Yo soy Boricua, Pa’que tu lo sepas!.

“Yo Soy Boricua, Pa’que Tu Lo Sepas!” explores Rosie Perez’s burning question: why are Puerto Ricans so damn proud? Her journey through Puerto Rico’s history gains inspiration from the vibrant music, dancing and energy of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and she uses this starting point to speak to Puerto Rican people about their identity and culture. We follow Rosie and her collaborators through New York, Miami and to Puerto Rico to document what it really means to be “Boricua.”

Puerto Ricans live in the United States in a limbo-like status. They are citizens, but don’t vote for President. They’ve traveled back and forth to the island freely for a century, but still suffer extreme prejudice and economic roadblocks. Their ancestral heritage includes Indigenous Taino, Spanish, African, Irish, Scottish and French, amongst others. Puerto Ricans were the first Latino group to migrate to the East Coast of the U.S. in large numbers.

In her directorial debut, Rosie Perez (“Do the Right Thing,” “White Men Can’t Jump, Fearless”) celebrates Puerto Rican pride. Alternately shocking and humorous, this documentary, which is narrated by Jimmy Smits (“The West Wing,” “NYPD Blue”), puts the themes of family, language, and racism into a historical perspective. The film uncovers the complex and controversial history between Puerto Rico and the United States: Forced sterilizations and birth control testing in Puerto Rico; the imprisonment and torture of freedom fighter Pedro Albizu Campos; Pedro Pietri, the pre-eminent voice for Nuyoricans; The Young Lords, a group of activists agitating for Puerto Rican rights in New York City; and the protests against U.S. bombing of Vieques. Few Americans know about these subjects, which are not to be found in American history books. Academy Award-nominated producer Liz Garbus (“Girlhood,” “The Farm: Angola, USA,” “The Execution of Wanda Jean”) and Emmy-nominated producer Rory Kennedy (“A Boy’s Life,” “Pandemic,” “American Hollow”) produce.

For more information at http://www.ifctv.com