Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in America

High School/Adult

Harvest of Empire offers a comprehensive analysis of the connection between immigration to the U.S. and the long history of United States intervention in Latin America. “They never teach us in school that the huge Latino presence here is a direct result of our own government’s actions in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America over many decades — actions that forced millions from that region to leave their homeland and journey north,” says Juan González at the beginning of the film. The film is based on a book of the same title by González. A new edition of the book was released in 2022. 2012. 90 minutes.

The Houses Are Full of Smoke

High School/Adult

The Houses Are Full of Smoke is a documentary series released in 1987 studying U.S. involvement in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. "An eye-opening documentary about the Central American wars . . . the film's most frightening sequences are bloodless interviews with right-wing vigilantes--self-possessed men of power who suavely deny their responsibility for crimes attributed to them by human rights organizations . . . a formidable work of investigative cinema." - San Francisco Examiner. Streams free online.

If the Mango Tree Could Speak

Elementary/Middle/high school

If the Mango Tree Could Speak shares the story of ten girls and boys in Guatemala and El Salvador during the war. From losing family members to war, to challenges to obtaining an education, to the struggle to retain Mayan identity, the movie is filled with their stories, portraying the war through the lens of the youth whose lives it changed. There is a beautiful companion website, When We Were Young, with interviews conducted 20 years later.

Native America

Middle School/High School

The PBS documentary series Native America celebrates the innovations and stories of Indigenous peoples across the continent. The series architectural, scientific, and political contributions of Indigenous peoples and their contemporary realities are front-and-center, including those of the Mayan, Mexican, and Incan civilizations and their descendants. Airs on PBS and available as a DVD set.

Banana Land: Blood, Bullets, and Poison

High School/Adult

Bananas are by far the most popular fruit in the United States, but consumers know little about the conditions in which they are produced. Banana Land shows how behind the appealing polish of playful marketing campaigns lies a world fraught with unspeakable violence, corporate and political greed, and egregious violations of the most basic human rights.

Gold or Water? The Struggle Against Mining in El Salvador

High School/Adult

Gold or Water? The Struggle Against Mining in El Salvador explores how residents in the northern Salvadoran community of Santa Marta are fighting U.S. and Canadian mining companies eager to extract the rich veins of gold buried near the Lempa River, the water source for more than half of El Salvador’s 6.2 million people. The film streams for free online in English and Spanish.

Guazapa: Yesterday's Enemies

High School/Adult

Guazapa: Yesterday’s Enemies explores the past and present of the Salvadoran civil war. Don North, a U.S. war correspondent who had spent two months in El Salvador during the height of the conflict, returns to El Salvador to interview people about the consequences 26 years later. The film consists of those interviews and observations from 2009 as well as the observations he collected in 1983 when he first began documenting the crisis. Read COHA review of the film.

La Manplesa: An Uprising Remembered

High School/Adult

On May 5th, 1991, people took to the streets of Washington D.C.’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood to protest the police shooting of Daniel Gomez, a young man from El Salvador. The uprising called attention to the deep and widespread discrimination experienced by the Latinx community. Through testimony, song, poetry, and street theatre, La Manplesa weaves together the collective memory of one of D.C.’s first barrios and dives into the roots of the ‘91 rebellion. As people across the world take to the streets to demand an end to police brutality, the film honors the largely untold stories that have come before us, and explores how artists prompt us to remember what we still have to fight for. 52 minutes. Streaming on PBS, America Reframed.

Keepers of the Future: La Coordinadora of El Salvador

High School - Adult

In a fertile floodplain in El Salvador, a peasant movement puts down roots — growing resilience in the scorched earth of exile and civil war. But soon these farmers and fishing folk discover new challenges, and this time they are global: climate crisis, exacerbated by an economy of ruinous extraction. Viewers learn how the community relies on organizing and running for political office to protect the environment and their humanity. Beautiful cinematography and an engaging story. 2018. 24 min. 

