HBO Latino this year celebrates the 10th anniversary of Habla, a 12-part documentary series in which U.S. Latinos from all walks of life share their experiences — recent or not — as U.S. immigrants.
The latest in the series, Habla Women, will bow April 18 at 8 p.m. It features testimonials by such prominent Latinas as Olympic boxing champion Marlen Esparza; NASA researcher Adriana Ocampo; CNN journalist Rose Arce; and adult film star Vanessa Del Rio. A preview can be seen on HBO Latino’s YouTube page.
The documentary series is produced by New York-based Latino Media Works, which produced its first Habla in 2003. The series was quickly extended to other cities, prompting spinoffs in Los Angeles (Habla Ya,) New York (Habla más;) Chicago (Habla y habla) and several other cities.
“Habla gives U.S. Latinos the opportunity to talk about their experiences and ideas about biculturalism, bilingualism and immigration,” Alberto Ferreras, creative director at Latino Media Works, said. “Since its creation in 2003 the program aims to give Latinos a safe space to talk about their reality, mixing English with Spanish and without feeling ashamed for who they are.”
More than 300 testimonials have been gathered for the series so far, Ferreras said, adding that his team has interviewed more than 1,000 Latinos.
