Menu
Arts & Diversity to create community
A documentary about traditional Afro-Peruvian music and dance, showing its connection to Latin jazz. Filmed in Peru and the San Francisco Bay Area, it was originally released in 2007, then revised in 2016.
Finalist, Best Documentary, San Diego Black Film Festival.
Screened in three countries including the prestigious Pan-African Film Festival of Los Angeles.
“…exciting and varied tradition….” (Brad Eden for EMRO (Edu. Media Reviews Online)
“…good educational tool….” (Troy Bedford for Anthropology Review)
“…[star] Lalo Izquierdo…is so compelling you just might jump up and join in.” (Deidre Towers, former curator, Dance on Camera Festival)
aired over individual PBS stations
1 hour, color, SD, closed captions; produced-directed-hosted by Eve A. Ma. In English, and Spanish with English subtitles. $15 plus S&H (sales tax in CA)
Purchase on DVD with PayPal…. ..
OR you may Rent/Stream or Download here…. 
While focused on southern Indian classical bharatanatyam dance and music, it also includes one folk dance. Filmed in California, the solo dancer and musicians were brought over from India and most of the group dancers come from the Indian diaspora.
Includes interviews with K.P. Kunhiraman and Katherine Kunhiraman, the artistic directors, who provide a wealth of information about the art form, its connection to the Hindu religion, and its secularization in modern times.
“…visually pleasing, informative and entertaining. Recommended. (J. Reed for Video Librarian)
“The footwork is fast, the costumes beautiful….” (Multicultural Review)
WAVE finalist, Aliance for Community Media; rough cut received award from Berkeley Video & Film Festival.
aired over individual PBS stations
1 hour, color, SD, closed captions; produced-directed-hosted by Eve A. Ma; Richard R. Lee is assistant director. In English. $15 plus S&H (sales tax in CA)
Purchase on DVD with PayPal…. …
OR you may Rent/Stream or Download here…
This documentary looks at an artist of local fame to see what such an artist has to contribute to society. We find that s/he has an important role to play, from creating beauty and an appreciation of art on the local level to helping at-risk youth.
Growing up black in the segregated South, our artist, Hershell West, found that neither his society nor his family expected him to become an artist. But he triumphed over these obstacles and we are all the better for it.
“…compelling documentary…. Highly recommended.” (T. Keogh for Video Librarian)
“…[provides] an enriched sense of why public art matters.” (Paul Straghalis Albany, CA, Public Library)
“…inspiring.” (Pam Fingado former gallery owner & Arts & Culture Commissioner, El Cerrito, CA
Best Film, Fine Arts Category, Black International Cinema of Berlin (GERMANY). It also screened in festivals in USA and France.
1 hour, color, SD; closed captions, produced-directed-hosted by Eve A. Ma. In English. $15 plus S&H (plus sales tax in CA)
Purchase on DVD with PayPal….
…OR you may Rent/Stream or Download here….
Francisco Pérez left his native Spain with his mother, sister and cousin when he was a child, part of an immigration that brought thousands of country folk from Spain and Portugal to Hawaii under contract to work as farm laborers on sugar cane and pineapple plantations. Many of them later settled in Northern California.
Peréz himself, 98 years old when we interviewed him, was full of fascinating stories of life in Spain, Hawaii, and California. We enriched his narrative with on-location footage from all three places, and other material.
“[A]’must-see’ for any serious student of immigration….” (Prof. John P. Rosa, Univ. of Hawai’i, Manoa)
“…accessible and fascinating….” (Prof. Maddaline Marinari, St. Bonaventure Univ.)
WAVE finalist, Aliance for Community Media
1 hour, color, SD, closed captions; produced-directed by Eve A. Ma, hosted by Jaime Cader. In English. $15 plus S&H (plus sales tax in CA)
Purchase on DVD with PayPal…. 
..OR you may Rent/Stream or Download here….
Two artists from Mexico who now live in California show off their art and talk about its connection to their indigenous roots – Aztec and Mayan in particular. One, Ernesto Olmos, is a muralist, ceramicist, musician and shaman, creator of a magic “flute of fire” which indeed has a fire burning it it.
The other, Rubén Guzmán, shows off his cartoneria, a form of paper maché he uses to embody deities and other mythological figures from his dreams. These colorful figures range from small creations under 6 inches tall, to giant figures like the dragon heads he made for Disney.
“Highly recommended. For college, general-adult: Art, Latin Americans, Mythology….” (Elena Landry, for EMRO – Educational Media Online)
“A strong optional purchase for media librarian….” (Ashley Sousa, for Media Librarian)
“Response to the film…was enthusiastic….” (Catherine Ortiz, Adult Reference Librarian, Richmond (CA) Public Library)
30 min., color, SD, closed captions; produced-directed by Eve A. Ma. Host for the second half is artist Hershell West. Bilingual, English and Spanish. $15 plus S&H (plus sales tax in CA)
Purchase on DVD with PayPal…. ..OR you may Rent/Stream or Download here….
There are two things of great concern to Ricaro Peña of central Mexico, leader and chief drummer for an Aztec dance group in the San Francisco Bay Area. One is that his fellow Aztecs, and all indigenous people (including his own children) realize that being indigenous, being Indian, is something to be proud of, not a source of shame or embarrassment.
