Boston Latino TV

Friday, August 13, 7 p.m.
To the Other Side /Al Otro Lado (New England Premiere)
(Natalia Almada, US/Mexico, 2005, 66 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.)
Like many in Sinaloa, the drug capital of Mexico, 23-year-old Magdiel faces two choices: trafficking drugs or crossing the border into the United States. Yet Magdiel has a special talent that could be his ticket out: composing corridos – ballads about the narcotics underworld and illegal immigrant life. For over 200 years corridos have been Mexico's musical underground newspaper and the voice of those rarely heard outside their communities. From Sinaloa, Mexico, to the streets of South Central and East L.A., Al Otro Lado explores the world of drug smuggling, immigration and the corrido music that chronicles it all.

Friday, August 27, 7 p.m.
RiseUp (Boston Premiere)
(Luciano Blotta, USA, 2009, 88 minutes)
Jamaica gave birth to the worldwide cultural phenomenon of reggae. In a society where talent abounds and opportunity is scarce, three distinct and courageous musicians fight to rise up from obscurity for their chance to stardom. With music and appearances by legends Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, and a slew of soon-to-be superstars, RiseUp follows artists in the dangerous streets, back alleys and crowded dance halls of Kingston and the countryside. These artists demonstrate the raw power of hope and courage in a land which is largely unseen, but certainly not unsung. Introduced by Karen Holmes Ward, Director of Public Affairs and Community Services and executive producer of CityLine, WCVB Boston.

Friday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.
BEYOND IPANEMA (New England Premiere )
(Guto Barra and Béco Dranoff, Brazil/US, 2009, 89 minutes, in Portuguese with English subtitles)
For decades Brazilian music has captivated audiences worldwide. What makes Brazilian music such a powerful force? Why does bossa nova still lure DJs and producers fifty years after it was created? Why does the Tropicália movement resonate so deeply with the alternative-rock crowd? Through interviews with David Byrne, Devendra Banhart, M.I.A., Os Mutantes, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, Seu Jorge, Thievery Corporation, Bebel Gilberto, CSS, Creed Taylor and many others, Beyond Ipanema surveys the Brazilian music experience outside of Brazil, securing a unique position of its music in global culture. Co-directors Guto Barra and Béco Dranoff will introduce the film.
Co-presented with the Consulate General of Brazil in Boston, as part of the Brazilian Independence Day celebration. Special thanks to Cinema Tropicale.