VOCES

Indie Films Series / 2 Seasons

Produced by Latino Public Broadcasting, the acclaimed PBS documentary series VOCES features the best of Latino arts, culture and history and shines a light on current issues that impact Latino Americans. Devoted to exploring the rich diversity of the Latino experience, VOCES presents new and established filmmakers and brings their powerful and illuminating stories to a national audience.

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Chapter 1: Rose Petals

5m 42s

Young Latinos arrive at the Texas State Capitol with a quarter of a million rose petals that symbolize the number of Latinos who turn 18 each year in Texas and are eligible to vote. This new generation of Latino community organizers use the power of art, music and culture to inspire and tell their Texas story.

The Texas Border

5m 15s

Starting from Brownsville all the way through Laredo to El Paso, the Texas/Mexico border runs over one thousand miles. The majority of the population in this part of Texas is Mexican American. The border has been a hot button issue for many political cycles over decades. Today, it is being described as a violent place of chaos, but it has been home for generations of Mexican American citizens.

Meet the Band

12m 17s

Meet the members of the Mambo Legends Orchestra including Mitch Frohman and Carmen Laboy. The band provides a link to the golden era when the Machito Orchestra fused the big-band sound of popular music with the rhythms of Africa, Cuba, and Puerto Rico to create an enduring musical genre beloved around the world.

Behind the Scenes with the Band

6m 57s

Go behind the scenes with the Mambo Legends Orchestra who committed to keeping the sounds of the great Afro-Cuban bandleaders Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez alive for future generations.

Ain't No Sunshine

7m 28s

The Former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff describes President Donald Trump's obsession with immigration. Joanna performs on saxophone and Juan sings "Ain't No Sunshine" as Maria describes how she learned she had a different status than her siblings. The family attends at meeting organized by the TPS Alliance.

Waiting for a Verdict

8m 47s

Miles Taylor describes President Trump's preference for white immigrants. The Ayala family arrives at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Emi McLean explains that their argument is based on a change in practice. Judge panel hears arguments - and a family waits for over a year for a ruling.

Chapter 1

9m 5s

Meet Luis Cortes Romero, an immigration lawyer who is fighting to protect DACA. Growing up as an undocumented immigrant, Luis learned from an early age about the restrictions of not having American citizenship. While Luis was able to carve a successful path for himself, he often reflects on the time he lost getting to know his grandparents who were unable to join him and his family in the U.S.

Sabor Ártico: Latinos En Alaska Extended Trailer

1m

Latinos face unique challenges in the Arctic environment where things can be extreme, remote, and sometimes inaccessible. “Sabor Ártico: Latinos En Alaska,” a short documentary, introduces viewers to a growing population of Latinos in Alaska through poignant interviews that give insight on the importance of food and culture in adapting to the Arctic environment and in forging their identity.

When It's Good, It's Good Extended Trailer

1m

A filmmaker returns to her hometown in West Texas to document the effects of the boom-and-bust nature of the oil industry. An intimate portrait of family, memory, and economy, “When It’s Good, It’s Good” centers around life in an oil town called Denver City, Texas.

Sentir el Son Extended Trailer

1m

Sentir el Son is a poetic documentary short about an Afro-Mexican woman in search of her ethnic and gender identity through the West African and Afro-Mexican practices in music and dance. This is a heroine's journey about the struggle of ethnic invisibility and the hidden African Diaspora in Mexico.

The Kill Floor Trailer

1m

The Kill Floor, by Carlos Avila, is a narrative film inspired by the true-life situation that many Latino meat industry workers found themselves in during the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic. Forced to choose between making a living by working in unsafe conditions or to go without income, many workers were forced to choose between their livelihoods and their lives.

VOCES Shorts Extended Preview

1m 40s

Curated by Latino Public Broadcasting and showcasing the work of both emerging and established Latinx filmmakers, this anthology of narrative and nonfiction work explores issues such as identity, economy, arts, and community. VOCES Shorts offers four up-to-the-minute snapshots of the diversity and complexity of Latino life in America today.

Trailer | American Exile

30s

Brothers Manuel and Valente Valenzuela both volunteered and fought in Vietnam. Fifty years later they are among thousands of veterans who are being deported. The brothers don their uniforms for one last fight, to bring all the veterans back home.

A Vietnam Veteran’s Mission to the White House

2m 28s

When Manuel Valenzuela went to Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1971, he was 19 years old. He wears his uniform proudly to attend an event in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he announces his trip to Washington to deliver a letter requesting the president takes action to stop the deportation of veterans.

Disabled Veteran to be Deported Back to Pakistan

1m 13s

Zahid Chaudry joined the military after coming to the U.S. from Pakistan on a tourist visa. He was trampled in bootcamp training and is now in a wheelchair. His citizenship request is denied for failing to disclose misdemeanors from his time in Australia and a documentation mishap while volunteering at his local police department. His wife Anne is crushed when his deportation order moves forward.

Veteran Self-Deports to Mexico to Live in Exile

2m 28s

While Manuel Valenzuela heads east to Washington D.C., his brother Valente Valenzuela heads south to Chihuahua, Mexico to self-deport and live in exile. Valente shares the emotional turmoil he has faced since receiving his removal notice — including his suicidal thoughts. “This is not what America is supposed to be,” Valente says. He tosses his war medals into the Rio Grande in disappointment.

Two Veteran Brothers Become Unlikely Activists

3m 33s

When Manuel Valenzuela finds out his brother also receives a letter of deportation, he is shocked and says, “Join the club, brother.” Both had minor offenses on their record, which landed them in deportation court decades later. They decide to fight together and hit the local newscast to share their story and start a movement to stop the deportation of fellow veterans.

A Fallen Veteran’s Family Faces Deportation

4m 51s

Ashley Sietsema was 20 years old when she was deployed to Kuwait. Her mother, Olivia Segura, recalls receiving the news her daughter died. Amid grief, her husband was caught drinking and driving and has been scheduled for deportation. Segura says she fights for the rights of fallen veterans’ families because her family's pain is a result of the sacrifice her daughter made for this country.

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