La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus
English and Spanish with English subtitles
Director/Screenwriter/Cinematographer: Mark Kendall Producers: Mark Kendall, Rafael González Editors: Mark Kendall, Shannon Kennedy Music: T. Griffin
Every day dozens of decommissioned yellow school buses leave the United States on a southward migration to Guatemala, where they are repaired, repainted, and resurrected as the brightly coloured camionetas that transport the vast majority of Guatemalans to work each day. Since 2006, nearly 1,000 camioneta drivers and fare-collectors have been murdered for either refusing or being unable to pay the extortion money demanded by local gangs. La Camioneta follows one such bus on its transformative journey: an odyssey between North and South, between life and death, and through an unfolding collection of moments, people, and places that subtly reflect the interconnected worlds in which we live.
An upbeat story of resilience, regeneration, and artistic imagination. Stephen Holden, The New York Times
Cada día docenas de autobuses escolares ya no usados emigran desde los Estados Unidos hacia Guatemala donde son reparados, pintados de nuevo, y transformados en camionetas de colores brillantes que transportan gente al trabajo todos los días. Desde el 2006 casi 1.000 pilotos y copilotos han sido asesinados por no pagar las extorsiones exigidas por las pandillas locales. La Camioneta sigue un autobús en su viaje transformativo: un viaje entre Norte y Sur, entre la vida y la muerte, y un viaje a través de una colección de momentos, de personas, y de lugares, el cual nos sirve para recordarnos calladamente de los mundos interconectados en que vivimos.
Mark Kendall was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1982, and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. His documentary short, The Time Machine, was a National Finalist at the 2011 Student Academy Awards and winner of 13 additional festival awards. La Camioneta, his feature directorial debut, won the International Documentary Association Award and was recently voted by Indiewire's Criticwire Network as one of the Best Indie Films of 2013.