An extraordinary black comedy that explores the limits of survival and absurdist political power games. The story takes place in times of elections in Mexico. A candidate for Governor runs over a pregnant migrant. After the accident, and to avoid a possible scandal, he hides her in a building he owns. Pressured by his political boss and so as not to ruin his political career, the candidate evicts the migrant. In a non-realistic style, the film focuses on the stories that surround the migrant during her search for a room. A radical film, with a critical gaze, that reflects the spirit of contemporary Mexican society.
Undisputed benchmark of Mexican cinema of migration, Lessons for Zafirah records the faces and gestures that congregate around the train "The Beast", which represents the symbolic vehicle of escape for thousands of migrants who travel to the United States. Through testimonies, the film captures the participation of people in Mexico who voluntarily provide assistance to migrants: the Women of La Patrona and Father Solalinde. The film's images are shared with the director's three-year-old daughter - called Zafirah - as a tale about the era in which we live. With a critical and joyful touch, the directors paint a bleak, but also a universal, portrait of human greatness - inviting the viewer to transform his or her view of migrants.
Feature-length documentary. A CREADORESCONTEMPORÁNEOS production.The story of one family that lives closed in by the Wall Israel is building in the Palestinian West Bank.
Wheels of Fortune 25 min., 2007
Director, Script
Documentary short. A co-production between Channel 11 TV and Malicia Productions.
The significance of making a circle for three people during a Mexican country fair.
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Zona Cero 27 min.,2003
Director, Screenplay, Editor
Fiction short. A CUEC-UNAM production.In the centre of a devastated zone, one man looks for a doctor to save his son.
Life Ends Abruptly
5 min.,
1995
Director, Screenplay, Editor
Fiction short. A CUEC-UNAM production. Violence in the city dramatically affects the life of one person.
DAOUD SARHANDI Photographer, Editor
1 for 1 75 min., 2013
Co-director, Co-writer, Producer, Art Director, Photographer, Editor, Sound Design
An extraordinary black comedy that explores the limits of survival and absurdist political power games. The story takes place in times of elections in Mexico. A candidate for Governor runs over a pregnant migrant. After the accident, and to avoid a possible scandal, he hides her in a building he owns. Pressured by his political boss and so as not to ruin his political career, the candidate evicts the migrant. In a non-realistic style, the film focuses on the stories that surround the migrant during her search for a room. A radical film, with a critical gaze, that reflects the spirit of contemporary Mexican society.
Lessons for Zafirah 75 min., 2011
Co-director, Producer, Photographer, Editor
A metaphor of the Flood in our epoch. 'The flood' is the rain of violence that washes over us; 'Noah's Arc' is the train that runs through Mexico toward the United States; the migrants are 'the species' attempting to save their lives. Framed as a series of humanistic lessons for the directors' three year old daughter, Zafirah.
The Colour of Olives
97 min.,
2006 Producer, Photographer, Editor, Sound, Sound Design
Feature-length documentary. A CREADORESCONTEMPORÁNEOS production. The story of one family that lives closed in by the Wall Israel is building in the Palestinian West Bank.
