Episode 31 - Brenda Avila-Hanna - “Pueblos”
October 22, 2021
In this episode, I speak with Mexican filmmaker and Co-Director of Video Consortium Mexico, Brenda Avila-Hanna. During our conversation, we chat about her latest feature project Libertad, the professional needs of Mexican content creators outside of urban strongholds such as Mexico City, the immigration conversation that’s happening or actually not happening in Mexico, and the educational distribution co-op New Days Films. The song for this week’s episode is PUEBLOS, by Lila Downs and Sara Currichich. The song speaks about Indigenous solidarity and strength without borders. Currichich is Guatemalan and Downs is Mexican-American with roots in Oaxaca, which feels particularly resonant to Libertad and many other themes of transnational solidarity addressed along with the episode. As a plus, one of Libertad's Producers and DP's, Casandra Casasola, is the DP for the video to this song. Casandra is a Mexican, Indigenous (Mixteca) filmmaker.
About Brenda
Brenda is a Mexican filmmaker and educator. Her films mostly focus on transnational stories, spaces, and identities. Her work has been showcased at HotDocs, Lakino Berlin, Frameline, HBO, Fusion Network, and more. She recently served on the Steering Committee of the film distribution cooperative New Day Films as the first-ever team lead for Equity & Representation. Brenda is also part of the Watsonville Film Festival team, a co-director of the Video Consortium Mexico, and a mentor for the Latino Film Institute's Youth Cinema Project. Brenda is on the inaugural cohort of DOC NYC’s “Documentary Industry New Leaders”, a research fellow with Film and Digital Media at UCSC and a current Rockwood/Just Films Fellow.
About Libertad
Alejandra, an Indigenous, transgender woman from Oaxaca, Mexico escaped violence in her hometown and fled to the U.S. 28-years-ago. Today, Alejandra’s elderly mother eagerly awaits in Oaxaca for her child’s return after all those years apart. However, Alejandra’s transnational journey proves to be particularly challenging as familiar prejudices threaten to keep this family apart, this time on the Northern side of the border.
But Alejandra will not back down. She is determined to be reunited with her mother. She is determined to fight for her community. She is determined to live the life she was meant to live.
Alejandra's lifelong quest for a safe place to call home through her intersecting identities have turned her into a beacon of solidarity to many in her California community. As she steps up to protect the rights of immigrants, LGBTQ+ friends, indigenous people, and women around her, her story is a testament to the importance – and sometimes limits– of mutual solidarity.
About New Day Films
New Day Films is a unique, filmmaker-run distribution company, providing award-winning films to educators, community groups, government agencies, public libraries, and businesses since 1971. Democratically run by more than 150 filmmaker members, New Day delivers hundreds of titles that illuminate, challenge, and inspire. New Day was initially formed because the women's movement had arrived and a group of independent filmmakers were unable to find a distributor for their feminist films—so they decided to create one. Today, New Day members sustain the ideals that inspired the company's formation in 1971 - partnership, great stories, and changing the world - and curate its collection to encompass a wide range of subject areas.
New Day has continued to deliver dynamic, provocative storytelling for more than four decades. Our members carefully select all the films in our collection. New Day titles have won an Academy Award, 9 Academy Award nominations, 4 Emmys, and hundreds of awards at prestigious film festivals. New Day films have been broadcast on PBS, HBO, and other media outlets. Because our members both make and distribute their own films, New Day is equally committed to making high-quality films and to finding and engaging the audiences that can most benefit from them. As the digital landscape evolves, New Day works hard to deliver its films in the formats that best suit customer needs.
New Day functions as a participatory democracy whose organizational structure and business practices embody the values promoted by its films.
About the Watsonville Film Festival
The Watsonville Film Festival highlights Latinx filmmakers and stories that illuminate our shared humanity and inspire positive change.
We recognize that the arts help all communities to thrive. Film, in particular, is necessary for the Latinx community to have agency over their own representation and to offer their own vision of the world. In the last 10 years, only 4.5% of movies featured Latinx characters, many of them negative stereotypes.
We work to shift disempowering narratives and to nurture an ecosystem for independent filmmakers in Watsonville, transforming our community with inspiration and education as we attract more attention regionally.
About Video Consortium - Mexico City
The Video Consortium is a global network that supports, develops, and connects the world’s video journalists and nonfiction filmmakers. Our volunteer-led community facilitates connections and opportunities through in-person events, online forums, industry resources, and educational programming. Our work is our passion. We champion compassionate storytelling and diverse voices to promote a more inclusive, kind, and just world.
Websites & Social Media
Brenda’s Info
Vida Diferida (Life, Deferred)
Conference
American Anthropological Association
Educational Distributor
