In July 1980, nineteen year old Dora Rodríguez fled her native El Salvador and crossed the US/Mexico border. In Los Amuletos Migran, we accompany Dora while she looks through migrants’ personal belongings, which were seized and discarded by Ajo Border Patrol agents and collected from the trash by a janitor and local photographer, Tom Kiefer. These objects echo their owners' spirits and harness the power of collective memory. As Dora recalls details of her journey, she becomes aware of the protection that was given to her by the items she carried during her trek north.
Short Documentary
Released: 2020
Runtime: 8 mins
Country: US / El Salvador
Festival Premiere at Femme Frontera
director
Amada Torruella
cinematography
Seth Gadsden
producers
Seth Gadsden
Laura Mart
editor
Maria Luisa Santos
Produced by the Skirball Cultural Center in conjunction with the exhibition El Sueño Americano / The American Dream: Photographs by Tom Kiefer.
In collaboration with Salvavision.