15: A Quinceanera Story

A "quinceanera" is a coming-of-age celebration for a Latina girl's 15th birthday, marking her transition from girl to woman. But for many American Latina teenagers, it is an event that means much more, allowing the girls to embrace their chosen identities while still honoring their cultures, traditions and, most of all, the families who have sacrificed so much to give them a good life in the U.S. Premiering on HBO over the course of four nights, 15: A Quinceanera Story is a series of four short films, each under a half hour, that follows five girls from different cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, bonded together by this traditional rite of passage. As the girls pick out their dresses, ready their courts and venues, practice their intricate dance routines, and conquer their nerves, they also reflect (as do their proud parents) on the struggles that have led them to their quinces and the hopes they have for the future. Heartfelt and inspiring, the series highlights a new generation of diverse, young Latina women, coming into their own with confidence and determination while never forgetting where they came from.