Tatiana Huezo, a 41 year-old filmmaker born in El Salvador and now from Mexico, received a $5,000 award for her project Tempestad

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

One day, Mela was arrested at her workplace. With no proof whatsoever, she was accused of human trafficking and organized crime and was detained in a maximum security prison in northern Mexico, more than 2000 km from her home. It was impossible for her to obliterate her memories of the violence to which she was subjected during her 9-month incarceration.

Travelling by bus from the north to the south of Mexico, we follow the route Mela took home after her release from jail. During the trip, she narrates her experience. The film paints an intimate portrait of Mela, and the brutality and impunity she experienced in prison.

The film reveals the paralysing fear that prevented her from harbouring any hope for the future, either for her or her child, fear which constrained her ability to dream and to make those dreams reality.