Area Studies: Mexico
Titles Available as of September 10, 2009

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Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the ALADIN catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible; for example, this filmography was created primarily by selecting from the results of the following keywords:

"mexic?" and "eaun"

To find titles acquired after this filmography was last updated, use keyword searching in ALADIN.

Mexican-American Topics | U.S. - Mexican Border Crossing

Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes = Aguirre, the wrath of God. 1972. (94 min.). A band of Spanish conquistadors, led by Aguirre, self-styled "Wrath of God," go up the Amazon in search of gold, but Aguirre's megalomania turns the expedition into a death trip. HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 207, DVD 1807

Ahi esta el detalle! 1940. (112 min.). Hilarious situations develop when Cantinflas must impersonate the brother of his girlfriend in order for her to claim an inheritance, complicated when the brother's girlfriend shows up with eight children she claims are his. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 1469

The Alamo. 1960. (193 min.). Tells the story of the historic battle by 185 men against a 7,00-man Mexican army--a battle that ended in the smaller forces' defeat, but lasted long enough to insure the eventual independence of Texas. VHS 6272

Alla en el Rancho Grande. 1948. (93 min.). Gran exito de taquilla ensena la musica y romance de la vida cotidiana del Mexico rural. Box office hit depicts the music and romance of the daily life in rural Mexico. VHS 6751

Alsino y el condor = Alsino and the condor. 1982. (89 min.). Film depicts the clash between Central American governments and Sandinista rebels as seen through the eyes of Alsino, a young boy caught up in the conflicts who dreams of flying above the madness of the world around him. VHS 6216

Art and revolution—Mexico. 1982. (60 min.). Shows how history and art have been brought together in Mexico by such painters as Rivera and Siqueiros. Demonstrates that plastic art is the shared possession of all social and educational levels in Mexico. VHS 740

The ballad of Gregorio Cortez. 1982. (105 min.). Based on a true story, told from several points of view. On June 12, 1901, Gregorio Cortez, a young Mexican family man, shoots and kills a sheriff in self-defense. For the next 11 days, he eludes an inflamed posse of 600 Texas Rangers in a 450 mile chase across Texas. His manhunt captures the nation's interest and his eventual trial is tainted by the extreme emotions of the country. HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 375

Barry Lyndon. 1975. (185 min.). Redmond Barry is a reckless scoundrel who fakes and fights his way up the 18th-century social ladder toward his single-minded goals of power, wealth and status. The army, duels, gambling, and marriage are Lyndon's stepping stones to acquiring success and fortune, but his fall is equally dramatic. HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 2106, DVD 1816

Behind the scenes with Robert Gil de Montes. 1992. (30 min.). Series was designed to instill creative and critical thinking skills in children through exploration of the visual and performing arts. In this video children learn about some of the ways artists use color. Painter Robert Gil de Montes creates mood and feeling with colors that remind him of flowers and that evoke memories of his childhood in Mexico. VHS 1922

Beyond the border = más allá de la frontera. 2001. (56min.) Beyond the Border, with tenderness and beauty, follows the immigrant experience with Marcelo Ayala, who leaves his family on a risky journey to the United States. We begin to understand his decision to leave Mexico with the insights of his brothers, who before him, have each made the same journey. Beyond the Border rounds out the immigration's effect on family in Marcelo's home town of Michoacan, Mexico. VHS 7620

The border. 1982. (107 min.). A border guard along the Rio Grande has to choose between loyalties to his job, country, wife, and his compassion for human suffering. VHS 473, HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4965

Border incident. 1949. (95 min.). The Mexico-California border is the power-keg setting for a tale of government agents versus greed and murder. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2408

Borderline cases environmental matters at the United States-Mexico border. 1997. (65 min.). Filmed in three border regions (Matamoros and Brownsville; Tijuana and San Diego; Ciudad Juarez and El Paso), documentary describes problems caused by factories built in Mexico at the US - Mexico border which did not need to comply with US environmental regulations and also presents proposals and projects to remedy the border's deteriorating environmental conditions. VHS 4320

Breath of life. 1999. (27 min.). The orientation film for Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. It is a haunting interpretation of the cultural clash between the Pueblo people of the Estancia Valley and the Spanish Colonial Empire in 17th Century New Mexico. DVD 2374

Builders of images. 1993. (60 min.). One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment explores the arts throughout the Americas, celebrating the extraordinary creative ferment that has attracted global acclaim and given rise to a distinct and increasingly influential Latin American voice. Looks at artists from Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina who are creating works that reflect and influence their people's cultural identity. VHS 2127

Cabeza de Vaca. 1990. (ca. 110 min.). Account of the Spanish explorer's capture, escape, and journey from Texas to Mexico City (1527-1537). Includes tales of El Dorado. VHS 5058

Carlos Fuentes. 1990. (66 min.). Carlos Fuentes, Mexico's leading novelist and critic, reads from his novels "The death of Artemio Cruz" and "Christopher unborn," as well as unpublished works in English and Spanish. He is interviewed in Los Angeles by Lewis MacAdams. VHS 3217

Chac. 1974. (95 min.). Based on ritual and legends from the Popul vuh and Mayan stories, the film focuses on a small Tzeltal village during a terrible drought. Desperate for relief, thirteen men set out on a quest to save their people by seeking a solitary diviner who lives in the mountains and knows the ways of the ancients. Hoping that he can summon Chac, the rain god, the men follow the diviner who takes them on a strange journey that challenges their beliefs and even their sanity. VHS 6594

The Chaco legacy. 1980. (60 min.). Examines archaeological theories about the rise and fall of Chacoan culture, which had a high level of technical development and flourished over 900 years ago in the area of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Shows their extensive water control system, the large network of roads they constructed and several mammoth structures they built. Includes a history of the different excavation projects. Examines the theory that the Chaco civilization was a technological society that collapsed because of the gradual depletion of their resource bases. VHS 4955

Che rise and fall. 2006. (52 min.). Che: Rise and Fall chronicles the incomparable leader from the crib to the grave; from his early summers in Alta Gracia to his days in Mexico and Sierra Maestra; from his time as a bureaucrat in post-revolutionary Havana to his moments of greatness. DVD 4866

Chichén Itzá at the mouth of the well. 2001. (27 min.). The fusion of Mayan construction techniques with later elements from central Mexico makes Chichén Itzá one of the most important examples of the Mayan-Toltec civilization in Yucatán. In this program, archaeological footage and computer re-creations spotlight prominent locations in the city, including the imposing Pyramid of Kukulcán, the Temple of the Warriors, the circular observatory known as El Caracol, the largest ball court in Mesoamerica, and the Well of Sacrifice, a sacred water-filled cenote into which votive offerings and human sacrifices were cast. DVD 4847

