After her award-winning fiction debut, Fire nightTatiana Huezo returns to the documentary field with the echowhich had its world premiere this Friday at the 73rd edition of the Berlinale.
For her new work, the filmmaker presents a naturalistic portrait of life in the rural community of El Eco, in Puebla. With the support of the previous project of hers, Stormthe director continues to captivate with her incisive gaze and her sensitivity to address other concerns of Mexican society.
Next, we tell you everything you need to know about the echoby Tatiana Huezo:
What is it about?
According to an official description:
“the echo focuses on children living in the countryside. The children help from an early age in the care of the sheep, the harvest and the older adults. The dry, cold mountain air and intense sunlight have aged their skin prematurely, and their early responsibilities make them grow taller too soon.”
“I wanted a story full of light, to turn towards the care of the land, the upbringing, the surprise that is in the eyes of these children in front of the world; I chose the peasant world because it is amazing but also full of difficulties”, the filmmaker related about the subject in a talk with IMCINE.
“I wanted a story full of light, to turn towards the care of the land, the upbringing, the surprise that is in the eyes of these children in front of the world; I chose the peasant world because it is amazing but also full of difficulties”, “This film talks about the inheritance of parents in their children, in a voice that is kept from childhood. What these children inherit is the awareness of caring for the land and the animals for their survival.”
What can we expect from the documentary the echoby Tatiana Huezo?
During the Berlinale, the director spoke with Variety and mentioned that he did not want the feature film to have narration or voice oversbecause he was very interested in finding greatness in small things.
“After Fire nightI wanted to return to the language of the documentary, but above all, to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, in the smallest details of everyday life”, he said.
In her search for rural schools, the director initially approached CONAFE (National Council for Educational Promotion) for support. Back in Puebla, Huezo visited many communities to witness the classes and interact with the infants. But within the entire list of towns that remained to be known was El Eco, whose name, by intuition, captivated him. These were his words:
“Nobody was able to tell me why the town was called El Eco. When I asked if there was somewhere where an echo could be heard, some told me, as if they shared a forbidden secret: ‘sometimes the stones speak to us…, the wind takes our voices from the hills, that’s why they say you have to be careful what you say…’”.
The documentary is produced by the company Radiola Films, founded by Tatiana Huezo, along with fellow cinematographer Ernesto Pardo (Storm) and sound designer Lena Esquenazi (Duck season).
“This story speaks of The Echo that parents leave in their children, of that voice that clings to the soul during the formative years and remains forever. Children learn to understand death, illness and love with each act, word and silence of their parents”, adds Huezo.
Poster
Trailer for the echo
Jose Roberto Landaverde Movie buff and music lover. I am fascinated by writing, listening, reading and commenting on everything related to the seventh art. I’m a fan of Rocky and Back to the Future and obviously one day I’ll climb the “Philly Steps” and drive a DeLorean. Faithful believer that cinema is the best teleportation machine, and also that on the big screen we can all see ourselves represented. I constantly, like Scott Pilgrim, ask myself: “Does bread make you fat?”