Documentary

The Living Maya

This three part series documents life in a Yucatan village, focusing on one family over the course of a year.

Part 1 Introduces the village of Chican and the Colli-Colli family, and examines the structure of Maya agricultural and village life. 

Part 2 Hard-pressed by an illness in the family, the Colli-Colli face financial and emotional challenges using traditional solidarity to muster resources and comfort. Drought threatens the village’s crucial corn crop. 

Part 3 As the Colli-Colli resolve their difficulties and the village harvests a mediocre corn crop, viewers are left with an understanding of the underlying rationales of Maya life and with questions about their own assumptions, priorities, and values. 

Part 4 The Colli-Colli’s two youngest sons plead to be placed in school in Merida – the first of their family to reject traditional life.

Documentary

Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in America

This powerful documentary exposes the direct connection between the long history of U.S. intervention in Latin America and the immigration crisis we face today. From the territorial expansionist policies that decimated the young economies of Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba, to the covert operations that imposed oppressive military regimes in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador, Harvest of Empire provides an unflinching look at the origins of the growing Latino presence in the United States. Adapted from the landmark book written by journalist Juan Gonzalez, the film tells the story of an epic human saga that is largely unknown to the great majority of citizens in the U.S., but must become part of our national conversation about immigration. Directed by Peter Getzels and Eduardo López, 2012.