Terra Nostra
En tant que programmatrice, j’ai longtemps rêvé de pouvoir faire voyager avec moi les films issus du territoire où je tournais des films : le Chiapas, au Mexique. Aujourd’hui, je suis heureuse de présenter sur Tënk quatre œuvres majeures produites par Terra Nostra Films, une maison de production essentielle pour comprendre le cinéma documentaire contemporain en Amérique latine.
J’ai rencontré Nicolas Défossé, producteur français, en 2018, au Chiapas. Avec Daniela Contreras, il a cofondé en 2009 Terra Nostra Films, un lieu de création dont la mission est de faire émerger et rayonner une communauté cinématographique d’exception dans une région historiquement marginalisée. Le Chiapas est en effet un territoire profondément marqué par les luttes sociales, paysannes et autochtones, notamment celles portées par le mouvement zapatiste. Terra Nostra accompagne la création de films ancrés dans ces réalités, avec une grande exigence artistique et politique.
Sylvie Lapointe Cinéaste et programmatrice
Terra Nostra Films (TNF) a été fondée en 2009 par Daniela Contreras (Mexique) et Nicolas Défossé (France) et se consacre essentiellement à la production de films documentaires. Basée au Chiapas, dans le sud-est mexicain, TNF est fortement engagée auprès de l'École de cinéma documentaire de San Cristóbal de Las Casas, une initiative locale qu'elle soutient depuis ses débuts. Ces dernières années, TNF a surtout produit les premiers ou deuxièmes films de réalisatrices et réalisateurs vivant au Chiapas, participant à la construction d'une communauté cinématographique dans cette région historiquement marginalisée et faisant confiance au talent de jeunes cinéastes locaux. Ces films ont été diffusés au niveau national et international et ont remporté des prix, valorisant leur appropriation du langage universel du cinéma.
4 products
Negra
Subscription access
Filmmaker Medhin Tewolde Serrano was around seven years old when, for the first time, someone shouted “negra” at her in the street. That day, she realized she was Black — and the laughter around her quickly made it clear that this probably wasn’t a good thing… Through the stories of five women of African descent living in Mexico, _Negra_ explores what it means to inhabit the body of a Black wom...
Nyanga
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During the colonial era, Gaspar Yanga was kidnapped from the African coast, brought to Mexico, and enslaved. Though forced to work on the master's plantation, he never stopped dreaming of freedom. Based on historical facts and using shadow theatre with hand-drawn animation, _Nyanga_ pays tribute to the resistance against the chains of colonialism.
Ch'ul be, Sacred Path
Subscription access
_Ch'ul be_ delves into the Tzotzil sacred path, exploring ancient collective commitments that sustain the cycle of life in the community. In San Andrés Larráinzar, everyone is responsible for the collective well-being, but few are chosen to follow the path of serving the gods. _Ch'ul be_ is the path of Martha and Diego, and of Román and his son Tino. It is a journey from the everyday to the div...
Mom
Subscription access
Filmmaker Xun Sero grew up as a Tzotzil Mexican among the sacredness of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Mother Earth. As the son of a single mother, he grew up between mockery for not having a father and blaming his mother for it. _Mom_ is a dialogue between a mother and a son who explore their contradictions, who know and recognize each other, and reflect on the perpetuation of naturalized violence.
Negra
Subscription access
Filmmaker Medhin Tewolde Serrano was around seven years old when, for the first time, someone shouted “negra” at her in the street. That day, she realized she was Black — and the laughter around her quickly made it clear that this probably wasn’t a good thing… Through the stories of five women of African descent living in Mexico, _Negra_ explores what it means to inhabit the body of a Black wom...
Nyanga
Subscription access
During the colonial era, Gaspar Yanga was kidnapped from the African coast, brought to Mexico, and enslaved. Though forced to work on the master's plantation, he never stopped dreaming of freedom. Based on historical facts and using shadow theatre with hand-drawn animation, _Nyanga_ pays tribute to the resistance against the chains of colonialism.
Ch'ul be, Sacred Path
Subscription access
_Ch'ul be_ delves into the Tzotzil sacred path, exploring ancient collective commitments that sustain the cycle of life in the community. In San Andrés Larráinzar, everyone is responsible for the collective well-being, but few are chosen to follow the path of serving the gods. _Ch'ul be_ is the path of Martha and Diego, and of Román and his son Tino. It is a journey from the everyday to the div...
Mom
Subscription access
Filmmaker Xun Sero grew up as a Tzotzil Mexican among the sacredness of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Mother Earth. As the son of a single mother, he grew up between mockery for not having a father and blaming his mother for it. _Mom_ is a dialogue between a mother and a son who explore their contradictions, who know and recognize each other, and reflect on the perpetuation of naturalized violence.
