KCET Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Special Programming Beginning September 20

BURBANK, CA - Sept. 17, 2014 -KCET, the nation's largest independent

public television station serving Southern and Central California, commemorates Hispanic Heritage Month with several programs

and documentaries that highlight influential figures of the Latino community. These

specials capture the diversity of Hispanic voices and share with viewers their

many inspiring stories.  

Cuba's Secret Side, Pts. 1 & 2 - Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

This two-part documentary, presented back-to-back, is a journey into the

soul of Cuba. For three months, adventure filmmaker and author Karin Muller

hitchhiked around Cuba - living with fisherman and farmers, Santeria priestess

and country doctors. She was arrested over a dozen times, but in the end she

managed to get beyond the propaganda and rhetoric to capture the true character

of the Cuban people. CUBA'S SECRET SIDE is an entertaining, insightful, and

often humorous look at a side of Cuba that few foreigners get to see.

Cruz Reynoso: Sowing The Seeds Of Justice - Saturday, Sept. 20 at 10 p.m. 

This special paints a portrait of a man touched by injustice as a child who

dedicated his life to fighting discrimination and inequality as a lawyer, judge

and teacher. The compelling biography, told through a combination of archival

footage and interviews, charts Cruz Reynoso's humble origins, his appointment

to the California Supreme Court (the first Latino justice to serve in the

state's highest court) and more recently, his leadership on the U.S. Commission

on Civil Rights

Immigrant Nation: The Battle For The Dream - Saturday, Sept. 20 at 11 p.m.  

This feature documentary film is about the modern immigrant rights

movement. In particular, it is the story of the struggle of Elvira Arellano, a

single mother from Chicago, who fought her deportation. The film also

interweaves the stories of individuals, organizations, activists and community

leaders united by passion and a concern for justice. This film illustrates the

opposition to the controversial HR4437 immigration bill as well as the ongoing

struggle and demand for comprehensive immigration reform.

Johnny "Chano" Martinez: El Padrino Salsero - Friday, Sept. 26 at 8:30 p.m. 

Johnny Martinez was known as the Godfather of Salsa in Los Angeles, but his

influence ranged everywhere. In this documentary, the audience learns how he

was part of a wave of Cuban-Style Music that brought all the exciting Latin

sounds of the1950s. He started playing bass in the 1940s and worked with the

great bands of Perez Prado, Chuy Reyes, Celia Cruz, Noro Morales, Tito

Rodriguez, Carmen Cavallero, Migalito Valdez, and many more. Johnny's orchestra

recorded albums for Capitol Records, RCA, Liberty, Columbia, Decca, Tropicana,

Fiesta, and Musimex/Sono Tropic. Besides music, his career also included

movies, commercials and radio and television appearances. In this documentary,

Johnny recalls the pivotal moments of his career, and how much he loved people

dancing to his music.

Linda Ronstadt: In Conversation - Monday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m.  

This KCET special

features an exclusive interview with famed Latina Linda Ronstadt with

award-winning journalist and radio personality, Patt Morrison, who discuss the

rocker's latest memoir, "Simple Dreams". Ronstadt exposes the long

and difficult road to becoming the most successful rock singer of the '70s and

also reveals her inability to sing again due to her recent diagnosis of

Parkinson's disease.

Cubamerican - Monday, Oct. 6 at 9 p.m.     

CUBAMERICAN  is a documentary

that seeks to define a generation removed from Cuba at a very young age. The

influence of this past is much more abstract to these people who fled the

island nation as children with only vague nostalgic memories of playing on the

beach. Despite spending most of their lives growing up in the United States, a

strong Cuban identity remains.

ABC Colombia - Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 9 p.m.      

ABC COLUMBIA is an intimate

portrait of a small rural community in Colombia controlled by paramilitary

forces. The film follows a group of young children through a school year,

exploring the realities that nurture and perpetuate the violence that often

forces them to make difficult choices.

Stranded: The Andes Plane Crash Survivors    Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 9 p.m.      

STRANDED is the tale of flight

571, which crash-landed in a desolate glacial valley, high in the Andes

Mountains. 15 people died, including the pilot. Five were badly wounded. But --

miracle of miracles -- 29 lived. Three decades after the crash, the 16 survivors

revive long-buried emotions and intimate memories. They take viewers, moment by

agonizing moment, through their suffering, as hope turns into despair and as

hours stretch into days and weeks. Finally, just before disbelief hardens into

bitterness and fear turns to madness, the unexpected happens.

ABOUT KCET

On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital

role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central

California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well

as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its

50-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and

regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and

documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's

programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET

is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about

KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community

events, please visit kcet.org. KCET is a service of KCETLink.

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