The Guardian of Memory 2019
Distributed by epf media, 324 S. Beverly Drive, PMB 437, Beverly Hills, CA 90212; 310-839-1500
Produced by Fabián Hofman
Directed by Marcela Arteaga
Streaming, 93 mins
High School - General Adult
Hispanic Americans; Immigration; Politics
Date Entered: 08/21/2020
Reviewed by Sara DeSantis, Reference and Research Librarian, University of South Carolina UpstateImmigration is a complex issue. While it is political, it is also personal. People's lives are impacted by immigration law and reform. Some of these people are seen in the documentary The Guardian of Memory.
In this documentary, you hear and see from men, women, and children who have been impacted by the Mexican cartel. Their stories are heartbreaking, and the footage filmed is raw and real. Their stories are about how their life in Mexico was before and after the cartel attacks in their homeland. They share stories of how family members, like fathers or children, were stolen and killed by the cartel. Hearing these shocking stories and seeing images of the condition in Mexico gives a new side to the immigration debate.
This documentary also goes into detail about the political asylum process that these Mexican families are going through. Political asylum can be granted to people fleeing their homeland if they are being prosecuted or harassed, typically due to religion, race, nationality, and so on. For these Mexican families, they must fight to have political asylum given to them - cartel activity is not considered a form of prosecution or harassment. The United States has seen Mexico as being in a state of civility since the Mexican Civil War has ended. This discussion is eye-opening because after hearing the harrowing stories from these families. How can these families receive asylum when it is obvious they are being attacked and losing their family to the Mexican Drug Cartel?
I highly recommend The Guardian of Memory for its excellent interviews and shocking footage of Mexican families seeking political asylum from the Mexican Cartel. This documentary shows the other side of the immigration issue that is not being brought to the forefront of the conversation. These families are trying to find "a land, a home, an identity" in America. After all, these families have had to leave their homes because they lost their land, home, and identity.
Awards:
Winner Prince of Prestige Academy Award for Cinematography, FIPRESCI Prize for Best Mexican Film at the Guadalajara IFF, México, and the Jury’s Special Award at the Guanajuato IFF and the Festival of Málaga.