Independent Lens

Las Marthas

Season 15 Episode 12 | 55m 32s | Video has closed captioning.

In the lingering aftermath of the U.S.-Mexican War, the border town of Laredo, Texas created an annual debutante ball unlike any other. Today the Martha Washington Ball presents girls in elaborate dresses that take up to a year to create. This film follows two Mexican American girls carrying this gilded tradition on their shoulders in a time of economic uncertainty and tension over immigration.