30. Film Festival della Lessinia
Bosco Chiesanuova (Italia)
23 August - 1 September 2024

Italian premiere

In the Tzotzil community, which inhabits the Mexican highlands, Xun Sero speaks fondly to his mother. She is busy with household chores and rituals for Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is celebrated in Mexico on December 12th. The Madonna is associated with various aspects that the director, in turn, sees in her mother, including protection, compassion, and motherhood. Mamá is an intimate dialogue between a mother and son who know and recognize each other with all their contradictions and who reflect on the naturalized violence that is perpetuated from one generation to the next. He grew up with contempt for not having a father and the need to blame his mother for it. In a soft voice, she talks about her forced marriage, her loneliness, the struggles to earn a living, and the violence suffered since childhood due to a male-dominated culture that has hindered the evolution of women's rights over time.

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  Xun Sero

  Juan Antonio Méndez Rodríguez (Xun Sero) is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker originally from the Tzotzil people of Mitontic, Chiapas, in Mexico. His debut film, Mamà (2022), was screened at various international film festivals. He is currently working on his second feature film, De Aspecto Indígena. Among his works as cinematographer are Negra (2022), by Medhin Tewolde Serrano and Vida (2020), by Elke Franke.