In the United States, civil disobedience can look like marches, sit-ins and boycotts. But for a youth group in Ciudad Peronia, a town 12 miles outside of Guatemala City, political activism looks much more theatrical.
“There was this extraordinary group of young people that, in the face of extreme adversity and true resource scarcity, as well as conditions of quite significant violence, in particular violence against women, were utilizing art as a means of youth organizing,” said Anna Hadingham, a native of Wayland.
That artistic take on protest is at the heart of “Comparsa,” an award-winning documentary making its Boston premiere at the third annual CineFest Latino Boston Film Festival.
Hadingham spent 10 years working in Guatemala, including with Peronia Adolescente, where she met Lesli and Lupe: two sisters, activists and artists who would become the main subjects of “Comparsa.” The film is directed by Vickie Curtis and Doug Anderson, both also of Wayland; Hadingham serves as a producer on the film.
“Comparsa” is the opener for the film festival, which begins Wednesday. Sabrina Aviles, founder and director of the festival, said she was drawn to the film because it illustrates the resilience of Latino people.
“It’s a film that is celebratory, powerful, inspirational,” Aviles said. “And those themes serve as underlying themes across the board of the festival this year. I want people to come here and see [Latinos] for who we really are and not in a dehumanized way, but a human, authentic way and that we as a community have overcome and will continue to overcome any challenges that the world and society may present against us.”
Anderson said screening “Comparsa” as part of CineFest Latino Boston feels particularly special to him and the team behind the documentary.
“This is kind of our home-city return,” he said. “And the fact that it is specifically a festival that celebrates Latino stories, Latino characters, protagonists, participants in documentaries, we’re just so thrilled to be a part of it.”
Aviles said she wants the shorts and feature-length narrative and documentary films in the festival to counterprogram negative depictions of Latinos in the media right now. And despite the looming threat of ICE and the cancellation of other Latine-focused celebrations, Aviles said she and the festival forge on.
“I’m continuing this as my form of resistance,” she said. “This is my form and resistance, and I’m not fearful.”
CineFest Latino Boston Film Festival runs from September 24 through September 28. Click here for more information.
Guests
- Sabrina Aviles, founder and organizer of CineFest Latino Boston Film Festival
- Doug Anderson, a director of the documentary film, “Comparsa”
- Anna Hadingham, a producer of the documentary film, “Comparsa”