Maria's Story:  A Documentary Portrait of Love and Survival in El Salvador's Civil War 

High School/Adult

Maria’s Story: In 1989, Maria Serrano, was on the frontlines of the civil war. With unprecedented access to FMLN guerrilla camps, the filmmakers dramatically chronicle Maria's daily life in the war as she travels from village to village organizing the peasant population, and helps plan a major nationwide offensive that led the FMLN into the historic peace pact of 1992. Originally produced in 1991, the contemporary DVD includes updates on Maria's family 20 years later. 2010. 60 minutes. 

Prudencia Ayala, (animación)

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL

This short animation follows the life of Salvadoran writer and social activist, Prudencia Ayala, who fought for womens rights in early 1900s. Due to poverty and limited access to school as a child, she could not continue her formal education past the second grade. Despite these obstacles, Ayala gained mass popularity after publishing predictions and feminist articles in favor of gender equality, anti-imperialism, and Central American unionism. She challenged the political and social parties and went on to run for Presidential candidacy despite the laws that impeded women from having any rights at all. This short film is appropriate for middle and high school students. Subject area connections include Central American history, women’s rights, indigenous rights, gender inequality, and changemakers around the world. 9 minutes.

Romero

High School/Adult

Oscar Romero was named Archbishop of El Salvador at a time when the country was in turmoil and a slogan on the right was "Be a Patriot--Kill a Priest." Starring Raúl Juliá, Romero follows the Archbishop's personal journey from being on the side of the elite to fighting fervently for social reforms and becoming “the voice for the voiceless.” Produced by a Roman Catholic order, the film says little about the role of the U.S. 1989. 102 minutes.

Roses in December

High School/Adult

Roses in December. On December 2, 1980, lay missioner Jean Donovan and three American nuns were brutally murdered by members of El Salvador’s security force. This film chronicles Jean’s life, from her affluent childhood in Connecticut, to her decision to volunteer with the Maryknolls in El Salvador, to her tragic death. "The power of this documentary is that it may reshock us into remembering the United States’ complicity in El Salvador: Our government arms a government that kills Americans." - Washington Post. 1982. 56 minutes.

Voces Inocentes/Innocent Voices

High School/Adult

Based on the life of co-screenwriter Óscar Torres, Innocent Voices tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who is forced to join the Salvadoran army during the civil war.

18 With a Bullet

High School/Adult

18 With a Bullet documents the life and experiences of a major Salvadoran gang called “18.” Gangs developed in El Salvador as a result of deportation of thousands of Salvadorans from the U.S. in the 1990s, including young people who had joined gangs while in Los Angeles.

500 Years: Life in Resistance

High School/Adult

500 YEARS: Life in Resistance tells the epic story that led Guatemala to a tipping point in their history from the genocide trial of former dictator General Rios Montt to the popular movement that toppled sitting President Otto Perez Molina. Focusing on universal themes of justice, racism, power and corruption, 500 YEARS tells the story from the perspective of the majority indigenous Mayan population, and their struggles in their country’s growing fight against impunity.

Download a film guide for educators.

The Art of Political Murder

HIGH SCHOOL/ADULT

Based on Francisco Goldman’s book of the same name and executive-produced by Academy Award winners George Clooney and Grant Heslov, The Art of Political Murder tells the story of the 1998 murder of Guatemalan human rights activist Bishop Juan Gerardi and how it stunned a country ravaged by decades of political violence. Read a review of the film.

Dirty Secrets: Jennifer, Everardo & the CIA in Guatemala

High School/ Adult

Dirty Secrets describes Jennifer Harbury’s courageous search for her missing husband Everardo — a Mayan rebel leader — and reveals the dark legacy of decades of CIA complicity in Guatemalan human rights abuses. Part human rights primer, part mystery and part love story, Dirty Secrets follows Harbury through a frightening journey to save Everardo and stop the killing in Guatemala.

El Silencio de Neto

High School/Adult

El Silencio de Neto is a coming of age story of a young boy in the midst of the U.S. backed overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 in Guatemala. Read a detailed description. This film, produced by Luis Argueta, is available on Netflix. 1994. 108 minutes.

