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Mexico (7)
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Background to Latin America1963 58 minThis feature documentary is a curious example of the mid-20th century ethnographic film and its depiction of non-Western peoples. We begin our tour of Central and South America in the Caribbean and move along to the vast agricultural and urban locales of Mexico, a socio-economic profile of the so-called “banana republics”, and the rich oil fields of Venezuela and its neighbours. Across the vast Andes mountain range and down towards the coffee industry in Colombia, we continually see the contrast between Spanish colonial architecture and the ruins of ancient Indigenous temples. The film shows the proud history of twenty republics and their growing unrest. -
The Emperor's New ClothesMagnus Isacsson 1995 53 minThis feature documentary focuses on the reality of life before, during, and after the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the profound effects the economic agreements between big business and government can have on human lives.
Filmed over a three year period in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, this documentary poses a sobering question: In this global war of cut-rate economies, are people on the losing side? -
El ContratoMin Sook Lee 2003 51 minThis documentary from Min Sook Lee follows a poverty-stricken father from Central Mexico, along with several of his countrymen, as they make their annual migration to southern Ontario to pick tomatoes. For 8 months a year, the town's population absorbs 4,000 migrant workers who toil under conditions, and for wages, that no local would accept. Yet despite a fear of repercussions, the workers voice their desire for dignity and respect.
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In Praise of HandsDonald Winkler 1974 27 minThis short documentary pays tribute to the craftsmen everywhere whose work adds color and richness to life. Filmed in the Canadian Arctic, Finland, India, Nigeria, Japan, Mexico, and Poland, it shows the special skills of artisans working at their crafts - stone sculpture, pottery, ceramics, weaving, dyeing, puppet making, embroidery. Each indigenous skill is a reflection of the culture of the country.
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The Man Who Discovered AmericaRalph Maud 1981 20 minThis short documentary looks at the Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad, who uncovered the remains of a Viking settlement at l'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland in 1960. His search for traces of Norse settlements took him from the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico to the Far North of Canada. His numerous expeditions, many of them recorded on film and narrated by Ingstad, form the basis of this fascinating film about a man who is said to have discovered America in a way that few have or ever will.
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Mexico Today1947 10 minThe film provides a short history of Mexico and then looks at its current situation and its expectations for future development. Trade ties between Canada and Mexico are outlined.
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Mexico Dead or AliveMary Ellen Davis 1996 52 minThis feature documentary is a portrait of the country of Mexico, as seen through the eyes of Mario Rojas Alba, a physician and former member of Congress, who fled to Montreal as a political refugee after surviving a brutal physical assault. During a cautious trip home, he guides us through the workings of political repression and violence in Mexico. The resulting film reveals the darker side of this vast country which became our official trading partner in 1994 under NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), an accord criticized by a great many Mexicans, especially the indigenous people of Chiapas, who rose in revolt, demanding a more just and democratic society. On the Day of the Dead, families and friends remember those who have "disappeared"; widows lay flowers on the graves of husbands slain for opposing the ruling party. By their side, Alba reaffirms his commitment to a peaceful transition toward true democracy. In Spanish with English subtitles.
