La Camioneta
Latin American Docs
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1h 11m
Directed by Mark Kendall • Documentary • 2021 • 71 minutes
Every day dozens of decommissioned school buses are sold at auction and depart the United States on a southward migration that carries them to Guatemala, where they are repaired, repainted, and reconstructed as the brightly-colored camionetas that bring the vast majority of Guatemalans to work each day. Between 2006-2012, 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 Guatemalan gangs. “La Camioneta” follows one such bus on its transformative journey: a journey between North and South, between life and death, and through an unfolding accumulation of complex social, political, and economic landscapes. Along its trajectory across various borders, this recognizable, relatable object becomes a vehicle for weaving together more personal, human stories within the larger context of global circulatory processes.
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