Granito: How to Nail a Dictator

High School/Adult

Granito: How to Nail a Dictator is an award-winning film that connects the lives of five different individuals trying to piece together the past and demand justice for Guatemala. The leaders that had orchestrated the brutal genocide against the Mayans in 1982 have still not been brought to justice. An international human rights lawyer, a forensic archivist, documentary filmmaker, forensic anthropologist and Mayan survivor team up to make that justice happen. 2011. 103 minutes.

Download a discussion guide.

Guatemala: The Secret Files

High School/Adult

Guatemala: The Secret Files tells the story of a hidden history in Guatemala that is being uncovered by human rights activists and a non-profit tech company called Benetech. Archaeologists and Benetech have discovered an archive of hidden police records that documented the human rights violations committed by the state during Guatemala’s civil war. 

Ixcanul

High School/Adult

A Maya Kakchiquel teenager who lives on the slopes of a volcano in Guatemala juggles her traditional roles with her own desires. This film explores themes of Mayan girlhood, gender roles, and racial-ethnic marginalization in Guatemala. It is available for viewing on Kanopy and other streaming platforms. 2015. 1 hour, 33 minutes.

La Llorona

High School/Adult

A war criminal accused and tried for genocide in Guatemala is haunted by the ghosts of his war crimes. The home of a bourgeois ladino family becomes a haunted house as spirits terrorize the former general’s family. This horror film is an allegory for the Guatemalan genocide during the armed conflict from 1960 to 1996. It is available for streaming on various platforms. 2019. Directed by Jayro Bustamante. 1 hour, 37 minutes. 

Sipakapa Not Sold

High School/Adult

The transnational company Glamis Gold (now Gold Corp. ) operates a gold mine in Guatemala. The Maya People of Sipakapa defend their autonomy against the advance of the great neoliberal projects.

When the Mountains Tremble

High School/Adult

When the Mountains Tremble filmed in 1982 at the height of the Guatemalan Army’s repression against the Mayan indigenous people, has become a classic political documentary. It describes the struggle of the largely Indian peasantry against a heritage of state and foreign oppression.

Resistencia: The Fight for the Aguan Valley

High School/Adult

When a 21st century coup d’état ousts the only president they ever believed in, these Honduran farmers take over the plantations with no plans to ever give them back.

Beginning with the first coup in Central America in three decades, Resistencia: The Fight for the Aguan Valley picks up the story of the farmers who responded to the coup by taking over the plantations of the most powerful man in Honduras. The camera follows three of the movement’s protagonists and one brilliant journalist from the capital city over the four years between the coup and the elections that the farmers hope will return democracy to Honduras. Produced by Makila Usine Médiatique and Naretiv Productions.

Dawn of the People: Nicaragua’s Literacy Crusade

High School/Adult

The Nicaraguan National Literacy Crusade during the 1980s was an initiative carried out by mostly middle-class teenagers who traveled to impoverished rural and urban parts of Nicaragua to teach basic literacy skills. The literacy crusade drew on the teachings of Brazilian educator and theorist Paulo Freire and was led by Jesuit priest Fernando Cardinal. The Sandinista victory aimed to unify the country after the war and provide opportunities deprived in previous regimes, and the literacy campaign was one such initiative toward that goal. The documentary offers a perspective into the crusade through the eyes of teachers, students, and supporters during the war and in post-war Nicaragua. Available to view online on an unofficial YouTube post. Directed by Jay Craven and Doreen Kraft. 1984. 36 minutes. 

¡Las Sandinistas!

High School/Adult

¡Las Sandinistas! uncovers the untold stories of women who shattered barriers to lead combat and social reform during Nicaragua’s 1979 Sandinista Revolution, and the ensuing US-backed Contra War, as these same women continue as leaders in the struggle against their current government's suppression of democracy and women's rights.

