SUNDANCE SPOTLIGHT

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will shine a long-overdue national spotlight on one of the most influential cultural architects in American history: Luis Valdez. With the world premiere of American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) cements Valdez’s towering legacy as a revolutionary artist who transformed theater, film, and the visibility of the Mexican-American experience—while also affirming the vital role of public broadcasting in preserving Latino cultural memory.

Directed, written, and produced by David Alvarado, American Pachuco is far more than a biographical documentary. It is a cultural reckoning—charting how Valdez reshaped the American stage and screen by insisting that Chicano stories were not peripheral, but central to the national narrative.

From the Fields to the Forefront of American Theater

Valdez’s story is inseparable from the Chicano Movement itself. In 1965, alongside the United Farm Workers, he founded El Teatro Campesino, a theater company born not in traditional playhouses but in the fields—using satire, music, and performance as tools of protest, education, and empowerment for farmworkers demanding dignity and justice.

That radical foundation led to one of the most consequential theatrical moments in U.S. history. Zoot Suit originated at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, where it became an undeniable hit, electrifying audiences with its bold fusion of American Latino music, movement, history, and political urgency. The production was so successful that it made history—transferring to Broadway in 1979, marking the first time a Chicano playwright’s work appeared on the Great White Way.

In a rare and telling testament to its cultural impact, Zoot Suit didn’t simply move east. While one company made its groundbreaking Broadway run, a second cast remained in Los Angeles, where the show continued at the Aquarius Theatre, running for nearly a full year. The dual productions underscored something unprecedented: Chicano theater was no longer a niche movement—it was a mainstream cultural force commanding audiences on both coasts.

Edward James Olmos: A Full-Circle Cultural Moment

Central to Zoot Suit’s legacy—and to American Pachuco—is Edward James Olmos, whose star-making role as El Pachuco was written by Valdez and became one of the most iconic performances in American theater. The role launched Olmos’s career and redefined the possibilities for Latino actors at a time when such opportunities were nearly nonexistent.

Decades later, Olmos narrates American Pachuco not only as a collaborator and witness, but as co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Latino Public Broadcasting, the organization that partially funded the documentary. The symmetry is profound: a playwright who opened doors for an actor, and an actor who now ensures those doors remain open for future generations of Latino storytellers.

“Now more than ever, it’s crucial that we give a voice to our Latino filmmakers and make sure that our stories are heard,” Olmos said. “While these two films are very different, both of them celebrate how art can lift individuals and communities and bring about real transformative change.”

A Definitive Portrait of a Cultural Revolutionary

Winner of the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez features extensive interviews with Valdez, offering rare insight into his artistic philosophy, political consciousness, and lifelong commitment to cultural truth-telling. The film positions Valdez not only as a playwright and filmmaker, but as a cultural architect whose influence reshaped the American artistic landscape.

The documentary is a co-production of Insignia Films, ITVS, Latino Public Broadcasting, and Firelight Media, in association with American Masters Pictures and PBS, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It will premiere nationally in Fall 2026 as a co-presentation of VOCES and AMERICAN MASTERS, placing Valdez among the most essential artists ever profiled in the series.

LPB at Sundance: Expanding the Latino Story

Latino stories are foundational to American culture, not footnotes. And at the center of that truth stands Luis Valdez—a visionary who proved that telling our own stories is an act of resistance, celebration, and transformation.With American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, Sundance 2026 does more than honor a filmmaker. It honors a movement—and a legacy that continues to shape every Latino story told on stage and screen today.

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PBS Film Series Spotlights Latino Heroes on the Frontlines Against COVID-19

Latino Public Broadcasting, a leader in the development, production, acquisition and distribution of film and digital cultural media that is representative of Latinos, commissioned a series of short digital films in a collection called: Latinos Are Essential. The short films are currently streaming on PBS.

These films tell the stories of Latinos during the Covid-19 pandemic and showcase the work of dedicated “essential workers”—health care providers, teachers, food service workers, retail clerks and others—who have kept our country going while caring for their own families. These films not only profile extraordinary people; they provide an invaluable snapshot of life during an unprecedented year in our nation’s history.

Latinos Are Essential is available for streaming on all PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV and Chromecast. The episodes will also be available on PBS Voices, a YouTube channel from PBS Digital Studios that aims to explore what unites us through short-form documentaries. 

