PBS has become a haven for all manner of Latino content over the last few years. Last year they premiered the heartfelt and affecting documentary on Raúl Julia, The World’s a Stage, and have all manner of amazing short-form content available to stream on their app.
Most recently they debuted two new short films on both the PBS website and the PBS video app that look at immigration, personal responsibility, and identity in new and unique ways. In Mexican-American filmmaker Daniel Eduvijes Carrera’s The Fires of Soledad, an immigrant family is both emotionally and physically hindered by grief after losing a child while crossing the Rio Grande. As they attempt to mourn, their emotions start to manifest “fiery mystical powers.”
And Puerto Rican writer and director William Caballero’s film The Hummingbirds is also available to stream. The Hummingbirds follows father and son David and Brandon, respectively. Brandon is interested in exploring his sexual identity, leaning more toward the feminine, causing his ill father to ask him about it. With David (played by Caballero) growing sicker as the result of diabetic dialysis, Brandon starts to remember a time when his father was “Hummingbird Man,” using the bird’s small size and strength to overcome his treatments.
These shorts both come from Latino Public Broadcasting, a nonprofit collaboration with PBS aimed at distributing media both representative of Latinos and their issues. These two new shorts are just one of several available to stream and watch via the PBS website and streaming app.
It’s amazing what PBS keeps putting out, whether it be long-form or short-form content. Their emphasis on showcasing all walks of Latino life allows for unique and introspective films like these that are compelling, emotional and educational.
You can stream Fires of Soledad and The Hummingbirds on PBS.org and the PBS video app.