The film is centered around the personal stories of Dora Maria Téllez, the young medical student who became a major Sandinista General, and four of her revolutionary allies - Nicaraguan women who overcame traditional gender barriers and subverted stereotypes to lead rebel troops in battle and reshape their country with landmark social reform. ¡Las Sandinistas! exposes a watershed moment in history when thousands of women transformed society’s definition of womanhood and leadership before facing renewed marginalization by their male peers after the wars ended. Now, 35 years later, amidst staggering levels of gender violence in Nicaragua, these same women brave the streets once again to lead popular movements for equality and democracy.

The Panama Deception

High School/Adult

In their Oscar-winning documentary, director Barbara Trent and writer/editor David Kasper contrast media coverage of the 1989 invasion of Panama with expert testimony. The filmmakers backtrack to the U.S. turn-of-the-century takeover of the Panama Canal--and volatile aftermath--before flashing forward to the reform-minded Carter era. When the CIA-supported Noriega comes to power, reform gives way to repression, and Reagan calls for the dictator's ouster. The documentary streams for free online. 1992. 90 minutes.

El Norte

High School/Adult

El Norte is a about a brother and sister who fled the persecution and civil war of Guatemala after the government army destroyed their home and family. The movie follows their journey north through Mexico, crossing the border into the United States, and life in Los Angeles as undocumented immigrants. Directed by Gregory Nava, El Norte received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 1985. The film was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." 1983. 139 minutes.

The Golden Dream/La Jaula de Oro

High School/Adult

The Golden Dream/La jaula de oro tells the story of four teenagers (three Guatemalan and one Mexican) on a dangerous journey across the border to the U.S. Their stories are based on 600 interviews conducted by the director. "La Jaula de Oro just may stand as the definitive Latino immigrant odyssey." -- Film Journal International. Listen to an extended Democracy Now! interview with film director Diego Quemada-Diéz on La Jaula de Oro and migration to the U.S. Available on Netflix. 

Which Way Home? 

High School/Adult

Academy Award nominee Which Way Home follows unaccompanied children as they make the long and treacherous voyage to the U.S. border. Some, like Olga and Freddy, venture out in search of distant relatives. Others, like Kevin, hope to find work to support their families at home. Often traveling for months or even years at a time, these courageous and determined children each have stories of hope and resilience, disappointment and sorrow. Chronicling the harrowing journey of thousands of migrant children, Which Way Home illuminates a powerfully human side of immigration.

La Manplesa

High School/Adult

On May 5th, 1991, people took to the streets of Washington DC’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood to protest the police shooting of Daniel Gomez, a young man from El Salvador. The uprising called attention to the deep and widespread discrimination experienced by the Latinx community. For thirty years, these three seminal days in the city’s history of racial justice movements have remained seared in the memories of community members — yet have also rested largely untold beyond the neighborhood’s own streets.

Through testimony, song, poetry, and street theatre, La Manplesa weaves together the collective memory of one of DC’s first barrios, dives into the roots of the ‘91 rebellion, and explores the ways that activism of the past informs and inspires present social movements. 52 minutes.

America First: The Legacy of an Immigration Raid

High School/Adult

America First: The Legacy of an Immigration Raid tells the story of Postville, a small Iowa town, a decade after a massive raid on the local meatpacking plant. With Donald Trump reviving George W. Bush’s immigration enforcement policies, Postville’s experience informs the impact, efficiency and repercussions of massive raids in worksites. 2018. 42 Minutes.

Smithsonian Latino Center. Roundtable discussion (2011).

Root Causes of Central American Migration

Eric Hershberg, director of the American University Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and Dennis Stinchcomb, assistant director for research, of the American University Center for Latin American and Latino Studies offered an in-depth presentation about many of the causes, consequences, and challenges of the Central American youth refugee crisis. 

History of Central America

Dr. Ana Patricia Rodríguez, associate professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and U.S. Latina/o Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, gave an overview of the history of Central America, including the Indigenous peoples, colonization, independence movements, and the role of the United States.