Born to an indigenous Aztec family which follows the traditional religion, his other concern is to be able to maintain his heritage, his culture, and his religion even though he has left his native land.
“…a great representation of how a Mexican American community is preserving their [sic] Aztec heritage…” (Pedro Lavizzari, for Video Librarian
25 min., color, SD, closed captions; in Spanish with English subtitles, produced-directed by Eve A. Ma. $15 plus S&H. (Sales tax only for CA orders.)
..OR you may Rent/Stream or Download here….
While our documentary tells something of the history of these islands, the focus is on the dance and music, and some of their unique qualities. We learn several stories that these dances tell, while the musicians acquaint us with the impressive array of percussion instruments that Tahitians have developed.
Great seafarers, we also discover that Tahitians have important things to teach us about man’s ability to do great feats without the aid of modern technology.
“…beautiful and informative….” (Chris Verdugo, production manager, CCTV)
Third place, Performing Arts, STAR award
1 hour, color, SD; produced-directed-hosted by Eve A. Ma, Richard R. Lee is assistant director. In English. $15 plus S&H (plus sales tax in CA)
Purchase on DVD with PayPal…. ..OR you may Rent/Stream or Download here….
Eight half-hour interviews with fascinating people from diverse ethnicities, some native born Americans and others, immigrants. The interviews are enriched with on-location footage. Our guests represent the following communities: African American, Bulgarian, Native American, Mexican, Swedish American, Hmong, and Persian.
The guests also represent a wide variety of careers: university professor, professional dancer, non-profit fund-raiser, social worker, small shop owner, painter, community college president, lawyer.
Roots & Branches: Letitia Moore awarded Best Film on Matters Relating to the Black Experience-Marginalized People from Black International Cinema, Berlin (GERMANY)
Roots & Branches: Pam Fingado: Honorable Mention, Arts category, Berkeley Video & Film Festival (USA)
Roots & Branches: the Series: Honorable Mention, Ethnographic category from Berkeley Video & Film Festival (USA)
Half-hour episodes (28-31 min,), color, SD; produced-directed by Eve A. Ma; hosts vary. In English. $60 plus S&H for series (plus sales tax in CA)
Purchase on DVD with PayPal.. .
Three experimental shorts shot in the city of Jerez de la Frontera (SPAIN): Two Streets & Adela (Dos Calles y una Chica), Tone Poem with Hang Drum (Poema en 4 dimensiones con hang drum), and Her (Ella).
–Two Streets & Adela tells the story of Adela on a very special day, in an attempt to capture the way of life in southern Spain, where things move more slowly and with greater feeling.
–Tone Poem with Hang Drum tells the story created in the filmmaker’s mind as she listened to haunting musical improvisations played by a young Israeli musician.
—Her is a 5-minute experimental film about the street, the flower, and the man.
Two Streets & Adela screened in the Film Festival of Jerez de la Frontera (SPAIN).
Two Streets & Adela was also officially presented as a special event by the City of Jerez de la Frontera (SPAIN).
Two Streets & Adela plus Tone Poem with Hang Drum screened in the Short Films Cycle of Cuatro Gatos Cultural Center of Jerez (SPAIN).
1 hour total, color, SD, closed captions, produced-directed by Eve A. Ma. In Spanish with English subtitles. $15 plus S&H (plus sales tax in CA)
Purchase on DVD with PayPal….…OR you may Rent/Stream or Download here….
Afro-Peruvian music as performed by some of its finest masters. The emphasis is on the cajón drum, a symbol of Afro-Peruvian culture. Artists include Lalo Izquierdo, Cotito (Juan Medrano Cotito), Huevito (Freddy Huevito Lobatón), Coco Linares, Jorge Luis Jasso and Vladimir Vulkanovich.
Recorded partly in Peru and partly in California, the musical tracks are from our two documentaries, Masters of Rhythm and A Zest for Life.
“…the exact peak…of artistic and professional mastery.” (David Montes for Flamencomania)
“A brilliant performance.” (Juan Garrido for Diario de Jerez)
“…a cantaor [flamenco singer] who… has reached the height of his career….the purest and most perfect flamenco….” (Fran Pereira for JerezJondo)
“…powerful, expressive and moving….” (Theresa Vasilly Saba for MyFlamencoDiary)
Afro-Peruvian music as performed by some of its finest masters. The emphasis is on the cajón drum, a symbol of Afro-Peruvian culture. Artists include Lalo Izquierdo, Cotito (Juan Medrano Cotito), Huevito (Freddy Huevito Lobatón), Coco Linares, Jorge Luis Jasso and Vladimir Vulkanovich.
Recorded partly in Peru and partly in California, the musical tracks are from our two documentaries, Masters of Rhythm and A Zest for Life.
“…a treasure chest of songs…performed by the great torch-bearers of the musical culture.” (Raúl da Gama for World Music Report)
Instrumental music (and one with vocals) – original compositions by musicians from around the world: Spain, Israel, United States, Ghana, Peru…. Composers/musicians include Malena Hijo, Liron Mann, James Esoimeme, Marilyn McClain and Coco Linares. There is even one number by filmmaker Eve Ma.
Recorded in Peru, Spain and the United States (read: California. Great music for relaxing, daydreaming, or as background music.
no reviews yet