Children of Zapata. 1994. (24 min.). Describes the Zapatista National Liberation Army's struggle for democratic reform from the Mexican Government. VHS 3464

The complete DVD history of U.S. wars. Volume 2 (Parts 3 & 4), 1790-1870. 2004. (406 min.). Born and nurtured in war, America grew in strength and power and now, in the 21st century, it is the foremost military power in the world. George Kennedy takes us on this three hundred-year saga of United States wars. Pt. 3. Manifest destiny wars -- Pt. 4. The Civil War. Pt. 3. 1797, U.S.S. Constitution is launched ; 1811, Battle of Tippecanoe ; 1814, Washington, D.C. is captured and burned by the British, the Star Spangled Banner is written ; 1815, Battle of New Orleans ; 1832, Massacre at Bad Axe River ends Black Hawk War ; 1836, Alamo falls -- Pt. 4. 1846, United States declares war on Mexico ; 1861, eleven states comprise the Confederacy ; 1862, Emancipation Proclamation ; 1863, Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address, The fall of Vicksburg ; 1865, Lee surrenders at Appomattox. DVD 3892

Continent on the move. 1993. (60 min.). Series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment follows a Mexican migrant family on its rural-to-urban journey, comparing this internal migration with the transnational flow of immigrants from war-torn Guatemala into Mexico. VHS 2123

Cortez and the legend. 1967. (52 min.). A dramatization of how 500 Spaniards and 15 horses (with their allies the Tlascalan vassals of the Aztecs conquered an empire of 14 million people. Filmed on location, it portrays the epic clash between two extraordinary personalities, Cortez and Montezuma, by showing the conflict between the Mexican Gods and the Spaniard's Christianity, and the conflict among the Mexican Gods themselves. The narration alternates between the Spanish and Aztec viewpoint of the Conquest, using the chronicles of Bernal Diaz, and quotes from Cortez for the Spanish viewpoint, with actual photographic messages carried to Montezuma by his messengers at the time. VHS 4979

The couple in the cage a Guatinaui odyssey. 1993. (30 min.). Color sequences of the display in various museums of performance artists portraying an aboriginal couple from Gautinau, a fictional island off the coast of Mexico, are contrasted with archival footage and still photographs showing various occasions when indigenous persons were put on public display at circuses, sideshows and the like. Emphasis is placed on the response of the people viewing the Gautinaui couple. VHS 6845

De acá, de este lado = From here, from this side. 1988. (24 min.). The United States and Mexico, though neighbors, do not always understand one another's culture. The United States developed economically long before the petroleum industry revolutionized the Mexican economy (although the Mexican boom was followed by a bust). The United States economy is centered on military objectives and the struggle with the Soviet Union. But now the entire world faces common economic and environmental problems. VHS 900

The devil gave us oil. 1986. (58 min.). Looks at the plight of heavily indebted Mexico, where the expectation of a continued rise in oil prices encouraged that government to borrow too heavily. Follows the life of a typical local farmer and his family who live near an oil refinery and must cope with its pollution. VHS 1121

Doing business in Mexico. 1994. (34 min.). Provides information on the business customs necessary to know before doing business in Mexico. Profiles a history of Mexico, past and present, proper etiquette, how to communicate, negotiate, make contacts. Also includes suggestions on patience and an understanding of their sense of time and business relationships. VHS 4174

El Mariachi. 1993. (81 min.). A would-be musician is mistaken for a criminal and must fight for his life. VHS 2947, DVD 1892

End of an era, 1982-1988. 1988. (58 min.). This program looks at Mexico in the 1980's, when Mexico leaders faced a crippling foreign debt, an economy in shambles, a devastating earthquake in Mexico City and a people whose trust had been eroded by years of mismanagement. VHS 657

Environment. 1994. (60 min.). This program looks at the international dimension of environmental problems, focusing on transnational pollution, international property rights, and perceived differences between trade and environmental protection. The U.S.-Mexico agreement on dolphin-safe tuna fishing is explored, as is the transnational implications of pollution along the Rhine River border. VHS 2872

Escaping from history. 1994. (53 min.). Mexico City, the most polluted and fastest growing city on the planet, is a sobering foretaste of what may await us all. Looking at the effects of industrialization on Mexico, and the impact of its development on the rest of the world, this program finds reasons for optimism. But it's a tough equation: for the Third World to have more, the First World will have to get used to having less. VHS 3453

Exchange rates, capital flight, and hyperinflation. 1994. (60 min.). This program discusses the factors that affect exhange rates. The impact of international capital flows, inflation and trade flows is examined. The concept of capital flight is explored through the case study of Mexico and the money Center Bank. Another case study looks at the problems of hyperinflation in Argentina. VHS 2869

The five suns a sacred history of Mexico. 1996. (55 min.). An animated depiction of the creation myth of 16th century native Mexicans. VHS 4124

Free trade slaves. 1999. (58 min.). Film discusses free trade zones and the accompanying human problems that have arisen with human rights, exploitation of workers and environmental degradation. Filmed on location in Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Mexico and Morocco. VHS 6945

The frescoes of Diego Rivera. 1986. (35 min.). Explores Rivera's evolution as an artist, his use of the fresco technique and his politics. His frescoes unite themes of nature and revolution, drawing a parallel between the evolution of life and the struggle for human dignity. VHS 2640

Frida Kahlo. 1983. (ca. 50 min.). A portrait of the life of the colorful painter, including her marriage to the famous painter Diego Rivera and her political beliefs. VHS 733

From boom to bust, 1940-1982. 1988. (57 min.). Using archival film and interviews with prominent politicians, writers, historians and other leaders, this program looks at Mexico's rising prosperity from the 1940's through the mid-1970's. Excessive spending and a crisis in the oil industry, however, soon brought new economic problems and political unrest. VHS 656

Future conditional. 2005. (55 min.). Investigates the link between environmental change and the future health of the planet, a future conditional on how we cope with the spread of toxic pollution. In the Arctic, animals and humans are suddenly plagued with rising levels of hazardous chemicals: DDT, PCBs, dioxins, and mercury. Along the U.S.-Mexico border, tariff-free factories have been poisoning the soil and air for more than a decade, and local communities in Tijuana struggle with contaminated water while their backyards have become toxic playgrounds for children. In Uzbekistan, the world's fourth largest inland body of water, the Aral Sea, has become the site of what the United Nations calls man's greatest ecological disaster. In the United States, a Latin neighborhood in San Diego celebrates an environmental victory, while only 150 miles away, the people of Palm Springs may be living in the path of a toxic storm of dust. VHS 7804

