dir. Sergio De La Torre, Vicky Funari, 2006, Mexico / USA, 68 min.
Screening at 10th International Latino Film Festival - San Francisco Bay Area on
11/14/2006 @ 6:00 PM - @ San José State University (San Jose)
Carmen works the graveyard shift in one of Tijuana's 800 maquiladoras, the multinational factories that come to Mexico for its cheap labor. After making television components all night, Carmen goes home to a shack she built out of recycled garage doors, in a neighborhood with no sewage lines or electricity. As a single mother, she earns six dollars a day and suffers from kidney damage and lead poisoning from her exposure to toxic chemicals. But, Carmen's optimism and strong will keep her looking for ways to organize change. In Maquilapolis, Carmen and her friends reach beyond their daily struggle for survival, using video cameras to tell their own stories while confronting labor violations, environmental devastation and urban chaos. When this small group of women takes on the impossible task of forcing the Mexican government to clean up a nearby polluted factory, the women find hope in a better future.