THE IN BETWEEN
A film by Robie Flores
(USA/Mexico, 2024, 84 min. In Spanish and English with English and Spanish subtitles)

Following the death of her brother, director Robie Flores returns to her hometown Eagle Pass on the Texas-Mexico border, yearning to turn back time. Immersed in the unruly experiences of adolescence—quinceañeras, Selena, Rio Grande river excursions, teen makeovers, and beyond—she rediscovers the intricacies of the home her brother adored and she once overlooked. What emerges is a playful dance between a personal and collective coming-of-age portrait of borderland youth and Robie herself as she reclaims joy in the aftermath of grief.

Premieres Monday, February 10
PBS’ Independent Lens

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VOCES Presents:

VOTO LATINO 2024
A film by Bernardo Ruiz

In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Latinos are projected to account for 14.7% of the electorate, representing a record 36.2 million eligible voters. VOCES: Latino Vote 2024 will delve into the policy priorities of this crucial and politically diverse group of voters through a set of immersive dispatches.  

Republican and Democratic campaigns are courting Latino voters more aggressively and earlier than ever, with the short-term aim of winning elections and the long-term goal of building political power. The stakes for both parties are high, especially in a charged race between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. An added variable is the unpredictable impact of a third-party candidate on unaffiliated, non-partisan Latino voters.

VOCES: Latino Vote 2024 looks closely at the landscape and trends within specific U.S. states. In Arizona, what used to be a Republican stronghold has transformed over the last decade. A new generation of organizers engages Latino voters in the face of anti-immigrant policies, the hard-right rhetoric of Republicans, and Biden’s current border wall policies. In Nevada, Latinos are projected to account for 1 in 5 voters. One of the groups most sought-after by politicians is the powerful Culinary Union, which is more than 50% Latino. California has one of the largest and youngest Latino populations in the country, fueled by a growing number turning 18 every year. Candidates must consider youth and digital engagement in a climate of economic anxiety, political polarization, and an organized backlash against civil rights.

HUMMINGBIRDS
A film by Silvia Del Carmen Castaños & Estefanía "Beba" Contreras
(USA, 2023, In English and Spanish with English subtitles)

Silvia Del Carmen Castaños & Estefanía "Beba" Contreras tell their own coming-of-age story inHummingbirds, a punk-rock portrait of the last summer of their youth on the Texas-Mexico border. Together they transform their hometown of Laredo into a cinematic wonderland of creative expression and activist hijinx. Winner of the Berlinale Generation Grand Jury Prize, Hummingbirds celebrates the power of friendship, laughter, and joy as tools of survival and resistance.

Opens, Friday, June 21 at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, New York City
Premieres, Monday, July 1 on PBS’ POV series

A THOUSAND PINES
A film by Noam Osband and Sebastián Diaz
(USA, 2023, 73 min. In Spanish and English with English subtitles)

Raymundo Morales leads a crew of Oaxacan tree planters traveling the United States in this intimate portrait of the hidden world of guest workers regrowing America’s forests. A Thousand Pines follows a crew of 12 Oaxacan tree planters led by Raymundo Morales as they work for the country’s largest reforestation company over the course of one season. As the work mounts, Raymundo balances the job’s demands with the needs of his men and their loved ones back home. Through the voices of the planters and company owners, we learn how the industry turned from American to foreign workers, and how planting went from work people cherished to work people endure.

Monday, April 1, 10pm ET
Independent Lens on PBS
Check local listings

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POV Presents:

UNSEEN
A film by Set Hernandez
(USA, 2023, 90 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles)

As a blind, undocumented immigrant, Pedro faces uncertainty to obtain his college degree, become a social worker, and support his family. Through experimental cinematography and sound, unseen reimagines the accessibility of cinema, while exploring the intersections of immigration, disability, and mental health.

Premieres Monday, March 18
PBS’ POV Series

Human Rights Watch Film Festival San Diego 2024 Presents:

SI PUDIERA QUEDARME
A film by Florencia Krochik and Theo Rigby
(If I Could Stay, USA, 2023, 73 min. In Spanish and English with bilingual subtitles)

When undocumented Latinx mothers Jeanette and Ingrid face deportation and separation from their young children– they courageously enter local churches to find refuge from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while keeping their families together. Over five years, they must face the constant threat of ICE raids while fighting for their legal status and inspiring allies in the predominantly white faith communities. Through an intimate lens, the film showcases the unwavering strength, love, and sacrifice of these mothers, who risk everything to keep their families together in the country they call home. Si Pudiera Quedarme is a call to action and a timely reminder of the transformation that can occur when communities work together for justice.  

In Person Screening:
Saturday, February 3, 4pm
MOPA at San Diego Museum of Art
1649 El Prado, San Diego, CA
*Q&A with co-directors Florencia Krochik and Theo Rigby

Streaming Stateside:
Sunday, February 4 — Saturday, February 10
Streaming online at hrwfilmfestivalstream.org

Watch the trailer:

THE DELINQUENTS / LOS DELINCUENTES
A film by Rodrigo Moreno
(Argentina/Brazil/Chile/Luxembourg, 2023, 180 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)

Buenos Aires bank employee Morán dreams up a scheme to liberate himself from corporate monotony: he’ll steal enough money to support a modest retirement, then confess and serve prison time while his co-worker holds on to the cash. Soon under pressure by a company investigator, accomplice Román heads to a remote rural idyll to hide the funds. There, he encounters a mysterious woman who will transform his life forever.

The latest from writer-director Rodrigo Moreno, The Delinquents reinvents the heist film as a free-flowing adventure like no other. A Cannes, New York Film Festival, and TIFF selection.

Now streaming on MUBI

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UÝRA: THE RISING FOREST / UÝRA - A RETOMADA DA FLORESTA
A film by Juliana Curi
(Brazil/USA, 2022, 73 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles)

Uýra shares ancestral knowledge with Indigenous youth in the Amazon to promote the significance of identity and place, threatened by Brazil's oppressive political regime. Through dance, poetry, and stunning characterization, Uýra confronts historical racism, transphobia, and environmental destruction, while emphasizing the interdependence of humans and the environment.

Broadcast premiere
Monday, September 25 on PBS’ POV Series — Streaming until Nov. 30

Watch the trailer:

BULLS AND SAINTS
A film by Rodrigo Dorfman
(USA, 2023, 52 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles)

After 20 years of living in the United States, an undocumented family decides to return home. Little do they know it will be the most difficult journey of their lives. Set between the backdrop of the rodeo rings of North Carolina and the spellbinding Mexican hometown they long for, Bulls and Saints is a love story of reverse migration, rebellion, and redemption.

Broadcast Premiere on PBS’ POV series on Monday, September 18; Streaming Until November 25