The geographic dynamic of the Pacific Rim Middle America, collision of cultures. 1995. (58 min.). Singapore, gateway city, looks at how Singapore exploits its location to play a key commercial role in Pacific Asia. Australia, new links to Asia, investigates Australia's European roots and recent Asian influences in economic development. Mexico, motive to migrate, examines migration patterns both within and outside of Mexico. Guatemala, continuing conquest, examines the "cycles of conquest" borne by Maya peoples in Guatemala. VHS 3763-3764

The global assembly line. 1986. (32 min.). Portrays the lives of working men and women in the "free trade zones" of developing countries and North America, as U.S. industries close their factories to search the globe for lower-wage work forces. From Tennessee to Mexico's northern border, and from Silicon Valley to the Philippines, this film "emerges as the definitive statement on the international division of labor and the growing importance of women in the industrial workforce." VHS 1059

Global retail markets power and potential Mexico. 1999. (41 min.). Discusses the economics of food in Mexico under NAFTA, including importing, marketing, and retailing. VHS 6625

Go back to Mexico! 1994. (57 min.). The story of one woman's attempt illegally to emigrate from Mexico to the United States amidst the background of growing public opposition to illegal immigration, particularly in California. VHS 3108

Going international. 1983. (ca. 180 min.). Introduction to the challenges of interacting with people from different cultures. Film from around the world illustrates fundamental concepts of culture, in theory and practice. Bridging the culture gap: Illuminates cultural differences to which Americans must become attuned if they are to be accepted in their new homes. -- Managing the overseas assignment: focuses on business practices in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, India, England, and Mexico as seen in vignettes and through interviews. -- Beyond culture shock: Experts in cross-cultural topics and international living and seasoned travelers discuss the reaction to moving away from home and adjusting to life in a different society. Welcome home stranger: deals with the individuals' personal reactions to returning to the United States and readjusting to American culture. -- Working in the USA: Presents views and experiences of foreign visitors and naturalized citizens on the American-way-of-work to help improve understanding of how Americans and American organizations behave and what it takes to succeed in business.-- Living in the USA: Presents views and experiences of foreign visitors and naturalized citizens on living in America. Designed for the whole family, focusing on the everyday concerns of getting settled in the U.S. and dealing with practical issues such as housing, banking, credit, schools, shopping, driving and making friends. -- Going international--safely: Experts in cross-cultural topics and international living and seasoned travelers discuss the reaction to moving away from home and adjusting to life in a different society. Intended to give travelers good, basic security awareness information. Provides a security philosophy and general principles which apply to most international travel situations. Alerts the traveler to the most likely dangers, shows them how to reduce risk, and what to do in the event of emergency. VHS 3657

Guillermo Gâomez-Peäna. 1997. (25 min.). The artist shows his installation, including performance elements, which evokes Mexican and Chicano legends and traditions. VHS 784, Streaming web video

The Highland Maya a case study in economic anthropology. 1983. (28 min.). Explores the complex interweaving of economics and religion known as the "cargo" system, which is found among the Highland Maya of Mexico and Guatemala. VHS 3125

The hunt for Pancho Villa. 1993. (56 min.). Linda Hunt narrates this program about the "Punitive Expedition" into Mexico that failed to capture Pancho Villa and brought the United States and Mexico to the brink of war. VHS 4406

Imagining new worlds. 1996. (27 min.). Examines contrasting ways of viewing the city of Cancun, Mexico and Mayan ruins as seen through the eyes of tourists, Mayan descendants, and business investors. VHS 3601, Streaming web video

Incidents of travel in Chichen Itza. 1997. (90 min.). Set during the spring Equinox when a shadow said to represent the Maya serpent-god Kukulkan appears on one temple pyramid, video depicts how New Agers, the Mexican state, tourists and archaeologists all contend to "clear" the site of the Maya city of Chichen Itza in order to produce their own idealized and unobstructed visions of "Maya" while the local Maya themselves struggle to occupy the site as vendors and artisans. Questions whether fieldwork is possible at such a spectacle and questions the status of ethnographic authority as people from the various groups converge on the event. VHS 5557

Jean Cocteau autobiography of an unknown. 1983. (58 min.). Paints a portrait of Cocteau's life using photographs, archival film clips, views of his home and garden, and clips from films of his written works, interspersed with appearances by Cocteau describing his encounters with such people as Picasso, Nijinsky, Satie, and Renoir. HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 4807

Journey to planet Earth. 2003. (57 min. each). Discusses the planet we inhabit, from the crowded cities of Bangladesh and Kenya, to the remote steppes of Inner Mongolia and the wastelands along the Mexico/US border. VHS 7415-7417

Juan Rulfo inframundo. 1983. (57 min.). In an unusual interview with Silvia Fuentes, Juan Rulfo talks about his childhood and family in the context of the Mexican Revolution. In this way he shows the deepest roots and particular of the Mexican people. He tells how the various jobs he had, when he was young, took him from one end of his country to the other, discovering places and people which he later used in his fiction. He gives us the ideas which were the basis for "Pedro Páramo". He reads from that great novel and from his most important story "El llano en llamas". DVD 1800

Juchitan queer paradise. 2002. (64 min.). "This is a fascinating portrait of Juchitan, a small Mexican city near the Guatemalan border. Here homosexuality is fully accepted; gays are simply a third gender. If a boy shows a predisposition to homosexuality his family will rejoice and be thankful for receiving what is considered a blessing. In Juchitan a man who wants to be a woman only has to dress like a woman to be considered and treated as a woman by the entire community. The film profiles three gay people: a teacher, a hairdresser and a shop owner."--Container. VHS 7260

The JVC video anthology of world music and dance the Americas II : Mexico/Cuba/Bolivia/Argentina. 1988. (57 min.). Presents examples of music and dance from the Americas documented by text. VHS 7787

Labor and capital mobility. 1994. (60 min.). This program looks at the international mobility of capital, labor and technology, including the relationship between trade in goods and services, the mobility factors of production and the pressures that drive and inhibit labor migration. Examples include the Netherland's policy toward guest workers and Mexican immigration to the U.S. and the Maquiladora program. VHS 2865

The land and the people. 1976. (60 min.). Economist John Kenneth Galbraith discusses some of the ideas and views on economics that are presented is his book entitled "The age of Uncertainty." Focuses on the role of land in determining wealth and poverty and its effect on social and foreign policies. Shot on location in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Pakistan and Singapore, using these countries as examples of those who have had some success in breaking the "equilibrium of poverty." VHS 4200

Last oasis. 1997. (60 min.). Cadillac Desert relates the story of the epic quest for water and the role it has played in the transformation of the American West. This fourth episode opens with the story of how America's large dams became examples for water projects abroad, particularly in developing countries. The film goes to India and China, where big dam building continues in full force, and to Mexico, the Middle East, and back to the American West to explore how, in the face of rising water needs, conservation may be humanity's last oasis. VHS 4444

