government propaganda films, examines the background and many problematic issues posed by the plan. VHS 4039

Miami-Havana [videorecording] / Double Exposure and Television Latina presents ; directed by Estela Bravo ; produced by Sandy Balfour, Julio Alom. New York, N.Y. c1992. 1 videocassette (52 min.) : sd., col.; 1/2 in. This video discusses how the relationship between the United States and Cuba has affected Cuban families separated by the political conflict. It includes interviews of children from Cuban families and senior citizens. No call number available

Mirrors of the heart [videorecording] / a production of WGBH Boston and Central Television Enterprises for Channel 4, UK. Mirrors of the heart, race and identity. South Burlington, VT : Annenberg/CPB Collection, c1993. Americas ; 4. 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment analyzes shifting ethnic and racial definitions in the region, looking at Bolivia, a nation with a rich Indian tradition, and Hispaniola, an island divided between two nations - Haiti and the Dominican Republic - with different cultural heritages and attitudes towards their African roots. VHS 2124

Mujer transparente [videorecording] / Instituto cubano del arte e industria cinematográfica ; proyecto original, Humberto Solas ; director asesor, Orlando Rojas ; directors, Jector Veitla, Mayra Segura, Mayra Vilasis, Mario Crespo, Ana Rodriguez. [S.l. : Instituto cubano del arte e industria cinematográfica ; New York : Center for Cuban Studies, 198-?]. 1 videocassette (77 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. Five short film segments, each by a different director, of psychological fiction; each focuses on a central woman characer. VHS 3527

A question of rights [videorecording] / Television Trust for the Environment ; series producer, Emily Marlow ; executive producer, Jenny Richards. Oley, PA . 1998. 5 videocassettes (75 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. This series explores what governments, communities and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Lativa, Jamaica and Fiji. VHS 5511-5515

Rights of passage [videorecording] : four stories of survival / a Diane Best Kinross Films Production ; produced and directed by Diane Best ; written by Ronald H. Blumer and Diane Best. Rites of passage Rights of passage, four stories of survival. Maryknoll, N.Y. c1994. 1 videocassette (27 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. "Filmed with sensitivity in Nicaragua, India, Jamaica and Burkina Faso, it allows the adolescent girls to speak for themselves. Aleyda in Nicaragua is addicted to glue sniffing and is slipping into a life of prostitution; Tarranum in India has been pulled out of school and is waiting to be married off; in Jamaica, Natalyn is fourteen years old and seven months pregnant, and Adjara in Burkina Faso faces the prospect of female genital mutilation"—Container. VHS 3912

Roots, rock, reggae [videorecording] / Harcourt Films. Inside the Jamaican music scene. [Newton, N.J.?] : Shanachie Records Corp., 1988, [orig. 1977] Beats of the heart. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. A street-level tour of the Kingston, Jamaica music scene in 1977. Features performances, interviews and studio scenes. VHS 3262

Salsa [videorecording] : Latin music of New York and Puerto Rico / [Harcourt Films]. Latin music of New York and Puerto Rico Salsa, Latin music of New York and Puerto Rico Salsa, Latin pop music in the cities. [Newton, N.J.] : Shanachie Records, c1988, orig. 1979. Beats of the heart. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. Latin music especially the hot New York-based dance music known as Salsa, has anchored the Latino communities of the eastern U.S and the Caribbean by providing a focal point for a colorful, distinctively Latin way of walking, talking and daqncing. Includes performances, interviews and recording sessions with Salsa musicians. VHS 3273

The uncompromising revolution [videorecording] / production of the Center for Documentary Media. Castro : the uncompromising revolution Castro, the uncompromising revolution. Seattle, WA . 1989. 1 videocassette (80 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. Includes brief pictorial history of Cuba (McKinley, Th. Roosevelt, battleship Maine, Platt Amendment) followed by biography of Castro (student days, the ship Granma, guerrilla war, execution of Battista's officers, C.I.A. sabotage, Bay of Pigs). Then explores these issues: nationalization of American businesses, Soviet aid and weapons, Cuba's role in Latin America, Nicaragua, Angola. Castro comments. Interviewed workers either praise the absence of social classes, socialized health and educational systems, or worry about corruption, cronyism, sloppiness in construction and other industries, theft of state property. Women imprisoned for latter offense in a model jail praise the prison and denounce their offenses. Also: brief discussions of divorce, art and culture, homosexuality, santero. Castro visits nuclear power plant and lens factory in closing sequences. VHS 872