“While this year has been devastating, it has also given us a chance to reflect on all the work that our community does to keep Americans safe, fed and comfortable,” says Sandie Viquez Pedlow, LPB executive director. “We wanted to honor these extraordinary people while also providing emerging Latinx filmmakers with work, empowering them to tell the stories of essential workers in their communities. These short films provide a glimpse into the lives of people often unseen but so deserving of our recognition and gratitude.”

The Latinos Are Essential films:

All Around Us
Filmmaker: Andres Caballero
Location: New York, NY
Maria Hinojosa, host of NPR’s “Latino USA,” discusses her work reporting on the pandemic’s effect on Latino communities and her own bout with the virus.

Astrid
Filmmaker: Claudia Zamora Valencia
Location: New York, NY
Astrid is a construction and domestic worker from Colombia who finds a temporary job cleaning subway cars at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.

Chelsea: An Essential City
Filmmaker: Sabrina Aviles
Location: Chelsea, MA
Two-thirds of the residents of the port city of Chelsea are Latino and four out of five are essential workers. Meet a young city councilwoman and a sanitation worker who are keeping their city running.

El Paso Está Presente
Filmmaker: Ramon Villa-Hernandez
Location: El Paso, TX
Monica Navarro is an associate at the Cielo Vista Walmart, the site of the devastating 2019 shooting that left 23 dead. Despite the tragedy, she takes pride in her work and her role in her family and community.

Growing Up in the Shadows
Filmmaker: Lidieth Arevalo
Location: Kennett Square, PA
Anel Medina is a 28-year-old registered nurse and one of the 200,000 DACA recipients who are classified as essential workers, serving Americans across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Networked Education
Filmmaker: Juan Carlos Davila
Location: Corozal, Puerto Rico
In Puerto Rico, wracked by the aftermath of recent natural disasters and with unreliable electricity and internet access, two married teachers struggle to teach their students virtually while raising their own children.

Night Shift
Filmmaker: Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana
Location: Denver, CO
Twenty-two-year-old Dulce Bueno is a first response EMT who works long nights driving an ambulance for one of Colorado’s busiest trauma centers. Her job takes an enormous emotional toll, especially during the difficult days of the pandemic.

A Pescador in the Town
Filmmaker: Yvan Iturriaga, María José Calderón
Location: Oakland, CA
Meet Pancho Pescador, a self-taught Chilean artist and teacher, who spends his pandemic-era days bringing art and life to the struggling streets of Oakland.

Still Standing
Filmmaker: Rhonda Mitrani
Location: Miami, FL
Melanie is a Cuban-American first-grade teacher who is navigating the new experience of teaching her students online while caring for her three-year-old daughter and coping with sudden single parenthood.

Testing Community
Filmmaker: Jennifer Maytorena Taylor
Location: San Francisco, CA
Jon Jacobo, a first-generation Salvadoran American policy analyst and community activist from San Francisco’s Mission District, shares the story of the city’s Latino Task Force and its groundbreaking partnership with medical researchers to create large-scale COVID testing for Latinos and essential workers.

Todos Unidos y Yo
Filmmaker: Esau Melendez
Location: Chicago, IL
Alfonzo Seiva is a Mexican immigrant living with his wife and son, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy. After his maintenance business declined due to the pandemic, Alfonzo began a program that brings meals and groceries to people in need.

Featured photo: ‘Essential Workers’ video screenshot

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Season Kicks Off with “Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage,” a co-presentation of Voces and American Masters

Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) today announced that Season 5 of Voces, the acclaimed PBS documentary series exploring Latino arts, culture, and history, will premiere on four consecutive Fridays, September 13-October 4, 2019 (check local listings) on PBS, pbs.org and the PBS Video app. Voces is presented by PBS SoCal. The season launches on September 13 with “Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage,” a special co-presentation of Voces and American Masters.

This new documentary is a revealing look at the brilliant and charismatic actor, from his native Puerto Rico to the New York stage to Hollywood, whose mesmerizing performances took the world by storm.

“The Pushouts” (September 20) follows Dr. Victor Rios – a former gang member turned celebrated professor, TED Talk speaker, and author – as he mentors a new generation of young people.

“Adios Amor: The Search for Maria Moreno” (September 27), the discovery of lost photographs sparks the search for a hero that history forgot — Maria Moreno, an eloquent migrant mother of 12 who became an early and outspoken fighter for farmworker rights.

