Boston Latino International Film Festival 2009

Once every 10 years, Colombia's top accordion virtuosi gather in the market town of Valledupar to compete in a fierce musical battle to decide who among them is the undisputed Accordion King. This is a story of the traditional beat at the heart of Latin America's richest music, featuring an exclusive interview with pop star Carlos Vives and behind the scene footage of the legendary Vallenato Festival in Colombia's northern Magdalena Valley. Musica vallenata was born in the region where Gabriel Garcia Marquez drew hundred of professional practitioners, sometimes several generations of accordeoneros in the same family, perform dazzling feats of musical prowess at social events and duel for bragging rights at the annual festival.

Amancio - two faces on a tombstone is the story of a young cross-dressing man who was picked up at a bar by a straight man, murdered and then left for dead in the Colorado river in Yuma, Arizona. The sheriff's office quickly closed the case as 'unsolved'. An outraged gay citizen and activist stepped up to act as the voice for the Mexican immigrant family, organize and rally the community and help identify the killer. Three years later justice is finally served as the cold blooded murderer is sentenced to prison.

A Latina filmmaker documents the emotional journey of her uncle, a military vet deported to Mexico, and uncovers the secrets of her family's dark past. Animas Perdidas explores national identity and ties, the lives of immigrants, and what happens after deportees are sent to a homeland they don't consider home. Q&A with attending director

An intimate portrait of the challenges, successes and assimilation of an Hispanic immigrant community in rural America. In 1986 Mexican immigrants moved to upstate New York looking for a safer and more tranquil way of life. They had immigrated to Newburgh New York, but, deteriorating economic conditions, crime and inferior schools lead them to find a better situation for their families. Twenty years later, the Hispanic Immigrant community in Fleischmanns accounts for at least 30% of the population. Discover the ways these families have assimilated into the community through successful businesses and successes of the second generation children in the local School system. The village of Fleischmanns is a bright spot of hope as two cultures reach out to each other in friendship and understanding.

Three recyclers undertake a quest towards the mystical "Door of Forgiveness" in artist Miguel Alvear's debut feature, a phantasmagoric exploration of South American folklore. Centered around Ecuador's annual "Mama Negra" festival—an eclectic mixture of Catholic, African, and indigenous traditions—the film blends dance, costumes, and performance art to explore the transformations that take place when cultures collide. Stunning, surreal, and sly, Blak Mama is an audacious head-trip through the carnavalesque.

Two Mexicans manage to cross the US Border illegally through the desert. They find some food & water in an old Trailer. But there's also an old man with a stroke. Will they get help and risk being sent back to Mexico ?