The last Zapatista. 1995. (30 min.). Emilio Zapata, southern leader of the 1910-20 Mexican Revolution, inspired millions and his revolution lives on through the stories and myths which surround his memory. Video tells the history of Zapata and the agrarian revolution he led. Includes interviews with members of Zapata's family and with those like Emeterio Pantaleón who rode with Zapata. VHS 5589

Letters from the other side. 2006. (73 min.). Heather Courtney's film interweaves video letters carried across the U.S.-Mexico border by the film's director with the personal stories of women left behind in post-NAFTA Mexico. The video letters provides a way for these women to communicate with both loved ones and strangers on the other side of the border, and illustrates an unjust truth - as an American Courtney can carry these video letters back and forth across a border that these women are not legally allowed to cross. Focusing on a side of the immigration story rarely told by the media or touched upon in the national debate, the film offers a fresh perspective, painting a complex portrait of families torn apart by economics, communities dying at the hands of globalization, and governments incapable or unwilling to do anything about it. DVD 3166

Little injustices Laura Nader looks at the law. 1981. (60 min.). Anthropologist Laura Nader narrates this cross-cultural study of institutionalized conflict resolution. Shows how, in a remote Mexican village, face-to-face conflict among a small population demands swift and effective redress for injustices, while in the United States consumers with defective products are lost in a morass of frustrating claims, slow and costly legal action, ineffective public agencies, and unresponsive corporate entities. Studies are based on a 10-year study of 5000 consumer complaints. She discusses the legal procedures and remedies, and comments on the problems of an impersonal law and on large corporations. VHS 4946

Lost kingdoms of the Maya. 1993. (60 min.). An exploration of the forests of Central America and Mexico on the trail of the ancient Maya. Distinguished scientists unearth artifacts, reconstruct cities and decipher the hieroglyphics of an extraordinary civilization. VHS 2120

The lost world of the Maya. 1975. (36 min.). For over a thousand years the Mayan civilization grew and flourished in the rain forests of Central America. Discovered and finally destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadors, it was lost again until explorers brought it to light in the 19th century. Eric Thompson, an archaeologist who has had a 45 year love affair with the Maya, takes the viewer on a pilgrimage through the Mayan world, visiting, on the way, all the great ruined cities he has known for half a century. Describes ruins existing in such ancient cities as Tikal, Palenque, Yaxchilan, and Quirigna, and re-creates the Mayas' daily life. Concludes with a description of the theories that have been used to explain why Mayan civilization fell. DVD 5945

Maquila a tale of two Mexicos. 2006. (60 min.). Examines the maquiladoras, U.S.-owned export factories employing inexpensive Mexican labor. Covers the displacement of peasant farmers who migrate to northern border cities such as Juarez and Tiajuana, where they endure dangerous working conditions in the maquilas for very low wages. Also examines the environmental disasters generated by these factories and the unsafe living conditions of the workers, which have resulted in a series of brutal rapes and murders of young women employees. Examines the violent rural confrontations between the Mexican Army and Mayan peasant farmers as part of the government's efforts to suppress the rebellion. Features interviews with workers, factory managers, government officials, army officers, indigenous peasants, and economists. DVD 2199

Maquilapolis = City of factories. 2006. (68 min.). Explores the environmental devastation and urban chaos of Tijuana's assembly factories and the female laborers who have organized themselves for social action. DVD 2248

Maya the blood of kings. 1995. (ca. 50 min.). While Europe was in the midst of the Dark Ages, the Maya of Central America were developing a culture responsible for a complicated writing system, mathematic and astrological calculations and archeological marvels. Explore ruins in the jungles of Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala to understand a people both sophisticated and bloodthirsty and a society that collapsed with mysterious speed. VHS 5172

Mexico. 1988. (180 min.). Records the history and political events in Mexico from the Mexican revolution to the 1988 presidential elections through interviews and the use of extensive archival materials. VHS 655-657

Mexico. 1996. (50 min.). Examines the rise of Mexico's economy, and the series of crises which led to economic collapse. Includes interviews with members of Mexico's finance community and its micro-business association CAME. VHS 3653

Mi familia = My family. 1995. (127 min.). Presents the three-generation saga of the Sanchez family as told by the eldest son. From the beginnings of his father's journey from Mexico to California in the 1920s, to his brother Chucho's tragic rebellion of the 1950s, to the stark realities of modern day, the struggle to live the American dream is sometimes darkened but never diminished for Paco Sanchez and his family. HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 7054, HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5924

The Milagro beanfield war. 1988. (ca. 118 min.). A small Mexican village threatened by development and how a single act of rebellion rekindles its pride and strength of spirit. HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 1020, HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2167

Mojados through the night. 2004. (39 min.). Filmed over the course of ten days, this follows four men into the world of illegal border-crossing from Mexico to the United States. Guapo, Oso, Tigre, Viejo take the 120 mile cross-desert journey that has been traveled innumerable times by nameless immigrants who - like these four from Michoacan, Mexico - all had a simple dream for a better life. Fighting dehydration and exhaustion while evading the U.S. Border Patrol through sub-zero temperature darkness of night, filled with barbed wire, brutal storms and the ever-present confrontation with death, they endure unimaginable hardship that is the reality for tens of thousands of illegals who have made this similar journey. DVD 1545

Murder, money, and Mexico. 1997. (60 min.). For six years, President Carlos Salinas and his brother Raul ruled Mexico. They convinced Washington, Wall Street and the Mexican people that they had created a new age of freedom and prosperity for Mexico. But in 1994, days after Salinas left office, the Mexican economy collapsed, causing a world financial crisis and revealing scandal, corruption, and murder. VHS 4502

Muxe's autâenticas, intrâepidas buscadoras del peligro = Authentic, intrepid seekers of danger. 2003-2004. (101 min.). Among the Zapotec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico, boy babies who are born in a certain position, or little boys who prefer to play with girls, are raised as women, and are known as Muxes (pronounced "Mooshays"). The Muxes of Juchitâan are proud of their identity, enjoy their lives, laugh at themselves as well as at "straight" society, and admit their own foibles freely. They call themselves "Authentic, Intrepid Seekers of Danger," and have banded together to lead the fight against AIDS in Oaxaca. In this documentary, they talk frankly about their experiences of acceptance and rejection, and their successes in finding freedom, love and delight in their special identity. DVD 2126

The new Tijuana. 1990. (58 min.). A brief history shows the development of Tijuana, Mexico, from a very small village to a modern city of more than 2 million population; emphasizes the relatively recent social, economic and political changes. VHS 951

