Episode 1 – Tuesday, July 6
“Death and Deathability: A Period Piece.” 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. Written, directed and produced by Maria Victoria Ponce. Produced by Sofia Cortez, Vincent Cortez and Heather MacLean.
“Folk Frontera” is a magical-realist portrait of life in the borderlands. The film follows 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. Directed and produced by Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborn. “Folk Frontera”is a co-presentation of INDEPENDENT LENS.
“The Blue Cape” is set in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico two months after Maria hit the island. Ten-year-old Junior (Yanniel A. Arce Rivera) is 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. Written, directed and produced by Alejandra López. Produced by María José Delgado.
“La Tienda” profiles 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. Directed by Karina Lomelin Ripper. Produced by Ripper and Jessica Daugherty.
“Dear Queer Dancer” follows 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 is “make room. We’re here.” Directed and produced by Sarah Taborga