Highlights Archive

RIT Shorts: Animation • WXXI-TV

WXXI continues to put a spotlight on the work of Rochester Institute of Technology film and animation students by presenting a series of shorts biannually.

RIT Shorts airs Thursday, September 24 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and the WXXI-TV Live Stream. Repeats Friday, September 25 at 10:30 p.m, Saturday, September 26 at 3 p.m., and Sunday, September 27 at 311 p.m. on WXXI-TV

RIT Shorts is a bi-annual series that showcases the work of some of RIT’s most impressive student filmmakers, offering these young producers a platform to share their films to a broader audience while offering WXXI viewers the chance to see the incredible talent that RIT is cultivating.

Featured shorts include:

The Interview by Gianneska Romero
Beatrice is unexpectedly interviewed by her childhood self, who questions whether she has achieved the dreams and ambitions she once imagined. As she reveals the disappointment she feels about her life, her younger self rejects her and chooses an idealized version of Beatrice who embodies every childhood aspiration. Heartbroken and unable to follow them, Beatrice is pulled back to reality, where she silently prepares for another shift at her dead-end fast food job.

Apple and the World Eater by Sarah Chen
Apple and The World Eater follows a little girl named Apple and her best friend, Billions, a walking capsule machine, as they confront the cosmic deity that has been consuming their world.

Family Portrait by Ryan Fay
A single view of a family’s kitchen provides a window into a child’s life, as family memories unfold over the years.

Starhead by Samara Reid
Two amateur space cadets attempt to save their captain from a dastardly villain.

Bugs in Hubris by Malachi Spight
It’s a slow summer day. There’s nothing to do and, most importantly, nothing to eat. Three little bugs long for a meal, searching for something to satisfy their hunger. But food may be closer than they think, and retrieving it may come with consequences.

American Masters “Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined • WXXI-TV

Explore the story of Dominican-American poet and novelist Julia Alvarez, who burst onto the literary scene and blazed a trail for a generation of Latino authors.

American Masters “Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined airs Tuesday, September 15 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Her semi-autobiographical novel, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, was published in 1991, followed in 1994 by In the Time of the Butterflies, which sold over a million copies and raised global awareness about life under Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. Spanning multiple genres and audiences, Alvarez’s work includes three nonfiction books, three poetry collections, 11 books for children and young adults and seven literary novels. This new documentary opens a window into her extraordinary journey from an idyllic, privileged childhood in the Dominican Republic to a life of exile in New York City to a brilliant literary career that shows no sign of slowing down. At 74, she recently published the critically acclaimed novel The Cemetery of Untold Stories.

Filmed in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined features extensive interviews with Alvarez, her family, and her literary contemporaries. The documentary is produced and directed by Adriana Bosch, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who served as series producer on the PBS series Latino Americans (2013) and Latin Music USA (2009). Born in Cuba, Bosch has produced and written a number of films for the PBS series American Experience, including a film on Fidel Castro and several acclaimed presidential biographies.

Photo credit: Corey Hendrickson

Hampton University Concert Choir at Mt. Olivet • WXXI Classical

As part of HBCU Week, WXXI Classical presents a concert by the internationally acclaimed Hampton University Concert Choir

Hampton University Concert Choir at Mt. Olivet airs Wednesday, September 16 at 3 p.m. on WXXI Classical FM 91.5 and streaming live on WXXIClassical.org.

Recorded in Rochester in March as part of its 2026 tour, the concert includes a variety of sacred choral works, American spiritual and popular songs.

More HBCU Week Programming

Concierto • WXXI Classical

Enjoy this weekly program of classical music presented in Spanish and English.

Concierto airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FM 91.5 and streaming live on WXXIClassical.org.

Concierto is the first classical music program to specifically target Latino listeners. Host Frank Dominguez presents classical music in English and in Spanish. Music by Spanish and Latin American composers such as Enrique Granados and Astor Piazzolla is alternated with classical favorites performed by Hispanic artists such as conductor Gustavo Dudamel, pianist Gabriela Montero, guitarist Manuel Barrueco, and singer Placido Domingo. Through its bilingual presentation, Concierto provides an entry point for Latinos interested in learning more about classical music. It also appeals to Hispanics already familiar with classical music by celebrating the diversity of their culture and its contributions to classical music.

Cielo • The Little Theatre

How far would you go to reach heaven? Santa, a young indigenous girl, embarks on a rollercoaster journey to take her mother out of a life of hardship and into eternal paradise.

Cielo plays at The Little Theatre on Sunday, September 20 and Sunday, September 27.

Eight-year-old Santa (Fernanda Gutiérrez Aranda) liberates her mother from the hands of an abusive father. Infused with the powers of a goldfish she swallowed whole, she sets off on a fantastical road trip toward a heaven in the sky she believes is as real as the ground beneath her. On her journey through the otherworldly Bolivian Altiplano, she tests the faith of a priest, befriends a troupe of cholita wrestlers, and clashes with a burnt-out cop grieving the death of his wife. Eyes firmly on the horizon, she leaves a trail of miracles in her wake and prompts her unlikely followers to question everything they believed was possible.

Shot on location in Bolivia with an eye-popping color palette, Spanish filmmaker Alberto Sciamma’s magical realist road movie bursts with empathy and wonder.

Broadcast in Spanish with English subtitles.

Get your tickets here.

Al Capone: ICON • WXXI-TV

Was Al Capone the quintessential self-made American man, a ruthless killer, or both?

Al Capone: ICON airs Tuesday, September 1 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Al Capone: the quintessential self-made American man, ruthless killer or both? Just his name sparks images of pin-stripe suits and bloody violence. To this day, Americans are fascinated by this celebrity gangster. The question is why?

Weekend in Havana • WXXI-TV

Travel to Cuba’s vibrant, alluring and rapidly changing capital in “Weekend in Havana.

Weekend in Havana airs Friday, September 25 at 4 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Join Geoffrey Baer as he travels to Havana, where dancers, musicians, architects, and writers invite him into their lives to experience the color, culture, and history of a beautiful and seductive city only recently re-opened to Americans. “Weekend in Havana” illuminates and surprises, inviting viewers to experience a Cuba that is sizzling with the energy of new possibilities.

Taco Mafia • WXXI-TV

A new generation of taqueros is showing how to achieve success in a post-pandemic world, while expanding the impact that a business can have in its own community.

Taco Mafia airs Monday, September 21-Friday, September 25 at 3:30pm on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

For the past several decades, Austin has been a world leader in creative innovation and cultural expression through music, art and cuisine.

Amid rapid change throughout the city of Austin, a new generation of young local taqueros is creating the blueprint on how to achieve professional success in a post-pandemic world, while building lasting relationships and expanding the impact that a business can have in its own community.

The self-proclaimed ‘Taco Mafia’ is forging a new path built on friendship, tradition, authenticity, and a commitment to give back. This docuseries uses cuisine as an entry point to better understand the people behind the food.

Meet their families, see how they were raised, witness the major events that created these spectacular chefs, friends, business owners, and community leaders. Explore the driving forces that helped shape their commitment to building meaningful relationships and creating a sustainable ecosystem in their own industry. And dive into topics that reach far beyond the culinary industry such as entrepreneurship, sustainability, immigration, gentrification, politics and more.

Taco Mafia will also air in its entirety on Sunday, September 27 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on WXXI-TV.