Dispatches from Resistant Mexico is a series of short documentaries from southern Mexico, each depicting one of the thousands of pockets of resistance throughout Latin America that are in struggle against the corporate looting of resources and land from indigenous communities.   

The individuals and communities depicted in the films affirm traditions and ways of life that are collective, egalitarian and deeply in tune with and respectful of “Mother Earth”.  They have preserved traditional forms of life and ecological practices despite 500 years of colonization. Prosperity of the community and mutual respect between all beings are valued more than money, individual accumulation and competitive striving. There will be dialogue with the audience at the end of the films with the filmmaker, Caitlin Manning.

The screening will include the following films:

Thinking from the Heart Mexico's Indigenous Congress (2017, 14 minutes) Delegates at the fifth gathering of the CNI in Oventic describe their ideologies, mission and struggles — and the Zapatistas throw a party.

Defending the Land, the Water, the Air (2017, 10 minutes) Indigenous locals in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec resist the construction of destructive wind farms on their traditional lands.

Angelina Gomez Lopez (2018, 11 minutes) An indigenous woman potter from Amatenango, Chiapas, who describes herself as part of the Resistance invites us into her home and workshop. She narrates her journey of liberation that began with her participation in a women’s group organized by the Diocesian Coordination of Women.

Women of Candelaria (2020, 9 minutes) Women from Candelaria in Chiapas, Mexico formed a collective to produce chorizo. This helped them collectively achieve social and economic independence.

Marcela (2019, 22 minutes) Marcela grew up in a remote indigenous village in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico with parents who were healers and surrounded by a wild natural world that she was taught to love and respect. She learned about autonomy from the Zapatistas and studied women’s liberation with the women’s groups organized by the Diocese. Now she and her husband share their knowledge and healing practices as they struggle along with the National Indigenous Congress.

The women of Puente Madera (2023, 18 minutes) Inhabitants of an ancestral village who have lived for centuries in harmony with the pitayal forests must struggle against the government and corporations who are trying to steal their lands. 

NR, 75mins total, Closed captions (CC) in English.

Discussion with Caitlin Manning to follow.

Registration not required.