Margaret Mead Film Festival 2019
Latin American Films Co-Presented
by Cinema Tropical
American Museum of Natural History
October 17 - 20
THE GUARDIAN OF MEMORY / EL GUARDIÁN DE LA MEMORIA
(Marcela Arteaga, Mexico/USA, 2019, 93 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
New York Premiere / Filmmaker in Attendance
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Stunning, quiet landscapes from Mexico’s Juarez Valley are juxtaposed with horrifying, intimate tales of mass murder. In 2008, the Mexican government sent an army to the rugged border region, ostensibly to fight drug trafficking. As locals from Juarez and Chihuahua tearfully recount the stories of their murdered or disappeared children, parents, and siblings, a Texas-based lawyer argues asylum seekers from the area are victims of a genocide.
Friday, October 18, 4pm
BORDER SOUTH
(Raúl O. Paz Pastrana, USA/Mexico/Guatemala, 2019, 83 min.)
New York Premiere / Filmmaker in Attendance
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Through a blend of visual anthropology and cinema verité, discover the story of the migrants along the 2,300-mile-long “train north” through Central America. Anthropologist Jason De León follows the trail to understand what happens to the migrants who attempt the journey. He collects decaying artifacts lost along the way, allowing him to piece together the difficult lives of his subjects, and offering glimpses of the violence of the culture of immigration along the southwestern U.S. border.
Friday, October 18, 7:30pm
MASSACRE RIVER
(Suzan Beraza, Dominican Republic/Haiti, 2019, 81 min.)
New York Premiere / Filmmaker in Attendance
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Pikilina, a 23-year-old Dominican-born woman of Haitian descent, scrambles to regain documentation for herself and her children after the government reverses birthright citizenship. She is one of more than 200,000 people who must now choose between a life where they no longer have access to official jobs or government services or fleeing to a country they barely know.
Friday, October 18, 9pm
ANTONIO Y PITI
(Vincent Carelli and Wewito Piyãko (Asháninka), Brazil, 2018, 78 min.
U.S. Premiere / Filmmakers in Attendance
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Thirty years ago, a rubber company enslaved a group of Asháninka people, manipulating them into tapping the trees in the lush borderland between Peru and Brazil. The company was expelled by a coalition of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, led by one mixed race couple. Now the adult children of this marriage combat political corruption and ongoing environmental disaster.
Saturday, October 19, 6:30pm
MIGUELITO - CANTO A BORINQUEN
(Sam Zubrycki, Puerto Rico/USA/Colombia/Australia, 2019, 94 min.)
U.S. Premiere | Filmmaker in Attendance
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What happened to Miguelito? After the 11-year-old Puerto Rican salsero played Madison Square Garden in 1972, he and his whole family disappeared from New York City. Now, legendary producer Harvey Averne is anxious to rediscover both Miguelito and the sound of early 70s New York salsa scene. Experience the lively world of Puerto Rican music as the mystery of an 11-year-old salsero’s disappearance unfolds.
Sunday, October 20, 5pm
CUBAN CANVAS
(Kavery Kaul, Cuba/USA, 2019, 15 min.)
Filmmaker in Attendance
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Meet the masters of Cuban art. Roger Toledo Bueno leads a tour of Cuba’s urban and rural landscapes, introducing you to established and emerging artists as they mark the lines between art and life. Plays as part of the Through the Artist’s Lens program.
Friday, October 18, 5:30pm
REFUSING TO LET GO / DUXH BENIGULUN
(Teresa Martinez Chavez, Mexico, 2019, 19 min.)
Director in Attendance
An 88-year-old Zapotec weaver in a small town in Mexico, Dona Rachel struggles with memory loss. See how her weaving lessons spark her memory and strengthen family relationships while passing down cultural legacy. Plays in the Emerging Visual Anthropologists Showcase.
Saturday, October 19, 11:30am
