Sister cities
a collection of films directed by Mexicans living on both sides of the border.
Background: In the early ‘90s a few men from the small state of Tlaxcala, Mexico traveled to Teton County, Wyoming for work. Though they followed a long lineage of migrant workers in the US, they marked the first Tlaxcalans to arrive in Jackson Hole. Almost thirty years later an estimated 20-25% of residents in Teton County are of Mexican descent. In small, rural towns around Tlaxcala, signs of that migration reveal themselves in the absence of working-age adults, reduced enrollment in the primary schools, and new construction of homes - built with money made in the US - but remain empty. Whereas in Teton County, the school district now offers a dual education model - beginning in elementary school, classes are taught half in English and half in Spanish.
We are a country founded by immigrants, whose influence is woven into the fabric of American society.
But the current narrative around immigration stirs fears, incites violence, and heightens tensions in communities. We seek to change what is seen, heard, and known about Mexicans and Mexican Americans. We teach documentary filmmaking to the Mexican people of the Tetons and Tlaxcala. Participants learn digital storytelling skills so they can direct, shoot, and edit their own films. With the director’s permission, each documentary becomes part of the Sister Cities docuseries. This compilation of films will be showcased around Wyoming, Tlaxcala, and the world. Sister Cities reclaims the narrative about Mexican immigrants by ensuring that they have the power and control to tell their own stories.
This two-part project began first in Teton County, Wyoming and then traveled over 2,000 miles to Tlaxcala, Mexico to hear the other side.
Jackson Hole: During the fall of 2019, seven films were written, edited, and directed by seven unique voices: first and second generation Mexican Americans, all with ties to Tlaxcala. During the pandemic, in the years of 2020-2021, students persevered through online filmmaking courses and in-person classes to produce another short film as a collective.
Tlaxcala: Beginning in 2022, DIY Docs moved to Tlaxcala to offer filmmaking classes to the communities of Hueyotlipan, San Lucas, and San Simeon. Follow the progress of the Sister Cities project on our website and social media. A wide release of selects films from Wyoming and Tlaxcala will go on tour in the fall of 2022.