Cinema Tropical and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at New York University (CLACS-NYU) are thrilled to announce a special online program of recent Mexican documentaries, titled MexDocs, taking place December 10-16, 2020 on cinematropical.com/mexdocs.
Featuring a slate of four documentaries that have recently made their rounds of the international festival circuit, the program offers a nuanced perspective on contemporary Mexico by delving into the different social, political, and cultural issues currently at play in the country, with a particular emphasis on narratives of womanhood and indigenous resistance.
The virtual film series, available to audiences across the U.S., will present Maricarmen by Sergio Morkin, winner of the Audience Award for Mexican Feature-Length Documentary at the Morelia International Film Festival; When I Shut My Eyes (Cuando cierro los ojos) by Sergio Blanco and Michelle Ibaven, winner of the SIGNIS Documentary Feature Award at the Cinélatino Recontres de Toulouse Film Festival; Retreat (Retiro) by Daniela Alatorre, recipient of the Special Mention for a Mexican Feature-Length Documentary at Morelia International Film Festival, and What Happened to the Bees? (¿Qué le pasó a las abejas?) by Adriano Otero and Robin Canul.
A moving study of life with a disability, Maricarmen follows 52-year-old Maricarmen Graue, a musician, teacher, runner, and writer who, although completely blind, is uncompromising in her self-discipline. The film gives space to the complexities of living with a disability while also providing a meditation on the challenges of life, love, and femininity in general. When I Shut My Eyes probes another sort of isolation—that of native speakers of indigenous languages left adrift in legal proceedings without the assistance of interpreters. The documentary brings Adela and Marcelino, two people serving sentences for crimes they did not commit, to the forefront, and allows them the space to tell the stories that the judges never heard.
Another compassionate investigation of feminine life in contemporary Mexico, Retreat journeys with a grandmother and granddaughter on an annual pilgrimage to a Catholic, women-only retreat. Practicing their faith en masse, the women develop community, explore the contours of their own identities, navigate their independence in a patriarchal society, and learn their own self-worth. A study on both the power of faith and the power of feminine companionship, Retreat is a celebration of female strength gathered in unlikely places.
Finally, What Happened to the Bees? is a documentary that exposes the deadly effects of regularly used agrochemicals on millions of bees in the Mexican state of Campeche. Profiling a community movement against government authorities and Monsanto, the film explores the ways that the planting of monocultures threatens the health and environment of Mayan beekeeping communities.
MexDocs: Recent Mexican Documentaries, presented with additional support from the CUNY Mexican Studies Institute at Lehman College, and the Department of Spanish & Portuguese, New York University, will be streaming online to audience all across the U.S. from December 10 - 16, only at cinematropical.com/mexdocs.
