Barrio Television (Work in Progress): A Screening and Panel Discussion

Join us at the 125th Street Library for a special screening of BARRIO TELEVISION followed by a panel discussion between the filmmakers.
About this Event

Join us at the 125th Street Library for a special screening of BARRIO TELEVISION (work-in-progress, expected 2027 release). The screening will be followed by a panel discussion between the filmmakers Christina DiPasquale (director/producer), Joseph Torres (executive producer), and Kristofer Ríos (producer).

Registration is recommended but not required. You can register here.

ABOUT THE FILM

BARRIO TELEVISION (work-in-progress, expected 2027 release) is a feature documentary about Puerto Rican activists who, in 1972, interrupted WNET, Channel 13’s live pledge drive in New York City to launch “Realidades”—the first bilingual public affairs series by, for, and about Latinos on U.S. television. Through rescued film, newly developed photographs, exclusive interviews, and encounters between the original creators and their younger documentarians, BARRIO TELEVISION brings back the groundbreaking series that withstood corporate pressure, budget cuts, and political interference to make viewers of color feel seen, proud, and powerful. Runtime: 107 minutes

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Christina DiPasquale (Director, Producer) is a filmmaker and communications strategist whose work advances just and participatory media. She founded Balestra Media, leading storytelling for the International Rescue Committee and the National Hispanic Media Coalition, among other nonprofits. She produced several short films including Jim Crow Juvenile Justice and led publicity for Dirty Wars (Academy Award nominee; PBS) and XY Chelsea (Showtime). Barrio Television, her debut feature film, has received support from UnionDocs, NALIP, DOC NYC, Firelight Media, the William Penn Foundation and Borealis Philanthropy. Christina serves on the board of the Media Burn Independent Video Archive.

Kristofer Ríos (Producer) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist dedicated to telling narratives of communities underrepresented or misrepresented in the media. He produced KAROL G: TOMORROW WAS BEAUTIFUL (Netflix) and SCIENCE FAIR (National Geographic). Kristofer was the co-director and co-executive producer of MENUDO: FOREVER YOUNG (HBO Max). As a journalist, he’s produced investigative news documentaries for The New York Times, The Guardian, and ABC News Documentaries.

Joseph Torres (Executive Producer) is a leading authority on race and American media. He writes frequently on media and internet policy and is the co-author of the News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media, a New York Times bestseller. Torres is the co-founder of Media 2070, a public education initiative advancing policies and interventions that serve the public interest. He is senior advisor for Reparative Policy and Programs at Free Press and visiting scholar at the Media, Inequality, and Change Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School of Communication. A former journalist and deputy director of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Torres received the Everett C. Parker Award in 2015 for his contributions to media justice and public-interest communications.