Salt Lake City Film Festival
November 3-6, 2005Thursday, November 3
Screenings at Regency Trolley Square
5:00 pm
WETBACK: THE UNDOCUMENTED DOCUMENTARY
7:30 pm
INNOCENT VOICES
Director: Arturo Perez Torres
Documentary. 2004. Mexico/Canada. 93 min. Spanish, English subtitles.
Learn more and get involved »
SLC Premiere
Spectrum award, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2005
Best documentary: Cinequest film fest, San Jose 2005
Wetback– The Undocumented Documentary is a feature length documentary that follows several immigrants from Central America and Mexico on an extraordinary and extremely dangerous journey to North America. More than 3,000 Latin Americans a day embark upon this journey. Less than 300 make it to their destination.
Nayo, Milton, Luis, Oscar and Ana are just some of the thousands of people that will join one of the largest migration movements in history. Their motivation is a life with dignity. Their disadvantage is that none of them have legal travelling documents. The film begins in Nicaragua and takes the viewer on a journey through five borders and many other dangerous obstacles. Border control tightens as the migrants move north. Gangs in Mexico and vigilante groups in the USA are some of the perils they might have to face in their pursuit of the “American Dream.”
Thursday, November 3rd, 5:00 pm
Director: Luis Mandoki
Feature Film. 2004. Mexico. 111 min. Spanish, subtitled.
Learn more and get involved »
Winner of the Audience Award.
This feature film brings to light the terrible plight of child soldiers during the civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s. Innocent Voices is based on the true story of screenwriter Oscar Torres and his experiences growing up during the war. Chava, the eleven-year-old protagonist, becomes man of the house when his father deserts the family to seek a better life. He must take care of his mother and siblings while his village is brutally ripped apart by war. War is a part of Chava’s daily life; he dodges intermittent gunfire to work so his mother can make ends meet. He experiments with first love and remains hopeful against all odds. Chava’s time as an innocent child is dwindling as the army forcefully conscripts local twelve year olds into their ranks. Armed with love for his family and hope for a brighter future, Chava faces the desperate decision of joining the army or the rebels.
Thursday, November 3rd, 7:30 pm