The movie “In the Time of the Butterflies” will be shown today at 7 p.m. in Coleman Hall lecture room 1255 as part of the Latino Heritage Celebration.

The movie is based on a novel by Julia Alvarez that tells a story about three Mirabel sisters living in the Dominican Republic who helped create an underground rebel network against President Rafael Trujillo in the 1950s and 1960s.

The story reveals the Mirabel sisters, known as “Las Mariposas,” The Butterflies, as revolutionists in the prime of their lives, falling in love and overturning the government.

Isabel Castro, an academic advisor for the Gateway Program and committee representative for the Latino Heritage Celebration, believes the movie holds great importance.

“I think it’s important to tell this history,” Castro said. “Most people focus on Cuba and don’t know the history of the Dominican Republic.”

The movie features such stars as Salma Hayek, Lumi Cavazos, Mia Maestro, Pilar Padilla, Edward James Olmos and Marc Anthony.