The season concludes on October 4 with “Porvenir, Texas,” an investigation into the tragic 1918 murder of 15 Mexican men in the tiny Texas border town of Porvenir. 

“These four documentaries illuminate the lives of extraordinary people — some famous, some unknown — who dared to speak out and make a difference,” said Sandie Viquez Pedlow, executive director of LPB and executive producer of Voces.

“They provide a unique look at our collective past and its impact on our present and future, and we’re proud to bring them to a national audience on PBS.” 

“This season of Voces is particularly personal to me,” said LPB Co-founder and Chairman Edward James Olmos. “I had the honor of working with Raúl Juliá on ‘The Burning Season’ and he had a profound effect on my life. I’ve also been inspired by the important work that Victor Rios is doing with young people of color. And, now more than ever, the stories of Maria Moreno, and what happened in Porvenir, Texas, deserve to be told and remembered.” 

“CPB is committed to providing support for stories reflecting the diverse experiences and cultures of all Americans, and LPB is an important partner in fulfilling our diversity mission,” said Maja Mrkoci, CPB Chief Content Officer. “We’re proud to support Voces and the impactful stories told in this new season.” In addition, Voces will be supported by a national community engagement campaign in partnership with local public television stations and community organizations to encourage thoughtful dialogue on the films and the issues presented. 

The schedule for the Fall 2019 season of VOCES follows:

Friday, September 13, 2019, 9:00-10:30PM ET (check local listings)“Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage” (a co-presentation with AMERICAN MASTERS)    Producer/Director: Ben DeJesus  “Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage” is the first documentary about the brilliant and charismatic actor whose magnetic work on stage and screen took the world by storm. This revealing portrait features Rita Moreno, Edward James Olmos, Anjelica Huston, John Leguizamo, Jimmy Smits, Rubén Blades, James Earl Jones, Andy Garcia, Esai Morales, and more. The film is a co-production of ITVS, NGL Studios, Diamante Content, and Latino Public Broadcasting in association with American Masters Pictures. Major support for American Masters–Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional support has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Friday, September 27, 2019, 10:00-11:00PM ET (check local listings)“Adios Amor: The Search for Maria Moreno,” Producer/Director: Laurie Coyle In “Adios Amor,” the discovery of lost photographs sparks the search for a hero that history forgot — Maria Moreno, an eloquent migrant activist and mother of 12. Years before Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta launched the United Farm Workers, Maria used the only weapon she had — her voice — and became an outspoken leader in an era when women were usually relegated to the background.  The first woman farmworker in America to be hired as a union organizer, Maria’s story was silenced and her legacy buried — until now.

Friday, October 4, 2019, 10:00-11:00PM ET (check local listings) “Porvenir, Texas” Director:  Andrew Shapter; Producer:  Christina Fernandez; Executive Producer:  Hector Galan In the early morning hours of January 28, 1918, in the border town of Porvenir, Texas, a group of 15 fathers, uncles, brothers, and sons were taken from their homes and executed; soon after, their families fled.  Who were the killers?  Why did they carry out such a horrific act? “Porvenir, Texas” explores this tragic story, asks what led to the events of that fateful night and reveals the tensions that still remain along the border a century later.

For more information, visit www.cpb.organd follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe for email updates. 

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The Imagen Foundation announced today 93 nominations in 18 categories from informational programming and on-air advertising to outstanding individual performances, and primetime programming in film and television. The 34^th Annual Imagen Awards will be presented Saturday, August 10th, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Among the nominees, the Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) also announced three of its LPB funded films are among the nominees: John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway; Bernard Ruiz’s documentary, Harvest Season, and Emilio and Gloria Estefan: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

The Imagen Foundation has honored and celebrated diversity in the entertainment industry for over 30 years. The award show has acknowledged actors, studios, executives, and many more for their exceptional performances and contributions in Hollywood.

The Imagen Awards nominees are determined by an independent panel of entertainment industry executives and Latino community leaders.

