The drug war has been depicted in films such as Sicario, American Gangster, New Jack City, and countless others. Some have paid particular attention to the tenuous actions on the Mexico/US border, and how the drug trade impacts both those involved and innocent bystanders. The documentary Children of the Exodus highlights those caught in the crossfire.
Director Wilma Gomez Luengo paints a powerful picture here, albeit one that is often excruciating to sit through. She depicts life in Caliente in Southern Mexico, choosing a set of families impacted by the drug trade. The film depicts its characters as constantly on the brink of extreme violence. Luengo’s technique of including animation as well as the cartoons her kid subjects draw is incredibly well-done, as the juxtaposition of their childlike wonder in the midst of unrelenting brutality highlights the film’s power. You see children trying to make sense of the world around them, despite the fact that they should be leading normal lives.
Luengo does well to document these people not as victims but as real human beings. They do not allow their circumstances to define them. Another thing Luengo should be commended for is she focuses on these families and their experiences. Many films like this would include scholars and other talking heads to analyze their circumstances, giving the situation a proper academic feel.
Instead, we follow the development of these characters as they make their way in an uncertain world. This gives the film a greater authenticity. The documentary would work well for library patrons interested in true crime and students studying the drug war and Mexican culture.
Hundreds of communities in the Tierra Caliente de Guerrero, Mexico have been displaced by organized crime that wants to control territory to traffic drugs and exploit the natural resources. Refugees in a strange city, children reveal the humanitarian crisis of forced displacement and the consequences of relocation and violence in their lives.
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FILM FESTIVALS & SPECIAL SCREENINGS
- FICiP International Festival of Political Cinema, Argentina
- DOCS MX, Mexico City, Mexico
- American Documentary and Animation Film Festival, U.S.
- Cinema Planeta International Film and Environment Festival of Mexico
- Muestra Internacional de Mujeres en el Cine y la TV EN MÉXICO
THE FILMMAKER
Wilma Gómez Luengo’s experience began in late 1986 as a camera assistant. Since that date she have made more than 300 commercials, video clips, documentaries and seventy feature films. Thirty of them were foreign productions, usually working as the "focus puller" for the main camera.
For twenty-eight years Wilma has worked with more than 80 directors of photography which include: Vittorio Storaro, Darius Kondji, Guillermo Navarro, Affonso Beato, Phil Méhiux, Henner Hofman, Emanuel Lubeski, Robert Mclachlan, Laurent Dailand, Maryse Alberti and Xavier Perez- Grovet as well other prominent cinematographers.
Being part of different camera crews gave her the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge from other renowned operators and camera assistants that has shaped her filmmaking experience and professional development. Currently Wilma spends her time on my creative work, directing and editing documentaries, and also operating camera for feature films, television series and commercials.
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CHILDREN OF THE EXODUS
Catalog # EPF16039 ● ISBN: 978-1-933724-79-9 ● UPC: 6-82086-16039-9 ● NTSC
84 Minutes ● Copyright 2019 ● Spanish & English Subtitles
Click here to buy DVD: $29.95
Click here to buy DVD w/ Public Performance Rights: $250
Click here to buy DSL and DVD w/ Public Performance Rights: $375
For purchase orders, to book screenings and for other inquiries, please contact:
Larry Rattner - larry@epfmedia.com