[totegrandfather--Film-list-image]

2019 / 80 minutes

Directed by
María Sojob
Country of production
Mexico

This film portrays an unexpected encounter between an old Tzotzil man, who is going blind, and his granddaughter, who does not remember her childhood well. The granddaughter, having grown up in the city estranged from her grandparents, returns to visit her grandfather’s village. While he weaves a traditional hat, the threads of family history unwind and are rewoven. In between silences and unspoken words, the renewed possibility of understanding the meaning of "love" in Tzotzil opens up. This quiet story of intergenerational reconciliation within an indigenous Mexican community speaks to universal themes of love, gendered violence and forgiveness.

DIRECTOR MARIA SOJOB IS AVAILABLE FOR TALKS AND DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HER FILM. TO BOOK MARIA PLEASE EMAIL film@therai.org.uk

In the 2021 RAI Film Fest Main Competition
Language and subtitles
Tzotzil and Spanish with English subtitles
Location(s) depicted
Chiapas
Region
Central America
Country
Mexico
Keywords
Indigenous Filmmaking Gender Role and Identity Family / Kinship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Elderly people Love Intergenerational relations Linguistics / Language Memory

Film web site