A film by Wilton Martinez
This ethnographic film explores cultural change and continuity in the indigenous Andean community, fiesta, and migrant colony first documented in our award-winning Transnational Fiesta: 1992. It follows a migrant family as they travel to celebrate the patron saint fiesta they first sponsored two decades earlier in their hometown, Cabanaconde, Peru, and also participate in the diaspora fiesta in Maryland. Our sequel shows the remarkable persistence of Andean culture over time and space as well as the ruptures imposed by global capitalism, generational differences, and other forces of change.
Official trailer
The story: 1991
In 1991, Teodocio and Julia Quispe, a transmigrant couple living in Maryland, U.S., returned to their homeland, Cabanaconde, an indigenous peasant community in the southern Andes of Peru, to sponsor a major religious celebration. It was the first time that the traditional patron saint fiesta was sponsored by Cabaneños living outside of Peru.
Transnational Fiesta: 1992 documented this landmark celebration as well as other aspects of the Quispes’ lives in Maryland and Cabanaconde.
The film had a strong impact because it revealed how, five hundred years after Columbus’s landfall (hence the “1992” of the title), Andean migrants are literally conquering a new world in the U.S. This was a social process that was not well known and our film defied the stereotypical perception of indigenous peoples as backwards, isolated, and static in time. On the contrary, the Quispes are at the forefront of a global phenomena, expanding their archipelago of migrant enclaves.
Transnational Fiesta: 1992 - teaser
Twenty years later
While our first production was mainly focused on the crossing and transposition of geographic and cultural boundaries, the focus of the new film has a strong historic dimension, looking at changes in the families, community, and fiesta since 1992.
The colony of Cabaneños has grown from 200 people in 1992 to close to 2,000 today. Many migrant families include interethnic marriages and now up to three generations of Cabaneño-Americans. At the same time, the movement of people, goods, ideas, and identities between Cabanaconde and the U.S. has grown exponentially. The economic importance of remittances and the influence of the migrants in Cabanaconde continue to increase greatly.
The town of Cabanaconde and the Colca Valley have become one of the most important tourist destinations in Peru. Where in 1992 there were no telephones and just a few hours of electricity each day, today there is 24-hour electricity, luxurious hotels, cell phones, Internet cafes, and a constant flow of tourists and related services.
In spite of these and other large changes, the celebration of the patron saint fiesta remains strong and alive as a source of cultural reproduction. Much of the fiesta’s strength today comes from the influence of the migrants, who have become its primary sponsors.
Festivals & recognitions
Contra el Silencio Todas las Voces, IX Encuentro Hispanoamericano de Cine y Video Documental Independiente | México DF, México | April 2016
Official Selection
Cinesuyu – Festival de Cine Peruano | Cusco, Peru | November 2015
Official Selection
International Euro Film Festival | Málaga, Spain | June 2015
Best Documentary Film Peru
Vamos! Latino Festival | Newcastle, England | June 2015
Official Selection
Days of Ethnographic Film Festival | Ljubljana, Slovenia | March 2015
Official Selection
Viva! Latino Film Festival NYC International | New York, United States | February 2015
Official Award
International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Comedy | Jakarta, Indonesia | Nov. 2014
Award of Merit
Georgia Latino Film Festival | Atlanta, United States | October 2014
Official Selection
Documentary and Short International Movie Award Festival | Jakarta, Indonesia | Dec. 2014
Gold Award
Society for Visual Anthropology Film and Media Festival | Washington, DC, USA | December 2014
Official Selection
Contact & ordering
Our two films, Transnational Fiesta: Twenty Years Later and Transnational Fiesta: 1992, are distributed by Documentary Educational Resources. For more information and/or to order copies, contact DER.
