Blogamole › documentary

By Horacio Garcia

For the last ten years, every year, 60 of Chicago’s High Schools meet in what has become the biggest contest of slam poetry in the world. The contest is called Louder than a Bomb and is the only way besides sports competitions in which the teenagers of America’s third largest city interact with other kids from different parts of one of the most segregated towns in the country.

The storyline of the documentary Louder than a Bomb, now in theaters, follows three individual contestants. Nate Marshal is a nerdy kid who had to learn how to use words to defend himself from harassment; Nova, a brilliant girl who takes care of her brother after been abandoned by their father, and Adam Gottlieb, a rich kid with a no nonsense manner and great verbal skills. The three of them enter the contest in the hopes of defeating the undisputed reining champs: Lamar Jordan and the slammers from Steinmetz High.

Slam poetry is a form of poetic contest as no other in the world. It was invented in the 80's, as a way to motivate ordinary people to listen to poetry (it's said that Mark Smith, the creator of the contest, was trying to make his construction working friends hear his poems…) and consists in awarding points to the contestants for the quality of the compositions.

The process is chaotic, exhilarating and a very, very loud: several dozen teenagers shout out their verses to an audience of hundreds that answers with equal glee in what sometimes looks like complete pandemonium. But the onlooker can notice that the chaos is part of a paced rhythm that is fundamental to poetry.

A large part of the story directed by Greg Jacobs and Jon Sistel concentrates in the kids from Steinmetz High; they are the poorest of the bunch and the most typically adolescents. They fight, have writer’s blocks and compose the most socially committed poetry, a poetry that can be at times ferocious and then heartbreaking.

The three individual poets, Nate, Nova and Adam are mighty characters of their own. Nate comes from the deepest South Chicago area, a neighborhood where been jumped is the most common occurrence in the world. Nate is what we usually call "a talent"; a brilliant kid from the bad part of the city who’s been attending magnet schools all his life. Nova cares for her autistic brother and in her poetry she scorches her drunkard of a father. Adam is just smart. He's just one of those guys with a different perspective of life. The verses of all three are very powerful.

The movie is touching and intelligent and shows no prejudices when looking at these young poets from very different backgrounds but I think its best achievement is been able to avoid concentrating too much in the competition and digging more in the lives of this young men and women and how Louder than a Bomb helps them to carry the burdens of life. A remarkable documentary in every respect.

Tags documentary, louder than a bomb, slam poetry

By Larry Yepez Jr.

What do Colombian drug king pin Pablo Escobar and a little Argentine girl with Down Syndrome have in common?  Sure at first you might think "absolutely nothing", but they both were this year's audience choices for best films in the most respected Latino Film Festival.

The first, Pecados de Mi Padre, an autobiographical documentary made by Juan Pablo Escobar,  chronicles what was like growing up in the shadows of his infamous father.  And the second, a fiction film called Anita, tells the story of a girl with Down Syndrome whose life changes after the AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) bombing in 1994.

For the past two weeks, the windy city was witness to another very impressive rendition of the oldest Latino Film Festival in the U.S.  Backed up by the International Latino Cultural Center, the Festival's mission this year was to promote diversity in Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the U.S. by screening over 120 Films from 20 different countries.

The festival focused on very important subjects in special segments, such as "Made in USA", which showed films of Latinos made in the United States, and Latin Women in Film, a segment that showcased female filmmakers, directors and producers. The festival also took a firm stance against homophobia by screening several films portraying the lack of compassion towards the GLBT community.

The closing night film was Chicogrande, starring Mexican actor Damián Alcázar, who was awarded with the 2011 Gloria Career Achievement Award.

Tags Chicago, chicago film festival, damian alcazar, documentary, Festival, Film, juan pablo escobar, Latino, Movies

By Simone Hilliard

Grammy Award winner Carlos Vives and other musical greats journeyed to Colombia's Magdalena Valley to explore the infectious sounds of accordion players in "The Accordion Kings,"  an inside the music 90-minute docu-film.

The legendary "King of Kings" contest takes place once every ten years in the remote Magdalena Valley where local music is celebrated and the accordion is king. Colombia's top players descend on the Vallenato Festival, a six-day musical melting pot featuring Latin America's finest, where one lucky musician will win the ten-year squeezebox title.

"The Accordion Kings" captures the mesmerizing fusion of African, European and indigenous rhythms of Vallenato music, the blues of Colombia, and also features two songs from Carlos Vives' new album Classicos de la Provincia II.

During this documentary, you'll meet the players and hear their stories — including one special highlight on Yeime, a young girl who overcame cultural stereotypes to become the first woman to win the competition in over forty years.

"The Accordion Kings" airs this Sunday (August 1) at 8pm EST on the Smithsonian channel.

Will you watch? Let us know below or @MTV3.

Tags CineMas Cool, documentary, Film, latin, The Accordion Kings, Tr3s

By Simone Hilliard

Oliver Stone’s controversial documentary (which portrays him as Hugo Chávez's supporter) will finally make it's mark in North America on June 25. "South of the Border" will premiere in New York and feature a Q&A with Stone after the screening.

Critics have attacked the flick since Stone announced production back in 2008, after appearing all buddy-buddy in the media with the Venezuelan president. The doc chronicles Stone’s 2009 road trip around five countries in Latin America to explore the leftist movement in each area.

Stone's primary goal was to survey what he perceived to be misconceptions of Chávez and other South American leaders. What he got was a whole lot of criticism.

