The Guardian of Memory
93 mins
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Mexico became one of the deadliest conflict zones in the world in 2017, second only to Syria. In 2008, the Mexican government sent the army to Chihuahua on the Mexico-Texas border to fight drug traffickers. What seemed like an attempt to control the cartels turned into state-sponsored disappearances and the murder of journalists, human rights activists and civilians. The survivors and those threatened by the conflict pushed at the unwelcoming border of the United States, hoping for asylum. With stunning visual poetry, director Marcela Arteaga weaves together a record of their memories told over the backdrop of the once-vibrant landscape of the Juarez Valley. She also highlights the extraordinary work of Carlos Spector, an immigration lawyer born in El Paso, Texas, who fights to obtain political asylum for those Mexicans fleeing violence.
Axel Pedraza
Director of Photography
Marcela Arteaga
Director
Lisa Tillinger
Color Timer
Pravda Arredondo
Executive Producer
Paula Caso
Art Direction
Fabián Hofman
Producer
Javier Campos
Editor
Pablo Taméz Sierra
Sound Recordist
Liliana Villaseñor
Sound Recordist
Carlos Taibo
Producer
Iván Krassoievitch
Art Direction
Luis Galindo
Production Assistant
Fabián Hofman
Post Production Coordinator
Paula Astorga
Thanks
Marco Nevárez
Assistant Director of Photography
Rodrigo Merolla
Sound Recordist
André Krassoievitch
Art Direction
Pablo Fernández
Sound Designer
Miguel Ángel Molina
Sound Mixer
Marcela Arteaga
Writer