ECAMC

Young Valentina uses all her might to believe that her deceased father is still alive.

In the almost deserted town of La Raya, a mysterious refrigerator appears out of nowhere. Sotera Santos and her friend Eric see an opportunity to make a fortune by selling it. However, the fridge soon starts unveiling strange and enigmatic phenomena to those who approach it. As Sotera grapples with these unsettling occurrences, she must also face the painful reality that her mother might not return to take her to the United States, and that perhaps her departure from La Raya is not yet meant to be.

Yuli (38) is the Topila (auxiliary police) of San Pablo Begu', a mountain community in Oaxaca where the inhabitants assume the responsibilities of self-government on a rotating basis on an honorary basis (Comunalidad) at the same time as they carry out their work and personal activities. At the entrance to the town, they hold back a group of machinery that is trying to move into the community to begin construction of a four-lane highway. No one in authority is aware of this and the community is on alert. San Pablo Begú will have to decide whether or not to accept the road project.

In the Indigenous and Afro Mexican communities of Oaxaca’s Coast, the future is played out in the realms of ritual and politics: water rituals, fishermen’s daily struggles and the constant threat to communities of the Río Verde make life hang in the balance delivered by water’s fate.

The son of the Red Huachinango defines the future of the women and girls of the Zapotec Isthmus community of Tehuantepec, as many of them will be forced to test their virginity through ritual.

In this deeply moving dialogue between mother and son, Mexican Tzotzil director Xun Sero confronts his past with honesty, understanding and forgiveness. Growing up without a father, he blamed his mother for the paternal absence in his life; this, for him, became his first act of violence against the feminine and his own mother. Societal pressure and shame prevented his mother from speaking about the realities of violence in her childhood and within her partnership with the director's father. Guided by the desire to understand who his mother is, Sero has created an extraordinarily sensitive first film where both mother and son open a dialogue in an attempt at self-discovery. Bravely, together, they open the door to a room of darkness and unknowns and begin to walk down a path of healing.

"Why do I want to straighten my hair? Why have they made me believe that we should straighten our hair? These simple questions sparked a research that is now a counter-memory to the Panamanian history that has gone unquestioned for so long. This counter-memory was built by the hands of multiple Black women, friends who have found themselves in a similar situation."

When Himelda meets Amparo at a local singing contest, her life takes a transformative turn. What starts as a budding friendship evolves into a profound exploration of first love, deep faith, and the vibrant Mazahua culture of the State of Mexico.

Boca Vieja, where my maternal roots lie, is a quaint fishing and farming village in southern Mexico. Here, people live in harmony with the land and sea, but each rainy season forces them to retreat, letting nature reclaim its space. This cycle persists as the village faces the constant threat of losing their land.

By weaving together the stories of three women who share a common fight within the Zapatista movement and their work in coffee production, this narrative explores deeper issues like land ownership, family dynamics, and the layers of intersectional violence they face. Through their experiences, the film sheds light on the broader social, political, and economic challenges in their communities.

Elvis Guerra defies conventional notions of muxes by expressing their true self through rebellious poems, challenging stereotypes and reclaiming their identity.

In the midst of countless social incidents and deep internal battles, Juliana, an Otomi farmer, obtains one of the best harvests of her life: the triumph of her will.

A film by Abraham Ávila Quintero

At 74, Cándido, alongside Edith and Carlos, is on a mission to recover a sacred Zapotec deity he discovered while working on his land, only for it to be seized. Their goal is to restore the artifact to the community and place it in the Zapotec Cultural Community Museum, preserving its heritage for future generations.

A young Tsotsil woman, about to give birth for the first time, draws on the memories of the women who preceded her to navigate this unique moment, encountering the experience of motherhood in her world.