We haven’t seen the movie yet, but TIME compared it to the Michael Moore docu-comedy Capitalism: A Love Story (which also premiered at the 2009 Venice Film Festival):

The film's first section briefly synopsizes Chávez's life from his mud-hut birth in Sabaneta to his rise through the Venezuelan military, to his abortive coup attempt in 1992 and his election seven years later to lead the world's third-largest oil provider — increasing the standard of living for many of his country's poor while denying many rights to those, especially in the media, who would oppose him. In the movie's rose-colored lens, the President comes across as an outsize personality, equal parts machismo and charisma..."

Sounds intriguing!

To find a screening near you, visit the official "South of the Border" site and follow the film on Facebook and Twitter for more details.

Will you check out "South of the Border"? Let us know below or @MTV3!

Tags documentary, Oliver Stone, South of the Border

By Daniela Capistrano

What if your religion was very non-traditional? "American Mystic," a new documentary by Alex Mar, explores the lives of people who have separated themselves from mainstream America to attain spiritual goals. The film will premiere April 22 at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.

Intertwining very intimate, apolitical portraits, "American Mystic" attempts to capture your imagination with compelling characters: Kublai, a Spiritualist in the former revivalist district of upstate New York; Chuck, a Lakota sundancer in the badlands of South Dakota; and Morpheus, a pagan priestess living off the grid in old mining country in southern California.

I contacted Cuban American director Alex Mar to learn more about what her journey into Spiritualism was like, obstacles she faced during production and how her Catholic upbringing influenced her work. "American Mystic" is her feature debut.

Alex Mar on location for "American Mystic"

Tr3s: What are some myths or negative misconceptions about Spiritualism that you’d like to clarify for the Tr3s Comunidad?

Mar: As I understand it, Spiritualism is about the continuity of life after our physical body has died, and the continuity of our relationships with those who have passed away before us. So you can speak to the dead through mediumship — but, as Kublai asks in the film, "What's death?"

Spiritualists have also historically been among the most open-minded and progressive Americans. The first women allowed to speak openly in a public forum were Spiritualist pastors. Abraham Lincoln consulted with a Spiritualist advisor.

There's a lot of emphasis in the history books on the showmanship of the early days of Spiritualism — table-tipping, seances, spoon-bending (as you see in my film) — but that was merely meant to bring attention to the bigger picture.

Could you sacrifice comfort for your faith? Watch the trailer and read more of our "American Mystic" Q&A, after the jump! Read more...

Tags Alex Mar, American Mystic, documentary, Q&A

The premiere for Michael Jackson documentary 'This Is It' went down in Los Angeles Tuesday night and was chock full of our favorite red-carpet ready Latinos! The roster included Jennifer Lopez, Roselyn Sanchez, Mario Lopez, Rosie Perez, and even former MTV VJ, Daisy Fuentes. Will Smith and Katy Perry also attended, as well as Paris Hilton and Paula Abdul. 'This Is It' hit theaters yesterday and will run for two and weeks.  The film follows Jackson during the concert rehearsals leading up to his untimely death.

Photos via Getty Images

Tags Daisy Fuentes, documentary, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Los-Angeles, Mario Lopez, michael jackson, Paris Hilton, Paula Abdul, Premiere, Red Carpet, Roselyn Sanchez, Rosie Perez, This Is It, Will Smith

FACT #1: Every 29 seconds a student in the United States drops out of high school

FACT#2: Latinos have the nation’s highest high school dropout rate, 2x higher than the national average.

FACT #1 + FACT #2 = UN PROBLEMA MUY GRAVE!

Why are so many Latinos dropping out of high school?  Too many times people assume that high school dropouts are just lazy, they don’t want to study or do homework so they drop out, but is that la verdad? We know that Latinos no son ningunos perezosos, and we take pride in being a group of hard-working people, so claramente this one-size-fits-all assumption is wrong.  It's become an easy excuse to ignore the Latino dropout crisis.  So what can be done to change these misconceptions?

Before we can find a solution, we need to know what the real problem is.  That's why this September, MTV Tr3s presents 'Yearbook Chronicles,' a documentary special that takes a glimpse into the lives of 8 Latino teens from Bell High School in southeast Los Angeles. Estos jovenes all began their high school journey together, but faced with different circumstances and challenges along the way, they don't all make it to graduation.  'Yearbook Chronicles' tells las historias of the soon-to-be graduates, and also explores the various reasons why their former classmates decided to drop out of la escuela.

'Yearbook Chronicles' premieres on MTV Tr3s on Saturday, September 26th at 2pm EST. Until then, watch the exclusive trailer below to learn more about the show, and keep it locked for more info to come!

Tags documentary, Education, teaser, Tr3s shows, Video, Yearbook Chronicles

We recently reported that Ricky Martin was livin' up la vida in South Africa, but the "Vuelve" singer returned to la isla del encanto on Monday night to support his benefit documentary, "Voces de la infancia.” The film, which started production back in fall 2007, includes a budget of over $100,000 and features a montage of 10 short stories depicting social issues affecting youth in Puerto Rico.

Ricky may be dominating the spotlight, but the main characters in this film are peace and social action. Make sure to represent and support the cause!

Stay tuned for more details of the premiere slated for release in January 2009. [Primera Hora, Ricky Martin Foundation]

Photo via Primera Hora

Tags benefit film, documentary, Latinos, Movies, Puerto Rico, Ricky Martin, ricky martin foundation, Voces de la infancia