New world border. 2001. (28 min.). Documents the rise in human rights abuses along the U.S./Mexico border since the implementation of border blockades (Operation Gatekeeper), which have been erected in populated areas throughout the border region during the last decade. Includes interviews with immigrant rights organizers, testimony from immigrants, analysis of "free trade" policies and current efforts to build a vibrant movement for immigrant rights. VHS 7317

No vacancy global responses to the human population explosion. 2005. (92 min.). An examination of strategies to deal with human overpopulation in the U.S., Europe, India, Nigeria, Ghana, Indonesia, Iran and Mexico. DVD 5565

La ofrenda the Days of the Dead. 1989. (50 min.). Documents Mexican and Mexican American observances of Los Dias de Muertos. Emphasizes the enduring meaningfulness of practices and beliefs regarding death which appear pre-Columbian in origin. VHS 1852

The Other side = El otro lado. 2001. (27 min.). Examines the devastating impact of Mexican-United States migration. The families and communities left behind are disabled, and their languages and cultures are being destroyed. This program looks at villagers who strive to ensure that their children will no longer have to migrate to have a better life. VHS 7189

La otra conquista = The other conquest. 1998. (105 min.). Mexico, 1521. The Spanish army of Hernando Cortés has swept through the New World forcing their religious beliefs on the brave Aztec people. A skillful Aztec scribe, who survived the Massacre of the Temple in 1520, spends years trying to preserve the rites and customs of his people. The Spanish army would conquer their land, but not the soul of the Aztec people. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5755

A place called Chiapas. 1998. (ca. 92 min.). Documentary on the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas, Mexico filmed over an eight month period. VHS 6489, DVD 1312

Playing with poison. 2001. (46 min.). Elizabeth Guillette has studied the differences in the children of the Yaqui Valley of Mexico since 1993. The children of the valley towns are far behind those in the foothills in physical coordination, energy, and learning capabilities. The difference she observed was that pesticides have been used in the valley since the 1950s whereas in the foothills, where there is little agricultural industry, there is practically no pesticide use. The program follows Guillette as she meets with scientists for corroboration and possible solutions. VHS 830

Power of place, introduction. 1995. (58 min.). Earthly visions serves as an introduction to the series and attempts to show how geographic concepts can help sort out some of the world's most difficult problems. Boundaries and borderlands examines extensively the border cities of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas and also examines the impact of geography in St. Petersburg, Russia, Lanzhou, China, the Ivory Coast and Australia. VHS 3751-3752

Qué viva México! = Viva Mexico! 1979 (85 min.). Que viva Mexico: A film document of the history of Mexico, presented in four novellas: Sandunga, an exposition of Tehuantepec jungles and the peaceful lifestyles of their inhabitants; Manguei, a love story about a poor peon and his bride; Fiesta, devoted to bullfighting and romantic love; and Soldadera, a portrayal of the 1910 revolution in Mexico as depicted in the frescoes of Siqueiros, Rivera, and Orosco. Romance sentimentale: Eisenstein's first sound film, this experimental 1930 short is a dazzling symphony of images and sounds, made in collaboration with Alexandrov and Tisse. A video documentary of the history of Mexico, presented in four novellas: Sandunga, an exposition of Tehuantepec jungles and the peaceful lifestyles of their inhabitants; Manguei, a love story about a poor peon and his bride; Fiesta, devoted to bullfighting and romantic love; and Soldadera, a portrayal of the 1910 revolution in Mexico as depicted in the frescoes of Sigueiros, Rivera, and Orosco. VHS 6051, HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5929

Remember the alamo. 2004. (60 min.). In the early 1830s Texas was about to explode. Although under Mexican rule, the region was home to more than 20,000 U.S. settlers agitated by what they saw as restrictive Mexican policies. Mexican officials, concerned with illegal trading and immigration with Texas, were prepared to fight hard to keep the province under their control. In the area were 4,000 Mexican Texans or Tejanos, who were forced to choose a side. The conflict pitted brother against brother and devastated the community. This film shows the Tejano gamble for a more prosperous future in an independent Texas proved tragic. DVD 1173

Revolution, 1910-1940. 1988. (59 min.). Using rare archival film and interviews with prominent politicians, writers and historians, this program looks at the revolution of 1910 and the people and events that shaped Mexico's history in the first part of the 20th century. VHS 655

Sacred games ritual warfare in a Maya village. 1988. (60 min.). Presents how the Maya people see the world and how their symbolic world is renewed in the annual carnival celebrations. VHS 889

Science voices from the past. 1989. (26 min.). Featuring Nobel prize-winning physicist Dr. Leon Lederman, this program explores how our universe works. Even though he works in the world of high-tech and modern science, Lederman likes to think of himself as an ancient Greek whose work and methods are a continuation of sixth-century Greek thinkers. Lederman demonstrates that the answers to many of our questions still lie in the future but have a direct link to the past. VHS 1145

Se lucen = They shine: on being gay in Mazatepec, Morelos, Mexico. 2002. (14 min.). A documentary on gay life in Mazatepec, a small Mexican town in the township of Morelos. Includes footage by four gay men who are given disposable cameras and a video camera and asked to tell their own stories. Focuses on the Mojiganga, the one day of the year when gay men are given free license by the town to be who they are. DVD 3160

Señorita extraviada = missing young woman. 2001. (76 min.). Over 250 young women were kidnapped, raped and murdered from the city of Juárez, Mexico. The perpetuators of these crimes have not been apprehended, even though these crimes have been occurring regularly since 1993. VHS 7306

Sentinels of silence. 1971. (18 min.). Aerial views of seven archeological sites in Mexico. Shows stone palaces, deserted temples, pyramid mounds, and elaborate carvings. VHS 1077

Sin nombre. 2009. (96 min.). Sayra is a beautiful young Honduran woman who joins her father and uncle on an odyssey to cross the gauntlet of the Latin American countryside en route to the United States. Along the way she crosses paths with El Casper, a teenage Mexican gang member, who is maneuvering to outrun his violent past and elude his unforgiving former associates. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 6188

Six billion and beyond. 1999. (56 min.). Explores the issues of reproductive health, population, and environment in six nations: Mexico, Kenya, India, China, Italy and the United States. VHS 6835

The sixth section = La sexta sección. 2003. (27 min.). "Follows the transnational organizing of a community of Mexican immigrants who live and work in upstate New York. The men profiled in the film form an organization devoted to raising money in the U.S. to rebuild their hometown in Mexico. In the process, they accomplish more than they expected: they find power"--Container. DVD 4039

