Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (EBI) was proud to present a private showing
of Maquilapolis in September of 2007, produced by Sergio de la Torre and Vicky Funari. De la Torre was on hand to provide post-showing insight into the making of the film, along with answering questions posed by guests.
This was the first in a series of events with which we hope to illustrate the richness of the Latin@ contribution to the world of art, film and literature.
A brief look at the film:
Carmen and Lourdes work in Tijuana’s maquiladoras, the multinationally-owned
factories which came to Mexico for its cheap labor. Each day these factory
workers confront labor violations, environmental devastation and urban chaos
-- life on the frontier of the global economy. In MAQUILAPOLIS, Carmen and
Lourdes reach beyond the daily struggle for survival to organize for change:
Carmen takes a major television manufacturer to task for violating her labor
rights. Lourdes pressures the government to clean up a toxic waste dump left
behind by a departing factory. As they work for change, the world changes
too: a global economic crisis and the availability of cheaper labor in China
begin to pull the factories away from Tijuana, leaving Carmen, Lourdes and
their colleagues with an uncertain future.