A Short Documentary Hybrid Film
Expected 2024
After crossing the border assimilation became a strategy of survival for Celia and her children. But two generations later the impact of this strategy has led to a loss of language, food, and culture. Now Megan, Celia's grandchild, is on a journey to recover what remains of their Mexican heritage and share their truest self before Celia's life, culture, and stories begin to erode from terminal cancer. "Bienvenida Abuelita" recounts filmmaker Megan Martinez Goltz' final days with their grandmother as they recover family stories and seek acceptance of their queerness to develop a new strategy of survival.
In a battle to be bonded with ancestors, Megan weaves together documentary vignettes with stylized portraits journeying through grief, loss, and reconciliation to honor the life and death of their abuelita Celia. Guided by medicine song, Megan welcomes their grandmother into their life even after she is gone. Diving into the depths of dark ocean waters, walking through fields of cempasuchil (marigolds), and crawl into the inferno of a temazcal (traditional sweat lodge) - utilizing ceremony to deepen their connection.