The sixth sun Mayan uprising in Chiapas. 1996. (56 min.). Chronicles the January 1994 uprising led by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. Film visually interweaves the Mayan past and Mexican Revolution with contemporary reality as it portrays an epic confrontation between impoverished peasants and large landowners and government forces in Mexico's poorest state. Features interviews with Sub-commandante Marcos, the ski-masked "poet warrior," as well as with other Zapatista leaders and soldiers. Others appearing on the video include: Bishop Samuel Ruiz, Mexico's outspoken practitioner of liberation theology; conservative Catholics who claim he is inciting revolution; peasants on occupied estates; government officials and army officers; and the guardias blancas, the landowners' private armies. Summary from Cinema Guild website: www.cinemaguild.com. VHS 5538

Slow food revolution. 2003. (52 min.). This film visits Italy, Mexico, and Australia to record the growing international eco-gastronomic movement known as "slow food movement". In opposition to the "fast food" world, the goal of the movement is to encourage people to slow down and enjoy food, protect traditional culture and the environment, encourage regional food production, and food education. DVD 4769

South of the border. 1989. (63 min.). Surveys protest music in Central America, from Mexico City to Managua, where popular music has become a forum for social commentary and political protest. VHS 3702

Split decision = Decisión dividida. 2002. (58 min.). Chronicles the rise of Jesus "El Matador" Chavez through the professional boxing ranks to number one contender for the World Championship when the U.S. government enacted two tough immigration laws that ordered the immediate deportation of all non-U.S. citizens with a criminal conviction. Despite his clear rehabilitation Jesus, with a prior conviction for armed robbery, was deported to Mexico. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 1530

Stolen childhoods. 2003. (86 min.). "Stolen Childhood is a feature length documentary on child labor. The story is told in the words of laboring children, their parents, and the people working daily to help them. Children share their experiences of exploitation and their hopes for a better life and future ... Filmed in seven countries: Brazil, India, the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, Kenya and Nepal, stolen childhoods examines the cost of child labor to the global community, probes the causes of this complex phenomenon and recommends actions that can be taken to eliminate this gross human rights violation in our lifetime"--Container. DVD 5028

The sword and the cross. 1991. (58 min.). This program explores the interests of the conquistadors and the church, and their effect on the indigenous population. Follows events of Columbus's second voyage, 1493, and subsequent conquest, colonization and quest for gold. Looks at the settlement at Isabella in Venezuela, its influence on Christianisation, exploitation and the crusade of Fr. Domenico de las Casas and others against slavery and brutality, and the decimation of the local population by disease. Looks at Cirtez's conquest of Mexico, Teotihuacan, the Aztecs and the results of Christianisation. VHS 1435

Taste. 1995. (60 min.). Travel around the world to explore the variety of foods, from a Day of the Dead meal in Mexico to a university lab devoted to studying taste perception. Every meal is a combination of four tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. VHS 4183

Todos somos Marcos. 1995. (47 min.). Describes the widespread support for the Chiapas uprising in Mexico (Marcos is the revolutionary name of a Zapatista Army leader) and the public opinion that political corruption, election fraud, subversion of constitutional law and economic collapse were caused by the desire of a few government officials to retain all power in their own hands. Includes excerpts from speeches by government officials and revolutionary leaders, interviews with Mexican citizens, and scenes of major events and large public demonstrations, both in Mexico City and in the provinces, between December, 1994, and February, 1995. VHS 4100

Trade. 2007. (119 min.). When 13-year-old Adriana is kidnapped by sex traffickers in Mexico, her 17-year-old brother, Jorge, sets off on a desperate mission to save her. As Jorge dodges overwhelming obstacles to track the girl's abductors, he meets Ray, a Texas cop whose own family loss leads him to become an ally. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4238

Uneasy neighbors. 1989. (35 min.). Uses dialog, interviews and narration to show the living conditions, hopes and fears of Mexican migrant labor families living in camps in north San Diego County. More than 150 camps have been closed since 1985, as residential subdivisions for the affluent are established in these once isolated areas. VHS 958

The urban explosion. 1999. (57 min.). Four mega-cities are investigated to see how they are meeting a major challenge of the 21st century: how to shelter and sustain the world's exploding urban population without destroying the delicate balance of our environment. In Mexico City people struggle with toxic smog and a dwindling supply of drinking water while nearby farmers must cope with the city's untreated waste. At the crossroads of Asia and Europe, Istanbul's infrastructure is strained by more than half a million new residents each year. In Shanghai, an economic boom and rapid urbanization have increased air and water pollution and caused a dramatic loss of farmland to industrial sprawl. In New York City, environmental inequality has resulted in serious health problems for some. VHS 6182

Vela tradition and change in Juchitán. 1986. (36 min.). Although the Zapotec Indians of Mexico have adjusted to urban life and modern economic pressures, they continue to preserve their cultural traditions. The film focuses on the association Angelica Pipi for the preservation of the vela tradition. VHS 1520

Viva Zapata! 1986. (112 min.). Emiliano Zapata, an ally of Pancho Villa, leads the Mexican peasants in a bloody revolt against an oppressive government and overthrows the cruel dictator President Diaz. However, each successive leader is no better than Diaz. Even Zapata himself ultimately fails as he tragically experiences the corruption of power, the deceit of politicians, and the consuming greed that can bring down the best of men.

We don't play golf here & other globalization stories. 2007. (33 min.). Using Mexico as an example of what much of the Third World has experienced, this documentary shows how foreign investment in export factories distort both the culture and environment. DVD 2702

When will our turn come? the urban poor of Oaxaca. 1982. (53 min.). Following a background report on the economic history of Oaxaca, Michael Higgins, anthropologist at the University of Northern Colorado who has lived in Oaxaca since 1968, interviews a number of low-wage and occasional laborers and a few professionals about their lives, jobs and aspirations. The film shows how the changing social structure affects sex roles, cultural relations, economic conditions, and religious practices. VHS 1519

The wild bunch. 1969. (145 min.). Outlaws on the U.S.-Mexican border face the march of progress, the Mexican army and a gang of bounty hunters led by a former member as they plan to rob a U.S. Army train. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4074

Y sigue la marcha andando! = And the march continues! 1997. (30 min.). Interviews covering the standing of lesbians in Mexico. DVD 3122

You only live once. 1937. (86 min.). An ill-fated young couple are separated when he is put in prison for a crime he didn't commit. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 746

Mexican-American Topics

The American Experience Zoot Suit Riots. 2002. (60 min.). Racial tensions between the Anglo and Mexican American communities in Los Angeles, California erupted into violence after the conviction of Henry "Hank" Leyvas and seventeen other Mexican American youths for the murder of José Díaz in what was perceived as an unfair trial in 1943. Lorena Encinas, a witness to the murder, kept the real killer's identity a secret until the end of her life. Prominent members of the Los Angeles community worked to fund an appeal for the defendents, even as battles between unruly US Naval personnel and Mexican Americans rocked L.A.'s barrios. Surviving family members of the seventeen convicts, riot witnesses and members of the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee tell the story of the riots, which is highlighted by photographs of the riots, the trial and their participants. VHS 6987

