Series/Themes: Virtual Screening

Genre: Documentaries

Film Year: 2020

Locations: Mexico

Film Length: 80 min.

Languages: Tzotzil, Spanish

Subtitles: Yes

Director: Marίa Sojob

María Sojob, a Tsotsil filmmaker from Chiapas, in southern Mexico, spent her childhood growing up in the city, removed from her origins in the village of Chenalhó. She returns home to spend time with her elderly grandfather, Tote, in an effort to reconnect with her roots. Now a mother of two daughters, Sojob, seeks to examine multi-generational attitudes toward love, affection, parenting, and even gender roles in their culture. This intensely personal, heartfelt documentary highlights the effects of space and time on the evolution of norms, identities, and values. Discussion with Negra director Medhin Tewolde Serrano, Tote Grandfather director Marίa Sojob, and Jamaica y Tamarindo director Ebony Bailey, moderated by Sonia Alconini (UVA). Discussion recorded and presented in Spanish.

Tote Grandfather is part of the Transborder Blackness & Indigeneity (Indigenidad y Negritud Transfronteriza) series supported by UVA Arts Council and part of the Women in Film Series supported by Virginia Commission for the Arts & National Endowment for the Arts