POV Lands U.S. Broadcast Rights for Memories of a Penitent Heart

NEW YORK: Cecilia Aldarondo’s Memories of a Penitent Heart, which recently made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, will have its U.S. television debut on POV in 2017 on PBS.

Memories of a Penitent Heart, a co-production of ITVS for Latino Public Broadcasting, tells the story of a homosexual Puerto Rican man who moved to New York City in the ’80s and ultimately died of AIDS. Aldarondo is his niece, and in this doc she embarks on a journey to unravel unresolved family drama.

“Cecilia’s Aldarondo’s beautiful and evocative film explores the difficulties of not only being Puerto Rican in America, but also what it means to be gay and shunned by your community, family and church,” said POV Executive Producer Chris White. “This personal and complex portrait of her uncle, and those who loved him, shows how hard it can be to reconcile religion and sexual identity—and, in this case, demonstrably clouds the line between sinners and saints.”