The Theatrical Motion Pictures Nominees are: 

Best Feature Film

• ¡He Matado a mi Marido! (HM Movie)
• Instant Family (Paramount Pictures)
• Monsters and Men (NEON/Moviepass Films)
• Pain and Glory (El Deseo/Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Director

• Sean Anders, Instant Family (Paramount Pictures)
• Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory (El Deseo/Sony Pictures Classics)
• Reinaldo Marcus Green, Monsters and Men (NEON/Moviepass Films)

Best Actor – Feature Film

• Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory (El Deseo/Sony Pictures Classics)
• Joe Camareno, Tin Holiday (Celtino Entertainment Group (CEG))
• Andy Garcia, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (Universal Pictures)
• Anthony Ramos, Monsters and Men (NEON/Moviepass Films)

Best Actress – Feature Film

• Jasmine Cephas Jones, Monsters and Men (NEON/Moviepass Films)
• Jennifer Lopez, Second Act (STX Entertainment)
• Isabela Moner, Instant Family (Paramount Pictures)
• Rosa Salazar, Alita: Battle Angel (20th Century Fox)

The Television Nominees are:

Best Primetime Program – Drama

• How To Get Away With Murder (ABC; ABC Studios)
• Magnum P.I. (CBS; CBS Television Studios, Universal Television, Perfect Storm Entertainment, Davis Entertainment, 101st Street Productions)
• Manifest (NBC; Jeff Rake Productions and Compari Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television)
• Pose (FX Networks; Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions)
• Queen of the South (USA Network; Fox 21 Television Studios and UCP)
• Shades of Blue (NBC; Universal Television in association with Nuyorican Productions, EGTV, Ryan Seacrest Productions and Jack Orman Productions)

Best Primetime Program – Comedy

• Abby’s (NBC; Universal Television in Association with Waila Inc., Fremulon, 3 Arts Entertainment)
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC; Universal Television in association with Fremulon, Dr. Goor Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment)
• Jane the Virgin (CW; CBS Television Studios)
• On My Block (Netflix)
• One Day at a Time (Netflix; Sony Pictures Television for Netflix)
• Superstore (NBC; Universal Television in association with Spitzer Holding Company, and The District)

Best Primetime Program – Specials, Movies & Limited Series

• Emilio & Gloria Estefan: Library of Congress Gershwin for Popular Song (PBS; WETA, Bounce, the Library of Congress, Latino Public Broadcasting)
• Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias: One Show Fits All (Netflix; Triage Entertainment)
• Icebox (HBO; HBO Films in association with Gracie Films and Endeavor Content)

Best Actor – Television 

• Gabriel Chavarria, The Purge (USA Network; Blumhouse Television and UCP (Universal Content Production))
• Jason Genao, On My Block (Netflix)
• Jay Hernandez, Magnum P.I. (CBS; CBS Television Studios, Universal Television, Perfect Storm Entertainment, Davis Entertainment, 101st Street Productions)
• Lin-Manuel Miranda, DuckTales (Disney Channel; Disney Television Animation)
• JD Pardo, Mayans M.C. (FX Networks; Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions)
• Jon Seda, Chicago P.D. (NBC; Wolf Entertainment in association with Universal Television)
• Diego Tinoco, On My Block (Netflix)

Best Actress – Television

• Alice Braga, Queen of the South (USA Network; Fox 21 Television Studios and UCP)
• America Ferrera, Superstore (NBC; Universal Television in association with Spitzer Holding Company, and The District)
• Diane Guerrero, Doom Patrol (DC Streaming Network; Warner Bros.)
• Lela Loren, Power (STARZ; End of Episode, Inc., Atmosphere Entertainment MM, LLC, G-Unit Film & Television, Inc. and CBS Television Studios in association with Starz Originals)
• Justina Machado, One Day at a Time (Netflix; Sony Pictures Television for Netflix)
• Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin (CW; CBS Television Studios)
• Mj Rodriguez, Pose (FX Networks; Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions)

Best Supporting Actor – Television

• Ser Anzoategui, Vida (STARZ; Big Beach and Chingona Productions in association with Starz Originals)
• Angel Bismark Curiel, Pose (FX Networks; Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions)
• Omar Leyva, Icebox (HBO; HBO Films in association with Gracie Films and Endeavor Content)
• Julio Macias, On My Block (Netflix; Sony Pictures Television for Netflix)
• Hemky Madera, Queen of the South (USA Network; Fox 21 Television Studios and UCP)
• Danny Pino, Mayans M.C. (FX Networks; Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions)
• Wilmer Valderrama, NCIS (CBS; CBS Television Studios)

