María Sojob, writer and director of the film Tote/Abuelo/Grandfather, in conversation with Smithsonian film curator Amalia Córdova and Emmy-Award winning filmmaker Sebastián Díaz. Introduced by Ron Gregg, Film and Media Studies. Presented as part of the Mother Tongue Film Festival, Smithsonian.

“In her deeply personal debut documentary feature, Tzotzil filmmaker María Sojob documents the unexpected encounter between an old man, who is going blind, and his granddaughter, who has a limited memory of her childhood. As the grandfather weaves a traditional hat, the threads of family history are untangled. Between the silences, it becomes possible to understand the meaning of love in Tzotzil. A deceptively simple film, Tote/Abuelo/Grandfather is a complex portrait that contrasts the point of view of a younger generation with a traditional world that was largely marginalized.” Watch a trailer of Tote/Abuelo/Grandfather below.

2019 / Mexico / Tzotzil and Spanish with English subtitles / 80 minutes. 

Those who wished to participate in the discussion screened the film ahead of time using the credentials provided to registrants. The film was accessible Sunday, February 21–Saturday, February 27.

Co-presented by the Center for Mexican Studies; Columbia University School of the Arts; the working group on Environmental Justice, Belief Systems, and Aesthetic Experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean; the Institute for Latin American Studies; the Mexican Cultural Institute of Washington, D.C.; and the Mother Tongue Film Festival, Smithsonian.