MUERTE ES VIDA is a documentary about the connection between death and nature. The film’s central Mexican character, Sabino, believes the Monarch butterflies that arrive every year are the souls of departed family coming back to visit as they arrive in time for Day of the Dead, after an epic journey from Canada and the Northern United States.
This film gives us a glimpse into authentic Mexico, as well as the determination of both these butterflies and these people to persevere through life.
Following a career in show-jumping, director Ali Alvarez graduated in 2001 from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena with Honors in Advertising. She then worked for 11 years in commercial media, directing films with Damien Lewis and music videos with OK GO. This is her first feature length documentary.
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BARBARIAN PRESS examines the lives of Jan and Crispin Elsted, artisans who produce books using techniques hundreds of years old. Rather than embrace the “plastic fantastic” world emerging around them in the late 20th century, the Elsteds became fascinated with “the idea of being able to make things, to learn how it was done.”
The husband and wife team turn out books that are as much a joy to handle as they are to read. Filmmaker Sarah Race offers a film much like the Elsteds themselves: sentimental, contemplative, and genuine.
Director Sarah Race is a photographer and filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada. Sarah’s approach to visual media is about building relationships with her subjects in order to truly connect with their stories and share their experiences through her work. BARBARIAN PRESS is her first short film.