Terra Nostra
Discover Chiapas through films by filmmakers from the region.
As a film programmer, I long dreamed of being able to bring along with me the films from the region where I was making my own work: Chiapas, in Mexico. Today, I’m thrilled to present on Tënk four major works produced by Terra Nostra Films, a production company that is essential for understanding contemporary documentary cinema in Latin America.
I met French producer Nicolas Défossé in 2018, in Chiapas. Alongside Daniela Contreras, he co-founded Terra Nostra Films in 2009 — a creative hub whose mission is to foster and elevate an exceptional filmmaking community in this region. Chiapas is a territory deeply shaped by social, peasant, and Indigenous struggles, particularly those led by the Zapatista movement. Terra Nostra supports the creation of films grounded in these realities, with great artistic and political integrity.
Sylvie Lapointe
Filmmaker and programmer
Terra Nostra Films (TNF) was founded in 2009 by Daniela Contreras (Mexico) and Nicolas Défossé (France) and focuses on documentary film production. Based in Chiapas, in southeastern Mexico, TNF is strongly committed to the Documentary Film School of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, a local initiative that it has supported from its inception. In recent years, TNF has mainly produced the first or second films of filmmakers living in Chiapas, thus participating in building a film community in this historically marginalized region and trusting in the talent of young local filmmakers. These films have been screened both nationally and internationally and received awards in film festivals, highlighting the way in which they appropriate the universal language of cinema.
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
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.
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.
