Latin American Film Project (LAFP)

The Latin American Film Project (LAFP) was started in 1973 by Barbara Margolis and Alfonso Beato to distribute films from Latin America in the United States for use by activists and those involved in solidarity movements. Films distributed include When the People Awake (1973), The Cost of Cotton (1978), and Puerto Rico: Paradise Invaded (1977). LAFP collaborated with Cine Information and the Neighborhood Film Project to write In Focus: A Guide to Using Films (1980), coauthored by Alfonso Beato, Linda Blackaby, Dan Georgakas, and Barbara Margolis. The book was designed to help activists and community groups in the non-theatrical sector learn how to screen and promote films for fundraising, education, and cultural activities, with information on selection, budgeting, speakers, and how to mount post-screening discussions.  In the late 1970s, LAFP merged with Tricontinental Films, another distributor of films from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, eventually evolving into Unifilm.