VOCES Fall 2019: Episode Guide
The documentaries in the upcoming season of PBS series VOCES reaffirm the Latino Public Broadcasting's committment to exploring the rich diversity of the Latino experience. Illuminating extraordinary people and undertold stories, the documentaries in Season 5 bring Latino arts, culture and history to a national audience. See our episode guide below to learn about the upcoming films.
“Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage” (a co-presentation with American Masters)
Premiere: Friday, Sept. 13, 9 p.m.
The first documentary about the brilliant and charismatic actor Raúl Juliá traces his journey from his native Puerto Rico, to the creative hotbed of 1960s New York City, to prominence on Broadway and in Hollywood. This revealing portrait of a groundbreaking career cut short features Rita Moreno, Edward James Olmos, Anjelica Huston, John Leguizamo, Jimmy Smits, Rubén Blades, James Earl Jones, Andy Garcia, Esai Morales, and more. The film is a co-production of ITVS, NGL Studios, Diamante Content, and Latino Public Broadcasting in association with American Masters Pictures, with major support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and additional support provided by the National Endowment of the Arts. Produced and directed by Ben DeJesus.
“The Pushouts”
Premiere: Friday, Sept. 20, 10 p.m.
Meet Dr. Victor Rios – a high school dropout, gang member, and three-time felon by age 15. When a teacher’s quiet persistence, a mentor’s moral conviction, and his best friend’s murder converge, Rios’s path takes an unlikely turn. Twenty years later Rios, by then an award-winning professor, author and expert on the school to prison pipeline, rejoins his old mentor to work with young people who have been pushed out of school for reasons beyond their control. The film highlights the vast potential of young people to thrive when given access to meaningful opportunities and connections to adults who care. “The Pushouts” is part of American Graduate, public media’s long-term commitment, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to help young people succeed in school, career and life. Producer/Director/Writer: Katie Galloway; Co -Director/Producer: Dawn Valadez; Executive Producers: Sharon Tiller, Chana Ben-Dov
“Adios Amor: The Search for Maria Moreno”
Premiere: Friday, Sept. 27, 10 p.m.
In “Adios Amor,” the discovery of lost photographs sparks the search for a hero that history forgot — Maria Moreno, an eloquent migrant activist and mother of 12. Years before Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta launched the United Farm Workers, Maria used the only weapon she had — her voice — and became an outspoken leader in an era when women were usually relegated to the background. The first woman farmworker in America to be hired as a union organizer, Maria’s story was silenced and her legacy buried — until now. Produced and directed by Laurie Coyle.
“Porvenir, Texas”
Premiere: Friday, Oct. 4, 10 p.m.
In the early morning hours of January 28, 1918, in the border town of Porvenir, Texas, a group of 15 fathers, uncles, brothers and sons were taken from their homes and executed; soon after, their families fled. Who were the killers? Why did they carry out such a horrific act? “Porvenir, Texas” explores this tragic story, asks what led to the events of that fateful night and reveals the tensions that still remain along the border a century later.