Best Supporting Actress – Television 

• Carla Baratta, Mayans M.C. (FX Networks; Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions)
• Stephanie Beatriz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC; Universal Television in association with Fremulon, Dr. Goor Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment)
• Melissa Fumero, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC; Universal Television in association with Fremulon, Dr. Goor Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment)
• Isabella Gomez, One Day at a Time (Netflix; Sony Pictures Television for Netflix)
• Natalie Morales, Room 104 (HBO; HBO Entertainment in association with Duplass Brothers Productions)
• Rita Moreno, One Day at a Time (Netflix; Sony Pictures Television for Netflix)
• Genesis Rodriguez, Icebox (HBO; HBO Films in association with Gracie Films and Endeavor Content)

Best Young Actor – Television 

• Anthony Gonzalez, Icebox (HBO; HBO Films in association with Gracie Films and Endeavor Content)
• Elias Janssen, Jane the Virgin (CW; CBS Television Studios)
• Jenna Ortega, Elena of Avalor (Disney Junior Disney Television Animation)
• Jenna Ortega, Stuck in the Middle (Disney Channel; It’s a Laugh Productions)
• Marcel Ruiz, One Day at a Time (Netflix; Sony Pictures Television for Netflix)

Best Variety or Reality Show

• Hip-Hop Houdini (Fuse; 7Beyond)
• Last Week Tonight (HBO; HBO Entertainment in association with Sixteen String Jack Productions and Avalon Television)
• Mexican Dynasties (Bravo; Shed Media and Campanario Entertainment)
• Mira Quien Baila: All Stars (Univision; Endemol Shine Boomdog, Univision Studios)
• Pati’s Mexican Table (WETA Washington, DC / American Public Television; Mexican Table, LLC, WETA Washington, DC, FRANK. and Switchblade)
• World of Dance (NBC; Universal Television Alternative Studio in association with Nuyorican Productions and World of Dance)

Best Children’s Programming

• DuckTales (Disney Channel; Disney Television Animation)
• Elena of Avalor (Disney Junior; Disney Television Animation)
• The Loud House (Nickelodeon)
• Sesame Street (HBO; Sesame Street Workshop)
• Victor and Valentino (Cartoon Network; Cartoon Network Studios)

Additional Nominees are: 

Best Documentary

• A Sacred Journey (Higher Ground Entertainment)
• America ReFramed: Pyne Poynt (WORLD Channel; American Documentary)
• Great Performances: John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway (PBS; NGL Studios & Diamante Content Production in association with THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET & Latino Public Broadcasting)
• Harvest Season (PBS/Independent Lens; Quiet Pictures)
• The Sentence (HBO; Park Pictures in association with HBO Documentary Films)
• Wonders of Mexico (PBS; PBS and BBC co-production)

Best Informational Program (Local or National)

• Breaking Big (PBS; Ozy Media)
• Pati’s Mexican Table (WETA Washington, DC / American Public Television; Mexican Table, LLC, WETA Washington, DC, FRANK. and Switchblade)
• Univision 34: Mujeres en el Poder/Women in Power (Univision 34)
• VICE (HBO; HBO Entertainment in association with Vice and Bill Maher Productions)
• VICE News Tonight (HBO; HBO Entertainment in association with Vice and Bill Maher Productions)

Best Short-Form Non-Fiction Program

• Cuban Canvas (Riverfilms)
• SC Featured – A Dreamer’s Path (ESPN)
• SC Reportajes: Chicharito – Vidas Paralelas (ESPN)
• SC Reportajes – Maryland Gonzalez (ESPN)

Best On-Air Advertising

• Acura “Senses” (Orci)
• DISH Puerto Rico COPUR Inspiración (RightCut)
• DishLATINO Ingles Para Todos Campaign (RightCut)
• Sexism (Orci)

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Los Angeles, CA – Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), a non-profit organization funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, awarded twelve film and digital media projects made possible by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The awardees include nine documentary projects and three digital media shorts; ten of the twelve funded projects are helmed by Latina filmmakers.  The projects explore the breadth of the Latino experience, from Puerto Rico to Mexico to Brazil, as well as stories about Latino Americans from coast to coast.  Highlights include Nina Alvarez’s The Temporary Decades, on the fate of over 200,000 Salvadoran-Americans who will face deportation in 2019 when their Temporary Protection Status expires; Cecilia Aldarondo’s Treasure Island, a look at Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane María; and Christina Fernandez and Andrew Shapter’s Porvenir Texas, that revisits the 1918 massacre of fifteen Mexican men along the Texas border.

