Al fondo del callejón

In a southern Mexico village, young deaf students are taking on an unusual challenge: to make a movie out of their dreams. While Eric and his friends watch films and discuss ideas, their dreams begin to work their way into the documentary itself. Both a study of the students lives and the basic visual language of film

Mayan Poetry is a Mayan-language hip-hop group formed by Joel Tuz Kauil and Carlos Caamal Tun. In order to get funds to keep writing music for their Indigenous community, they will participate in a contest. Through lyrics and music, the things they enjoy the most, Mayan Poetry insists in keeping alive the tradition and legacy of the Mayan culture. Upon facing money problems, they must choose if they continue doing music, or not.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Mexico became one of the deadliest conflict zones in the world in 2017, second only to Syria. In 2008, the Mexican government sent the army to Chihuahua on the Mexico-Texas border to fight drug traffickers. What seemed like an attempt to control the cartels turned into state-sponsored disappearances and the murder of journalists, human rights activists and civilians. The survivors and those threatened by the conflict pushed at the unwelcoming border of the United States, hoping for asylum. With stunning visual poetry, director Marcela Arteaga weaves together a record of their memories told over the backdrop of the once-vibrant landscape of the Juarez Valley. She also highlights the extraordinary work of Carlos Spector, an immigration lawyer born in El Paso, Texas, who fights to obtain political asylum for those Mexicans fleeing violence.