Voices of the Orishas [videorecording] / University of California Extension Center for Media and Independent Learning. Berkeley, CA . c1993. 1 videocassette (37 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. This is an ethnographic documentary which demonstrates the survival and strength of the Yoruba cultural and religious heritage in the contemporary life of Caribbean African-Hispanics. The program was filmed in Havana among practitioners of Santeria, and documents a ritual ceremony that features dancing, singing, praying and drum beating, invoking the twenty-two Orishas, or deities of the Yoruba religion. VHS 4177

Voodoo and the church in Haiti [videorecording] / Nine Morning Productions ; produced by Andrea E. Leland, Bob Richards ; written by Andrea E. Leland ; directed by Bob Richards. Berkeley, CA . Extension Media Center, c1988. 1 videocassette (40 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. History and influence of Voodoo in Haiti. Presents the people of Haiti, the religion and rituals of Voodoo, the inclusion of Christian images in the Voodoo worship and the conflict between Christians, Catholics and Voodooists. VHS 3698

A Woman's place [videorecording] : short stories / [presented by] Bullfrog Films ; TVE International. Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, [1995]. 1 videocassette (70 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences ; 1/2 in. Six 10 minute videos by women about the status and condition of women in 6 countries. [1] In Fiji women are involved in new sea farming projects. -- [2] In South India a literacy campaign gives birth to an effective anti-liquor campaign. -- [3] In South Africa, the Women's Health Project ensures that women will have a voice in shaping the new health care system. -- [4] A new generation of Caribbean women are using drama and reggae to focus attention on domestic violence. -- [5] Thousands of Filipino women are leaving children and country behind to work as domestics in Hong Kong. -- [6] Guatemalan women widowed in the civil unrest have formed an organization, Conavigua, to conduct literacy classes and encourage political participation. VHS 4106

The Yankee years ; Castro's challenge [videorecording] / WGBH-TV in association with the Blackwell Corporation. [Washington, DC : The American University, Media Services, 1999] Crisis in Central America ; pts. 1 & 2. 1 videocassette (120 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences ; 1/2 in. Four part series reviews Central America's long and violent history of dictatorships, revolutions, class struggles, human rights abuses, and foreign intervention. Draws on specially compiled interviews with political leaders, soldiers and civilians of Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, France and the U.S. Features archival footage from the film libraries of these countries as well as of private individuals. Yankee years: Looks at the turbulent years from the Spanish-American War in 1898 to the 1950's, that set the stage for today's U.S.-Central American relations. Covers the glory days of building the Panama Canal, through the early U.S. Marine occupation of Nicaragua, to the Cold War crisis in Guatemala in 1954 which resulted in the C.I.A.'s first covert war in the region. Castro's challenge: The Cuban revolution in 1959 was the first successful challenge to U.S. preeminence in the hemisphere. This report looks at the roots of revolution, Fidel Castro's rise to power, his consolidation of the first communist state in the Americas, his support of revolution abroad, and the evolution of tensions with the U.S. VHS 5518

Young wives' tales [videorecording] / Charlotte Metcalf productions with TVE. Young wives' tales, Ethiopia. Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, c1998. A question of rights. 1 videocassette (15 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. This film is part of the series "A Question of Rights" that explores what governments, communities, NCOs and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Latvia, Jamaica and Fiji. Segment looks at an 11 year old Ethiopian girl being married to a man she has never met before. What are her chances of surviving the experience? Recent statistics show that early marriage is on the increase in many parts of the world, increasing the risk from pregnancy and childbirth for girls whose bodies are not fully developed. VHS 5514

Page Created by Media Services