“We’re very excited about this year’s funded projects – they’re particularly timely and explore issues that our country is grappling with, from immigration to criminal justice to economic inequality,” says Sandie Viquez Pedlow, Executive Director of Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB).  “We’re proud to support these talented filmmakers and bring their unique perspectives to a national audience on PBS.”

Every year LPB invites independent filmmakers to submit proposals for production, post-production and digital support. All proposals are reviewed by a group of public media professionals, including journalists, independent filmmakers, academics, and executives from national funding organizations.

The 2018 awarded projects are as follows:

Current Issues Fund (CIF)

The Temporary Decades

Producer/Director: Nina Alvarez

Category: Post production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes

On September 9, 2019, over 200,000 Salvadorans who have legally lived and worked in the U.S. over the past 17-35 years will be declared illegal. They will either be deported or forced to live in the shadows when their Temporary Protection Status expires.  Three families fight one more battle against U.S. Government policies to reclaim their right to remain in the country they call home.

The Age of Water

Producer/Director: Isabel Alcántara

Co-Producer/Co-Director: Alfredo Alcántara

Category: Post-production; 1 Episode/90 Minutes

The Age of Water follows the story of a young mother who, while trying to find out why her town’s children are dying of leukemia, inadvertently uncovers the Mexican government’s dark business of water.

American Exile

Producer/Director: John Valadez

Category: Post Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes

Fifty years after they fought in Vietnam, two Mexican American brothers face deportation, and discover thousands of veterans who now struggle with the same fate.

The Esparza Project (W.T)

Producer/Director: Maria Agui Carter

Category: Research & Development; 1 Episode/90 Minutes

An exploration of the case of Patricia Esparza who has spent the last six years in prison for a crime committed 20 years ago – the killing of her rapist by her then-boyfriend. Her story encapsulates the contentious and complex system of crime and punishment in America and shows how Patricia’s story unfolds from her not initially reporting the assault to the police, and how many victims are shamed into keeping sexual assault a secret.

Public Media Content Fund (PMCF)

Dear Homeland

Producer/Director: Claudia Escobar, KQED

Executive Producer: Kelly Whalen, KQED

Category: Post-production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes

Dear Homeland is the story of Mexican singer/songwriter Diana Gameros and her 20-year journey as an undocumented immigrant from Cuidad Juárez, Mexico to Grand Rapids, Michigan and San Francisco as she waits to resolve her immigration status.  This is an intimate look at coming of age in a foreign country and finding one’s voice as a performer, told in large part through her hauntingly beautiful folk music.

Porvenir Texas

Producer/Director: Christina Fernandez

Co-Producer/Co-Director: Andrew Shapter

Executive Producer: Hector Galan

Category: Production; 1 Episode/90 Minutes

In the early morning hours of January 28th, 1918, a group of fifteen fathers, uncles, brothers and sons were taken from their homes and executed. The town of Porvenir, Texas was burned to the ground, and the remaining women and children fled. Who were the killers? And why were they never brought to justice?

Skin of Glass

Producer/Director: Denise Zmekhol

Category: Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes

When filmmaker Denise Zmekhol discovers that her late father’s most celebrated work as an architect is now São Paulo’s largest high-rise slum, she returns to Brazil to explore her father’s legacy and confront the harsh reality of inequality destroying the city he loved.

Through the Night

Producer/Director: Loira Limbal

Category: Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes

Through the Night explores the personal cost of our modern economy for two working mothers and a childcare provider at a 24-hour daycare center.

Treasure Island

Producer/Director: Cecilia Aldarondo

Category: Production; 1 Episode/90 Minutes

A kaleidoscopic portrait of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane María, Treasure Islandinvestigates a storm of a much greater magnitude: the economic crisis that crippled the island long before María arrived, and the disaster capitalism now reshaping it.

Digital Media – Shorts

The Daily War

Producer/Director: Karla Legaspy

Category: Digital Media; 1 Episode/10 Minutes

A struggling single mother who is a veteran takes on a new job only to discover that the work environment triggers her PTSD.

Joyride

Producer/Director: Edwin Gomez

Category: Digital Media; 1 Episode/9 Minutes

Teenage Latina twin sisters break their grandmother out of her assisted living facility for one last joyride.

Luciela

Producer/Director: Erin Ploss-Campoamor

Category: Digital Media; 1 Episode/10 Minutes

Luciela is a fiercely independent Mexican American girl with a tight-knit family that loves celebrating the 4th of July. Everything changes, however, when her beloved father is deported to Mexico.

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