CiNEOLA is a platform for Latin American stories. Stream our selection of documentary short films.
CiNEOLA + Cinema Tropical Present
Abuelos
Separated by years of immigration policy, a young girl dreams of meeting her grandmother for the first time. Thanks to the bi-national cooperation of governments on both sides of the US/Mexico border, her grandmother embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to reunite with her undocumented loved ones.
Abuelos is a film that is very close to my heart. Shot between Michoacán and Northern California, the two homelands of my own family, from where they themselves set out on the adventure of seeking a better life.
The pain of that exodus echoes through generations. I remember distinctly, as a kid, trying to make sense of the distance that had pulled at the seams of our family, threatening to tear us apart.
I hope that this work echoes with viewers, touching them far deeper than the everyday politics around migration, which in their virulence, have erased the human beings at the heart of the story.
Credits
director RODRIGO REYES producers ANDREW HOUCHENS & RODRIGO REYES story by ALICIA VALENCIA & RODRIGO REYES executive producers JOHN LIGHTFOOT cinematographer ALEJANDRO MEJÍA, AMC supervising editor ANDREA CHIGNOLI editor DANIEL CHÁVEZ ONTIVEROS sound design & mix RICARDO ARTEAGA colorist SHANE MARIO RUGGIERI