- Blossoms of Fire
Infobox Film
name = Blossoms of Fire
image_size =
caption = DVD cover
director = Maureen Gosling
Ellen Osborne
producer = Maureen Gosling
writer = Maureen Gosling
Toni Hanna
narrator =
starring =
music =
cinematography = Xavier Pérez Grobet
editing = Maureen Gosling
distributor =
released = 2000
runtime = 75 min.
country =U.S.A. /Mexico
language = English / Spanish
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0259219"Blossoms of Fire" (also known as "Ramo de fuego") is a 2000
documentary film about the people ofJuchitán, Oaxaca ,Mexico .About the Film
Author
Elena Poniatowska described the women ofJuchitán de Zaragoza , a city in theMexican state ofOaxaca , as “guardians of men, distributors of food.” Artists likeMiguel Covarrubias andFrida Kahlo celebrated their beauty and intelligence. "Blossoms of Fire" shows them in their daily lives as they run their own businesses, embroider their signature fiery blossoms on clothing and comment on articles in the foreign press that depict them as a promiscuousmatriarchy . In particular, an article in the Latin American version of ELLE Magazine infuriated the community during the time the filmmakers were shooting in 1994.The people interviewed in this film share a common work ethic and independent streak rooted in
Zapotec culture. The movie demonstates powerful women, the region’s progressive politics, and a tolerance of homosexuality. Veteran film editor and formerLes Blank collaborator Maureen Gosling and codirector Ellen Osborne tell of an indigenous community whose "flare for survival in the modern world is a fighting spirit and the undeniable influence of women."Scenes
*A
midwife laughs over a young husband’s behavior during birth,
*A gay man cheerfully asserts that “the mom’s in charge” in Juchitecan society
*Many proudly describe the challenges they face in their work and their families.Honors and Special Screenings
*World Premiere - San Francisco International Film Festival, Castro Theater, SF and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley
*Coral Prize for Best Foreign Documentary About Latin America: Havana International Film Festival, Havana, Cuba.
*"Best Of"Sunnyside of the Doc Film Market, Marseille, France
*Award for Excellence - Society for Visual Anthropology, American Anthropological Association
*Best Documentary - Film Fest New Haven, Conn.
*Second Prize, Community Category, Terres en Vues First People's Festival, Montréal, Québec
*Prix Union Latine, Competition - La Cita Festival de Biarritz, Biarritz, France
*El Foro de la Cineteca Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico (One of 12 international films chosen to screen at this prestigious Forum.) The film toured Mexico with the other films for three months following.
*HBO Frame by Frame Series, The Screening Room, Manhattan
*Tour of the Mexican Republic, including Juchitán, Oaxaca, Mexico City, and dozens of venues in the southern Mexican states. Sponsored by the Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE). May-June 2001.
*HDerHumALC (Human Rights) Film Festival, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
*Toured with festival films to Lima, Peru (Dec. 2002)
*World Social Justice Forum in Porto Alegre and Belem, Brazil (Jan. 2003).Credits
*Producer, Director, Editor - Maureen Gosling
*Director, Co-Producer - Ellen Osborne
*Co-Producers - Toni Hanna, Maria Teresa García de la Noceda
*Cinematographer - Xavier Pérez Grobet
*Sound Recordist - Gabriela Espinoza
*Field Producer - Susana Vásquez Sánchez
*Associate Producer - Kelly Clement
*Fiscal Sponsor - Film Arts Foundation, San Francisco
*Featuring - the People of Juchitán and San Blas Atempa, OaxacaExternal links
*imdb title|id=0259219|title=Blossoms of Fire
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