Short-Form Documentaries – Program 2: Return to the Ancestral Land
- Short-Form Documentary
- 90 mins
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Palmas
Directed by Aric Lopez
Rooted in the subversive tradition of Mexicanidad, “Palmas” confronts viewers with the haunting histories of the Kizh-Gabrieleño tribe, the displacements of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop at Dodger Stadium, and the Palm Tree, presenting a triptych experience of Los Angeles rarely seen.
Reciprocity: Summer
Directed by Alma Amancay Herrera-Pazmiño
In New York, four Ecuadorian-Americans embody each season’s value of reciprocity through nature based rituals —ocean flower offerings, seed sowing, and altar building—healing the wounds of assimilation and reconnecting with their Andean indigenous roots. Summer is personified by Danna “Yana Allpa”, a DJ and educator who visits the ocean with an ofrenda as a way to re-member and connect with their distant homeland of Ecuador.
Meyolotl
Directed by Lorena R. Valencia
After years living in the US, a filmmaker returns to her hometown to document the bond between her family and the maguey plant that has sustained them for generations. As she observes the deep-rooted bond built on mutual care, she questions her decision to leave, yet learns from the plant that her heart can root in new soil and still stay true to where it first beat.
Life on the Chilkat River
Directed by Mike Fernandez
Life on the Chilkat River reflects on how water sustains an ancient cycle nourishing salmon, eagles, and the Indigenous people whose lives have been tied to this land for millennia. The film is a reflection on place, connection, and the enduring efforts to protect a way of life shaped by the river.
Of Tribes and Masks / De tribus y máscaras
Directed by Ines Victoria Mongil Echandi
A community project seeking violence prevention which gives the youth powerful knowledge of justice, healthy masculinities and pride in race and ancestral roots. A workshop that helps keep alive ancestral culture in Loiza, Puerto Rico, that allows the free flow of creativity, that rediscovers minimized traditions. A short documentary representing a tribe and its masks.
Hope / La Esperanza
Directed by Javier Cruz-Ginez
Told through archival footage and candid conversations, a Mexican immigrant family reflects on the border that has kept them apart for 25 years, revealing the enduring impact of separation and the hope for a reunion.
Dates & Times
Regal Union Square
September 17, 2026
4:15 pm
