THE ECHO OF HER VOICE

Synopsis:

Through photographs, dreams and unanswered questions, Paulina's presence lives on in the daily life of Margarita, her mother. In an immeasurable search for justice for her daughter's death, Margarita discovers that her voice can form part of a larger struggle that has emerged in the face of the current wave of femicides in Mexico. 'The Echo Of Her Voice’ shows us the strength of the mother-daughter relationship that knows no bounds.

Rodrigo Guzmán Espíndola

Short Bio

Full Bio

He has a degree in Communication Sciences from the Political and Social Sciences Division of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and specialized in the Documentary Film School of San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Having been an active cinephile his whole life, he participated in the creation and administration of movie clubs in various UNAM divisions, as well as different alternative cultural spaces in East Mexico City. He was line producer of “The Sky Is Very Pretty” (Aracely Méndez) and sound recordist in “Remington” (Magali Caballero). “The Echo of Her Voice” is his first work as a film director. A few months following its premiere, this documentary short film has already been selected by 10 national and international film festivals, among them DOC NYC (New York, 2023).

Statement:

“The Echo of Her Voice” tells us how Margarita copes with her grief after the femicide of her daughter Paulina by transforming her absence into that which fuels her pursuit of justice, for her daughter and all women in the same situation.

But it’s not only a film about femicide. It doesn’t resort to sensationalism or revictimization. Instead, it shows Margarita’s empowering capacity to cope and get support from people who, despite not being family, reach out to her. It’s a story about hope, about looking for a change.

The short film has been well received by audiences, since we deal with social issues in a different way, leaving sensationalism aside and proposing new narratives that connect with the audience from a position of empathy, respect and sensibility.

I’ve been trying to make use of screening sessions to provide the audience with food for thought. At the end of the screenings I attended, my proposed dynamic was to invite the audience to support, in any way possible, demonstrations calling for justice for the direct and indirect victims of femicide. Conversely, I have invited other men to question and reject our male privilege, as well as acknowledge and work on our own violent behaviors, since more than 90% of femicides are committed by us men.