Caribbean American Heritage: Watch

In this Puerto Rican coming-of-age story, Carmín's dream of moving to the city with her mother vanishes when she instead moves to the US with her new husband.

In the Dominican Republic, as early as 1512, African slaves escaped from Spanish plantations and lived with the island’s Taíno Indians or on their own in mountainous jungles in the remote frontier land of Hispaniola. These people who were known as “cimarrones,” meaning “maroons,” created their own independent communities that have survived for centuries and until recently remained isolated from mainstream Dominican society.

The CNN documentary ELIÁN shows how this incredible story is interwoven into the current political climate – and shows, for the first time, Elián González today speaking in a never-before-seen unfiltered way about his experiences.

Through her diary entries, eight-year-old Nieve reveals intimate details of a turbulent family life, which create an authentic portrait of the social and political unrest in Cuba under the rule of Castro.

The documentary examines the labor revolt, as well as the women who were called “Queens” due to their leadership. The documentary features historians, cultural ambassadors and educators as they look at the folklore, art and history surrounding the Fireburn.

The invasion of Grenada by US forces in 1983 echoed around the world and put an end to a unique experiment in Caribbean politics. What were the circumstances that led to this extraordinary chain of events?

Set in 1952 in a remote coastal village in Trinidad, 15-yeard-old Shellie follows a kindhearted Indian planter to work on his plantation along the river as he pursues the affection of two girls in a lasting tale of young love and loss.

Director Mikhail Kalatozov’s delirious masterpiece uses four stunning vignettes to paint a picture of pre-revolutionary Cuba, its culture, and the people who call the island home.

Seraphim "Joe" Fortes, born in the West Indies, became one of Vancouver's most beloved citizens. Using a colourful blend of music, poetry, cut-out and computer animation, this film celebrates Joe's life.

This intimate family chronicle, seen from the perspective of two women, unfolds the portrait of a generation unsure of what’s next in Cuba.

MASSACRE RIVER is a character-driven documentary that takes place in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, two ethnically and culturally distinct countries that have been forced to share an island since colonial times.

In 1973, the eleven-year-old Miguelito was discovered singing in San Juan airport by the legendary New York record producer Harvey Averne. Within a year, he went from the slums of Manuel A Perez to recording an album with the finest salsa musicians of the time, to finally performing with Eddie Palmieri at Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 people.

Steevens is a young Haitian immigrant living a challenging, but somewhat stable life in Santiago de Chile: he has a construction job, a home, friends, and fun. This precariously balanced life is disrupted when Junior, a childhood friend from Haiti, arrives in Chile seeking assistance from Steevens to establish himself.

In 1991 Puerto Ricans held the first-ever Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Transexual Pride march. Eight years later, director Jorge Oliver documented the 1999 Pride March, now an annual event on the island.

This film details the history, repertoire, and socio-political significance of tassa drumming in Trinidad & Tobago. It profiles the life and work of noted tassa drummer Lenny Kumar and his family while also developing the notion of tassa performance as a metaphor for Indian Trinidadian identity.

Join world-renowned chef José Andrés on an exploration of the most unknown – and some say, the most beautiful – country in the Caribbean. While most Americans know Haiti only through its disasters (earthquake, hurricane, poverty), José explores the UNDISCOVERED HAITI.

Through its sweeping narrative, infectious music and tension-filled encounters, the film allows the viewer to see, feel and hear the passion, commitment and joy of Septentrional's musicians, and through them, the unique Haitian spirit.

The Black Caribs, on the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, is a little known indigenous group of people. YURUMEIN (HOMELAND) is a 50-minute documentary that recounts the painful past of these Carib people.