Episode Guide: What's Featured in 'The Latino Experience' This July
From dramas to documentaries, comedies to magical realism, "The Latino Experience" encapsulates a mosaic of perspectives exploring Latino/a/x identity through intimate fiction and nonfiction storytelling.
Uncomfortable Christmas Eve dinners, a journey through hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, life in the borderlands — see all of this and more in this three-part anthology series.
The premiere episode airs July 6 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and July 7 at 9 p.m. on KCET! In case you miss it, all episodes will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on PBS.org and the free-to-download PBS Video app.
Curious at what’s ahead? Take a peek at the lineup in the episode guide below.
Episode 1
July 6, 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
July 7, 9 p.m. on KCET
Death and Deathability: A Period Piece
Written, directed and produced by Maria Victoria Ponce. Produced by Sofia Cortez, Vincent Cortez and Heather MacLean.
Mystified by the unexpected arrival of her first period, Ceci (Blanca Ordaz) concludes she must be dying. She prepares a bucket list to accomplish on her final day, including her first real kiss and her own funeral, because death should be an art.
Folk Frontera
Directed and produced by Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborn. Co-presentation of “Independent Lens.”
A magical-realist portrait of life in the borderlands. Follow two fronteriza women as they struggle to find their place in the vast Chihuahuan Desert, a region whose culture is thousands of years old, but which is bisected by the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Blue Cape
Written, directed and produced by Alejandra López. Produced by María José Delgado.
Set in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico two months after Maria hit the island, “The Blue Cape” follows ten-year-old Junior (Yanniel A. Arce Rivera), summoned by his mother to search for the medicine his grandfather so desperately needs. To embark on his journey, Junior wraps himself in a cape made from the blue tarp that covers his roof.
La Tienda
Directed by Karina Lomelin Ripper. Produced by Ripper and Jessica Daugherty.
A profile of Daniela del Mar and Camila Araya Pérez, two artists and Latinx letterpress printers in Portland, Oregon, whose work intertwines social justice and Spanglish with the craft of traditional printing techniques.
Dear Queer Dancer
Directed and produced by Sarah Taborga.
Follow two LGBTQ trailblazing couples — Angelica and Jahaira and Luis and Ngoc — on their way to compete at the World Latin Dance Cup. Defying the genre’s legacy of machismo, their message to the Latin dance world? “Make room. We’re here.”
Episode 2
July 13, 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
July 14, 9 p.m. on KCET
Un Pequeño Corte
Written, directed and co-produced by Mariana Serrano. Produced by Mark Pulaski.
Reveals what happens when 6-year-old Elizabeth (Lucia Malagon) cuts off one of her pigtails while at school and must face the consequences. Her strong-willed and super protective mother (Camila Arteche) rushes Elizabeth to the beauty parlor, where she is the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. A first-generation Cuban American in Miami, Elizabeth seeks to find her own identity with the help of a new friend.
Body and Spirit in Times of Pandemic
Directed and produced by Andrés Caballero.
Follow Edwin Siguenza, a Guatemalan immigrant truck driver and pastor of a Latino Evangelical church in Los Angeles. When the pandemic hits, Edwin has to navigate the risks of being an essential worker while attending to the needs of his congregation and the pressure to keep the church open.
Our Lady Lupe
Written, directed and produced by Dominique Nieves.
The story of Chico, a 10-year-old boy (Derrick Delgado) who spends all his time playing video games. When his hard-working mother’s car breaks down, Chico embarks on a journey to fix it with the help of a mystical mechanic — and learns a lesson about tradition and family.
Pasos de Valor
Written, directed and produced by Natalia C. Bell, the film is inspired by the director’s own birth story.
The story of Val (Nathalie Carvalho), a pregnant MBA student whose due date and final exam are in conflict. Determined to create opportunity for her Mexican American family, Val takes the exam despite her professor’s refusal to make accommodations.
Episode 3
July 20, 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
July 21, 9 p.m. on KCET
Mi Fango, Mi Cerro
Directed and produced by Julia Mendoza Friedman.
A portrait of Chemi Rosado-Seijo, an artist who yearns to find utopia in Puerto Rico. After a long search, he believes he finds it in El Cerro, a rural, working-class community nestled in the mountains. For 10 years, he works with the community to paint houses across the hillside in different shades of green.
The Daily War
Directed and produced by Karla Legaspy. Co-produced and written by Adelina Anthony. A co-production with Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB).
The story of a veteran (Adelina Anthony) and her son, who struggle to make ends meet. When a job opportunity presents itself, it ends up triggering her PTSD.
Cuban American Gothic
Inspired by an original monologue by Maggie Diaz Bofill, the film is produced and directed by María Teresa Rodríguez and co-produced by Bofill.
The comic and slightly surreal story of Maggie (Maggie Diaz Bofill), who is living alone in New York City during the early 2020 pandemic. When her Cuban parents return from the dead to help, they remind her of their immigrant journey and that they have given her everything she needs to rise above the moment.
Noche Buena
Written and directed by Andres Rovira. Produced by Rovira and Ray Tezanos, who also stars as Javi.
Takes place on Christmas Eve as a dysfunctional Cuban family gathers around the dinner table. Caro (Erica Adams) struggles to get through the night as everyone grapples with political correctness, current events and the incessant battle between left and right. As resentment escalates into verbal and literal diarrhea, they uncover hard truths about themselves — all before the flan.
