Past Season

Nuestra Comunidad – Latinos in North Carolina
(DOCUMENTARY, 58 minutes, 35 seconds)

This eye-opening documentary examines the complex issues facing the fastest-growing racial group in the “New South.” Looking specifically at the emergence of the Latino Population in North Carolina, the film reveals how Latino immigrants’ notions of home, family and community impact a state steeped in southern culture and identity.

Filmmaker Profile: Penny Simpson

A native of North Carolina, Penny Simpson grew up in the town of Elon College and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After film courses at NYU and in California she worked professionally in film, video and music production in California, New York and Mexico, where she lived for over 17 years. Simpson currently works as a documentary filmmaker, independent distributor, research analyst and advocate for Latinos in North Carolina.

• The documentary Nuestra Comunidad – Latinos in North Carolina was shot in digital format in Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Charlotte, Newton Grove, Mount Olive, Clinton, Burlington and in diverse rural areas of North Carolina. 
• The documentary was made possible in part by grants from the North Carolina Humanities Council, the Institute for Southern Studies and in-kind support from El Centro Hispano, Inc., the Department of Communications Studies of the University Of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, New Century Digital Media of Chapel Hill and with the support of friends, family, and the Latino community. 
• Nuestra Comunidad – Latinos in North Carolina premiered in Raleigh in November of 2001 at Witherspoon Theatre at North Carolina State University and at the XV North Carolina Latin American Film Festival.