POV, the multi-Emmy® and Peabody award-winning documentary series, presents Igualada: Refusing to Know Your Place, directed by Juan Mejía Botero (Death by a Thousand Cuts), which chronicles Francia Márquez’s extraordinary journey from rural grassroots activist to history-making presidential campaign in Colombia. The powerful documentary was produced by Juan Mejía Botero, Juan E. Yepes, Daniela Alatorre Benard, and Sonia Serna Botero.

Filmed over 15 years, Mejia was granted unprecedented access to capture Márquez’s transformation into a powerful force for change, inspiring millions to reimagine their nation’s future and their place within it. In a time when many find themselves disillusioned and alienated by traditional politics, Mejia’s empowering story of a Black woman who dares to challenge the status quo of racial and socio-economic disparities results in an uplifting portrait of resistance, resilience, and transfiguration.

After a widely acclaimed world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Igualada: Refusing to Know Your Place will make its national broadcast debut on POV on Monday, July 7, 2025 at 10pm (check local listings), and will be available to stream through October 5, 2025, at pbs.org and on the PBS App. Now in its 38th season, POV is the longest-running non-fiction series.

Juan Mejía Botero, director of Igualada: Refusing to Know Your Place said: “When Francia called me in 2020 to say she was launching a presidential campaign. I thought she was joking—a Black woman from a rural community, aspiring to lead in a country built on racism, elitism, and misogyny? But she was serious. I told her: ‘If this is real, we need to document it—it’s going to be historic no matter how far it goes.’ She hesitated, then said something I’ll never forget: ‘They don’t make films about women like me or communities like mine… so go for it.’

“Igualada: Refusing to Know Your Place is a film about hope—and belief in democracy. And wow, do we need that right now. If Francia’s unimaginable campaign—and her becoming Colombia’s first Black Vice President—was possible in a country like ours, then it’s possible almost anywhere. We have to believe that. We have to allow ourselves to dream again. And we can’t get tired of fighting.”

Chris White, Executive Producer of POV, said: “As global threats to democracy rise, Juan Mejía Botero’s beautiful film Igualada: Refusing to Know Your Place stands as a timely exploration of authentic activism, and a powerful reminder of democracy’s promise. Francia Márquez’s incredible journey gives us hope that, if we fight together, all may not be lost.”