Nelson Varas-Díaz

In this documentary film a team of researchers examine the social contexts that influenced the emergence and permanence of heavy metal music in Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Peru. Colonialism, dictatorships, terrorism and neoliberal exploitation serve as points of reference for how heavy metal in the region has been directly linked to each country's social and political context.

This documentary explores the development and survival of a small, yet highly active, metal scene in the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Heavy metal music seems completely out of place in this setting when examined in the context of the island’s culture and history. Still, a local metal scene has existed during the past 30 years despite the challenges faced, and continues to thrive. How have they done it? That is what the film explores by focusing on the role of their strong communal ties that help them critically assess questions related to national identity, language, colonial politics, religion, gender, social transgression, and survival. You will never see the Caribbean in the same way...

Susan entered the convent as a naive young woman. There she established a “particular friendship” that would send her on a path of self discovery. Religion, transgression, sexuality, censorship, love and happiness, become intertwined in this short biographical documentary film. Through Susan, we revisit the importance of being unafraid, at all stages of our lives.

On September 20, 2017 hurricane María hit the island of Puerto Rico with category four winds. The local government reported the number of dead at 64, while a Harvard University lead study estimated 4645. This film tells the story of the research team that completed this historic study from the perspective of Dr. Domingo Marqués, the only team member to experience the hurricane firsthand. See how the local government, echoing an anti-science agenda in the broader US, reacted to the now famous study, and how a country that distrusts scientists prepares for the next catastrophic event.

This documentary follows a feminist group of women beekeepers on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Twenty years have passed since the U.S. Navy ceased using Vieques as a bombing range, yet the locals continue to endure the legacy of a military presence that brutally displaced the population and disrupted their connection to the land. Through an ethnographic lens, we accompany the women of “Colmena Cimarrona” (Maroon Beehive) over the course of a week as they work to revitalize the land through agriculture and beekeeping.

This documentary follows a community group of auricular acupuncturists who provide free services to local communities in Puerto Rico, where only licensed physicians are legally permitted to do so. In a country where the healthcare system has collapsed and the migration of doctors to the United States seems uncontrollable, the Acupuncture for the People project stands as a bastion of resilience, inspiration, and hope.