Coming to theatres today, Friday, February 23:
EL MAR LA MAR
Directors:
Joshua Bonnetta and JP Sniadecki
Premiere:
Berlin 2017
Select Festivals:
New York, London, IDFA, Indielisboa, Dokfest Munich, Docaviv, Docs Against Gravity, AFI Docs, Camden, Chicago, Vienna, AFI Fest, San Francisco, Hong Kong
About:
An immersive exploration of life and death in a desert along the US/Mexico border.
Bonnetta and Sniadecki’s film draws the viewer into the Sonoran Desert, one of the most dangerous border crossing routes, and one sadly frequented by the most vulnerable, undocumented immigrants with the fewest resources or alternatives. Taking an experiential approach, the filmmakers convey the treacherous journey via offscreen testimony, never identifying individuals; an elaborate, unsettling sound design; and images of the scorched landscape and what travelers have left behind. While the project’s pace and poetic elements might limit its accessibility for some viewers, its stories of desperation, struggle, and death quietly yet hauntingly illuminate the continuing debate over border policies for those willing to listen.
what (not) to doc 