American me. 1992. (125 min.). Santana is a youth from the streets of East Los Angeles who becomes the leader of the Mexican Mafia behind the gates of Folsom Prison. With his two childhood friends, Santana rules the prison with an iron fist, continuing a vicious cycle from which there is no escape. After serving his sentence, Santana is back on the streets for the first time since his teenage years. But he learns life on the outside is as rough as it is behind bars. VHS 5760

The Americans. 1993. (60 min.). One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment returns to the United States to profile California's Mexican population and the Latin American communities of Miami and New York City. Poses questions about assimilation, national identity, and how these communities are changing what it means to be an American. VHS 2130

Born in East L.A. 1987. (84 min.). A Mexican-American repairman, born and raised in East Los Angeles, is accidentally deported to Mexico. VHS 2576, HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5757

Bread & roses. 2000. (110 min.). Maya is an illegal alien who has crossed the U.S. border from Mexico to search for her sister Rosa, and to begin a new life. After being reunited, Rosa gets Maya a job with a janitorial service in a large office building. While working, Maya happens upon Sam Shapiro, a muckraking lawyer and union agitator whom the service-workers' union has assigned to bring its "justice for janitors" campaign to the building. Appalled at the work conditions and unfair labor practices, Maya and Sam team up to fight her employer. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2619

The bronze screen 100 years of the Latino image in Hollywood. 2002. (120 min.). The Bronze screen honors the past, illuminates the present, and opens a window to the future of Latinos in motion pictures. From silent movies to urban gang films, stereotypes of the Greaser, the Lazy Mexican, the Latin lover and the Dark lady are examined. Rare and extensive footage traces the progression of this distorted screen image to the increased prominence of today's Latino actors, writers and directors. DVD 1499

Chicano! history of the Mexican American civil rights movement. 1996. (228 min.). Chronicles various aspects of the struggles for equal rights by Mexican Americans. VHS 4211-4214

Chicano Park. 1988. (58 min.). Under the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge is Chicano Park and its murals. This is the story of its creation and a history of the community. Traces the history of the Mexican-American community in San Diego, from its creation around 1900, through its peak in the late 1920s and its near extinction in the 1950s and 1960s, to its revitalization in the 1970s. Shows the process through which residents effect positive change in their lives and community by using the richness of their cultural heritage to educate themselves to gain political power. VHS 2113

A class apart a Mexican American civil rights story. 2009. (60 min.). Built around the landmark 1954 legal case Hernandez v. Texas, the film interweaves the stories of its central characters with a broader story of the civil rights movement. It also brings to life the heroic post-World War II struggle of Mexican Americans fighting to dismantle the discrimination targeted against them. DVD 5603

Crossing Arizona. 2006. (77 min.). Examines the border crisis as seen through the eyes of Arizona ranchers, border patrol agents, politicians, farmers, humanitarians, and Mexican migrants. DVD 2659

A day without a Mexican. 2004. (ca. 95 min.). California awakens one day to discover that one third of its population has vanished. A peculiar pink fog surrounds the state and communication outside its boundaries has completely shut down. As the day progresses, it becomes apparent the sole characteristic linking the missing 14 million is their Hispanic heritage. DVD 1008

Farmingville. 2003. (78 min.). Documentary film about the next group of immigrants, the Mexicans, that are following in our long history of immigration. It looks at the people of Farmingville, New York, and at how they are dealing with the influx of about 1,500 Mexican workers. DVD 278, HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2784

The fight in the fields Cesar Chavez and the farmworkers' struggle. 1996. (116 min.). The story of Cesar Chavez, founder of the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers. Examines the grape and lettuce boycotts and the non-violent movements of the 1960s and 1970s; these confronted conservative politicians and the Teamsters Union and inspired Chicano activism. Uses archival footage, newsreels, and contemporary interviews with activists, politicians, and Chavez family members. DVD 4890

Fighting for political power. 1996. (57 min.). Focuses on the emergence in Texas of Mexican-American political power and the creation of a third political party, La Raza Unida. Although the idea of a third party eventually proved ineffectual, La Raza Unida inspired a generation of political activists and pioneered voter registration strategies that eventually led to the election of thousands of Chicanos to political office. VHS 4214

Judy Baca. 1996. (25 min.). Judy Baca talks about the social impact of her paintings. VHS 7847, Streaming web video

The new Americans. 2004. (ca. 400 min.). A 3-part television documentary telling the powerful stories of the journeys of five families from their homes in the Dominican Republic, Nigeria, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Mexico and India to new lives in the United States. VHS 7815-7817

Salt of the earth. 1954. (94 min.). Dramatization of a mine workers strike in New Mexico in the 1950s where the issue was one of equality between the Anglo and Mexican-American workers. Depicts the attempt of a New Mexican mining company to break the strike. The strike ultimately succeeds because the wives of the miners take over the picket line after their husbands are enjoined by the court from picketing. HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 2736, HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5560

Struggle in the fields. 1996. (57 min.). Examines the efforts of migrant farmworkers to form a national labor union under the leadership of Cesar Chavez. Under the leadership of nonviolence advocate Cesar Chavez, farmworkers launched a strike against California grape growers in 1965, demanding better working conditions and fair wages. In 1970, they undertook a national table grape boycott that eventually led to the first union contracts in farm labor history. An important milestone in the struggle was the passage of the California Labor Relations Act. VHS 4212

Taking back the schools. 1996. (57 min.). Documents the Mexican-American struggle to reform an educational system that failed to properly educate Chicano students, resulting in a more than 50% drop out rate, and leaving many others illiterate and unskilled. It focuses on the 1968 walkout by thousands of Mexican-American high school students in East Los Angeles, which resulted in conspiracy indictments against 13 community leaders. VHS 4213

Tex-Mex music of the Texas Mexican borderlands. 2001. (ca. 60 min.). Tex-Mex music is an exuberant style with a Mexican soul and a rock'n'roll heart. It combines styles of corrida, norteno and others, is full of joy and energy, but carries significance through its lyrics about social problems. Flaco Jimenez, Lydia Mendoza, Frank Rodarte, Little Joe Hernandez and many others are shown in performance and conversation. VHS 3266, HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 268

U.S. Mexican War, 1846-1848. 1998. (240 min.). The U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848) tells the dramatic story of a war in which Mexico lost almost half of its national territory—including all of the present American Southwest -- to the United States. This critically acclaimed documentary series explores the events surrounding the conflict between two neighboring nations struggling for land, power and identity. VHS 5571-5574

