Sansón and Me, the fifth feature film by Mexican-American Rodrigo Reyes will have its world premiere in the Viewpoint section at the 2022 Tribeca Festival, talking place June 8-19. Two Mexican migrants, a young man serving a life sentence in prison and a filmmaker who was his court interpreter, become intertwined through life and cinema in this moving and innovative new documentary from director Reyes (499, Tribeca 2020).
During his day job as a Spanish criminal interpreter in a small town in California, director Reyes met a young man named Sansón, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was sentenced to life in prison without parole. With no permission to interview him, Sansón and Reyes worked together over a decade, using hundreds of letters as inspiration for recreations of Sansón’s childhood—featuring members of Sansón's own family. The result is a vibrant portrait of a friendship navigating immigration and the depths of the criminal justice system, and pushing the boundaries of cinematic imagination to rescue a young migrant's story from oblivion.
Sansón and Me is directed by Reyes and produced by Reyes and Su Kim (Hale County This Morning, This Evening; Free Chol Soo Lee) and lensed by Emmy-nominated cinematographer Alejandro Mejía (306 Hollywood, Son of Monarchs).
Reyes is a filmmaker whose films push the boundaries of documentary and fiction and have screened around the world. His 2020 film, 499, won the award for Best Documentary Cinematography at Tribeca as well as the Special Jury Award at Hot Docs. He is the recipient of multiple recognitions, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Sundance Institute’s Spotlight on Storytellers Award, the Creative Capital Award, and the Rainin Fellowship.
