''Blossoms of Fire'' (also known as ''Ramo de fuego'') is a 2000

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

about the people of Juchitán, Oaxaca, Mexico. The documentary was directed by

Maureen Gosling Maureen Gosling is an American documentary filmmaker, editor, and director. She is best known for her 20-year collaboration with the late director Les Blank. Life and career Gosling was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her physician father wa ...

and Ellen Osborne.

Overview

Author

Elena Poniatowska Hélène Elizabeth Louise Amélie Paula Dolores Poniatowska Amor (born May 19, 1932), known professionally as Elena Poniatowska () is a French-born Mexican journalist and author, specializing in works on social and political issues focused on th ...

described the women of

Juchitán de Zaragoza Juchitán de Zaragoza (; Spanish name; Isthmus Zapotec: ''Xabizende'' ) is an indigenous town in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Juchitán District in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region. With a 2005 census ...

, a city in the

Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

, as “guardians of men, distributors of food.” Artists like

Miguel Covarrubias Miguel Covarrubias, also known as José Miguel Covarrubias Duclaud (22 November 1904 — 4 February 1957) was a Mexican painter, caricaturist, illustrator, ethnologist and art historian. Along with his American colleague Matthew W. Stirling, ...

and

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...

celebrated their beauty and intelligence. ''Blossoms of Fire'' shows them in their daily lives as they run their own businesses, embroider their signature fiery blossoms on clothing and comment on articles in the foreign press that depict them as a promiscuous

matriarchy Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property. While those definitions apply in general E ...

. In particular, an article in the Latin American version of ELLE Magazine infuriated the community during the time the filmmakers were shooting in 1994. Yet, it is expressed throughout the film by the women that they do not consider their society to be a matriarchy. The people interviewed in this film share a common work ethic and independent streak rooted in Zapotec culture. The movie demonstrates powerful women, the region’s progressive politics, and a tolerance of homosexuality. Veteran film editor and former

Les Blank Les Blank (November 27, 1935 – April 7, 2013) was an American documentary filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians. Life and career Leslie Harrod Blank Jr. was born November 27, 1935 in Tampa, Florida. He atten ...

collaborator Maureen Gosling and co-director Ellen Osborne tell of an indigenous community whose "flair for survival in the modern world is a fighting spirit and the undeniable influence of women."

Scenes

* A

midwife A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...

laughs over a young husband’s behavior during birth, * A gay man cheerfully asserts that “the mom’s in charge” in Juchitecan society * Many proudly describe the challenges they face in their work and their families.

Honors and special screenings

* World Premiere - San Francisco International Film Festival, Castro Theater, SF and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley * Coral Prize for Best Foreign Documentary About Latin America: Havana International Film Festival, Havana, Cuba. * "Best Of"Sunnyside of the Doc Film Market, Marseille, France * Award for Excellence - Society for Visual Anthropology, American Anthropological Association * Best Documentary - Film Fest New Haven, Conn. * Second Prize, Community Category, Terres en Vues First People's Festival, Montréal, Québec * Prix Union Latine, Competition - La Cita Festival de Biarritz, Biarritz, France * El Foro de la Cineteca Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico (One of 12 international films chosen to screen at this prestigious Forum.) The film toured Mexico with the other films for three months following. * HBO Frame by Frame Series, The Screening Room, Manhattan * Tour of the Mexican Republic, including Juchitán, Oaxaca, Mexico City, and dozens of venues in the southern Mexican states. Sponsored by the Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE). May–June 2001. * HDerHumALC (Human Rights) Film Festival, Buenos Aires, Argentina. * Toured with festival films to Lima, Peru (Dec. 2002) * World Social Justice Forum in Porto Alegre and Belem, Brazil (Jan. 2003).

Credits

* Producer, Director, Editor - Maureen Gosling * Director, Co-Producer - Ellen Osborne * Co-Producers - Toni Hanna, Maria Teresa García de la Noceda * Cinematographer - Xavier Pérez Grobet * Sound Recordist - Gabriela Espinoza * Field Producer - Susana Vásquez Sánchez * Associate Producer - Kelly Clement * Fiscal Sponsor - Film Arts Foundation, San Francisco * Featuring - the People of Juchitán and San Blas Atempa, Oaxaca

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blossoms Of Fire 2000 films 2000s English-language films 2000s Spanish-language films Mexican documentary films 2000 documentary films Documentary films about women Documentary films about Mexico Women in Mexico 2000 multilingual films American multilingual films Mexican multilingual films Spanish-language American films 2000s Mexican films