Zoot suit. 1981. (104 min.). A group of Mexican-Americans are sent to San Quentin unjustly for the death of a man at Sleepy Lagoon. Based on the actual case and zoot suit riots of 1940s Los Angeles. VHS 3907, HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4939

U.S. - Mexican Border Crossing
Selected Documentary and Narrative Feature Films

Beyond the Border. 1998. (240 min.). Beyond the Border, with tenderness and beauty, follows the immigrant experience with Marcelo Ayala, who leaves his family on a risky journey to the United States. We begin to understand his decision to leave Mexico with the insights of his brothers, who before him, have each made the same journey. Beyond the Border rounds out the immigration's effect on family in Marcelo's home town of Michoacan, Mexico. VHS 7620

The Border. 2001. (107 min.). Directed by Tony Richardson and starring Jack Nicholson and Harvey Keitel. A border guard along the Rio Grande has to choose between loyalties to his job, country, wife, and his compassion for human suffering. VHS 473

Border Incident. 1949. (95 min.). Directed by Anthony Mann. To penetrate a gang exploiting illegal Mexican farmworkers smuggled into California (and leaving no live witnesses), Mexican federal agent Pablo Rodriguez poses as an ignorant bracero, while his American counterpart Jack Bearnes works from outside. DVD 2408

Borderless: Lives of Undocumented Workers. 2006. (27 min.). A docu-poem about the lives of undocumented worker. Gives voice to the dreams and struggles of undocumented workers, Geraldo, a Costa Rican construction worker, and Angela, a second-generation Caribbean domestic worker, bring to life problems of labour exploitation and family separation. DVD 2362, Streaming web video

Bread & Roses. 2000. (110 min.). Directed by Ken Loach. Maya is an illegal alien who has crossed the U.S. border from Mexico to search for her sister Rosa, and to begin a new life. After being reunited, Rosa gets Maya a job with a janitorial service in a large office building. While working, Maya happens upon Sam Shapiro, a muckraking lawyer and union agitator whom the service-workers' union has assigned to bring its "justice for janitors" campaign to the building. Appalled at the work conditions and unfair labor practices, Maya and Sam team up to fight her employer. DVD 2619

Crossing Arizona. 2006. (77 min.). Examines the border crisis as seen through the eyes of Arizona ranchers, border patrol agents, politicians, farmers, humanitarians, and Mexican migrants. DVD 2659

Dying to Leave: The Dark Business of Human Trafficking. 2006. (60 min.). Explores the current worldwide boom in illicit migration and looks at the dire circumstances that drive desperate people from their homes. DVD 2363, Streaming web video

The Garden of Eden = El Jardín del Edén. 1994. (104 min.). Directed by María Novaro. Three border-crossing stories are intertwined on the contemporary U.S.-Mexican border at Tijuana: those of a young Mexican mother with three children, seeking to start a new life after her husband's death; of a gringa adventurer looking for her whale-watching brother and for a Chicana friend in search of her roots; and of a campesino seeking to cross the border for better living conditions. DVD 416

The Gatekeeper. 2002. (103 min.). A racist, bitter U.S. Border Patrol Agent, moonlighting with a vigilante group, goes undercover posing as a Mexican migrant worker in an effort to expose an illegal alien smuggling operation. When the plan blows up, he is trapped with the aliens, in a web of desperation and tyranny that forces him to confront his secret past. DVD 1895

Go Back to Mexico! 1994. (57 min.). The story of one woman's attempt illegally to emigrate from Mexico to the United States amidst the background of growing public opposition to illegal immigration, particularly in California. VHS 3108

El Inmigrante. 2005. (90 min.). Examines the Mexican and American border crisis through the story of Eusebio de Haro, a young Mexican migrant who was shot and killed during one of his journeys north. DVD 3325

Letters from the Other Side. 2006. (73 min.). Heather Courtney's film interweaves video letters carried across the U.S.-Mexico border by the film's director with the personal stories of women left behind in post-NAFTA Mexico. The video letters provides a way for these women to communicate with both loved ones and strangers on the other side of the border, and illustrates an unjust truth - as an American Courtney can carry these video letters back and forth across a border that these women are not legally allowed to cross. Focusing on a side of the immigration story rarely told by the media or touched upon in the national debate, the film offers a fresh perspective, painting a complex portrait of families torn apart by economics, communities dying at the hands of globalization, and governments incapable or unwilling to do anything about it. DVD 3166

Mojados: Through the Night. 2004. (39 min.). Filmed over the course of ten days, this follows four men into the world of illegal border-crossing from Mexico to the United States. Guapo, Oso, Tigre, Viejo take the 120 mile cross-desert journey that has been traveled innumerable times by nameless immigrants who - like these four from Michoacan, Mexico - all had a simple dream for a better life. Fighting dehydration and exhaustion while evading the U.S. Border Patrol through sub-zero temperature darkness of night, filled with barbed wire, brutal storms and the ever-present confrontation with death, they endure unimaginable hardship that is the reality for tens of thousands of illegals who have made this similar journey. DVD 1545

My House Is On Fire. 1997. (ca. 19 min.). A look at U.S. immigration policy as seen from the view of two children: Pablo, age 9, and his sister, Maria-Victoria, age 6, children of illegal Latin American immigrants living somewhere in the Southern United States. VHS 5107

New World Border. 2001. (28 min.). Documents the rise in human rights abuses along the U.S./Mexico border since the implementation of border blockades (Operation Gatekeeper), which have been erected in populated areas throughout the border region during the last decade. Includes interviews with immigrant rights organizers, testimony from immigrants, analysis of "free trade" policies and current efforts to build a vibrant movement for immigrant rights. VHS 7317

El Norte. 1983. (141 min.). Film looks at the plight of illegal aliens in the U.S. Beginning in the remote mountain jungles of Guatemala, this highly-acclaimed drama about a brother and sister seeking a better life centers on two young Indians. When their father is killed by government soldiers and their mother taken away, they set out for the "promised land" to the north--El Norte. VHS 154

The three burials of Melquiades Estrada. 2005. (121 min.). Needing to keep his honor-bound commitment, Texas ranch foreman Pete returns the body of illegal Mexican immigrant ranch-hand Melquiades Estrada to his preferred resting place in the Mexican wilderness. Estrada had been accidentally shot by Mike, a newly-arrived U.S. border patrolman. Pete forces Mike to participate in his cross-country ritual of duty -- a voyage filled with revenge and redemption that will change both men forever -- and bring some semblance of meaning to the senseless death of Pete’s good friend. DVD 4227

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Area Studies: Mexico Titles Available as of September 10, 2009

Area Studies: Mexico
Titles Available as of September 10, 2009