The Color Congress, a non-profit membership organization that is an ecosystem-builder committed to organizations led by people of color that serve nonfiction filmmakers, leaders, and audiences of color across the U.S., is currently streaming for free for a very limited time two iconic U.S. Latinx documentary films: La Lupe, Queen of Latin Soul by Ela Troyano and ¡Palante, Siempre Palante! Young Lords by Iris Morales.
La Lupe, Queen of Latin Soul tells La Lupe's story through character-driven interviews and first-person anecdotes, weaving an oral history as passionate as the artist herself. Known as "La Yiyiyi," the Cuban-born singer gained worldwide fame for her emotional renditions of classics like "My Way," "Fever" and "Going Out of My Head."
Her uninhibited performance style and powerful voice made her a trailblazer in Latin music during the 1960s and '70s. Rising to fame during the Cuban blockade that separated the country from the rest of the world, La Lupe's talent could not be contained - she became an inspiration to many for being unapologetically herself, especially within the Latinx LGBTQ+ community.
The film provides a collective portrait of mid-20th century Latin musical history through La Lupe's journey from San Pedrito, Cuba to New York City. Through interviews with fellow musicians, cultural historians, and those who knew her best, we discover an artist whose impact on Latin music and culture resonates to this day.
¡Palante, Siempre Palante! Young Lords: In the midst of the African American civil rights struggle, protests to end the Vietnam War and the women's movement for equality, Puerto Rican and Latino communities fought for economic and social justice. From Chicago streets to the barrios of New York City and other urban centers, the Young Lords emerged to demand decent living conditions and raised a militant voice for the empowerment of the Puerto Rican people in the United States.
¡Palante, Siempre Palante! documents the history with on-camera interviews, archival footage, photographs and music. The documentary surveys Puerto Rican history, the Young Lords' activities and philosophy, the torturous end of the organization and its inspiring legacy.
In 1969, a group of young Puerto Ricans transformed their community through radical action and grassroots organizing. ¡Palante, Siempre Palante! tells the untold story of the Young Lords Party—from their origins as community activists to their emergence as a powerful revolutionary force for change.
Both films are streaming for free through Wednesday, April 16 and are presented as part of the Color Congress documentary marketing initiative Elev8Docs, the organization’s learning initiative supporting research for over two dozen nonfiction films by directors of color, all nominated by our member organizations.
Stream La Lupe, Queen of Latin Soul and Palante, Siempre Palante! Young Lords.
