Laura Plancarte Talks To The Blog About Her Raindance Film Festival Hit Siblings!

12:49:00



Good Afternoon Lovelies, 

A few weeks ago I interviewed the director of the Raindance Film Festival contender, Siblings, Laura Plancarte, about everything to do with the film that has got everyone talking lovelies!

From the film being at the festival and what it means, new learning experiences and the future, Laura let us into her amazing world to discuss everything Siblings and it all seems incredible…

Firstly, congratulations on being selected to appear at the Raindance Film Festival! How does it feel to be back with a second film?
I’m very happy to be back at Raindance and I’m very proud of my new film HERMANOS/SIBLINGS. I believe that it’s a film that deserves to be watched by a wide audience because it opens a fresh dialogue between Mexico and the USA regarding immigration. It shows how much we have in common instead of only showing our differences. Immigration is a very complex subject and I believe we’ll only be able to come up with better solutions if we’re able to hear stories from both countries, from the people who live it and are being affected by it.

For those who may not have heard of Siblings, please could you tell us what it is about?
SIBLINGS tells in parallel the story of two Mexican brothers that want to go back to the USA after being deported for life, with the story of an American woman who lost her house and today believes she can get it back through Trump’s promises. Their journeys take them on road trips to meet with their past and with relatives who they believe can help them achieve their dreams. Immigration has been shown in many ways, but it has never been presented through the lives of Mexicans and Americans who live similar situations due to poverty and lack of family structure.

The topic of immigration is being widely discussed at the moment by many. What was it about this subject area that made you want to make a documentary about it?
I was born and raised in Mexico City reading and hearing news about Mexico and the USA fighting, making up and fighting again. I always saw this battle as a toxic marriage where the stronger partner beats up the weaker one who takes it and doesn’t put an end to it. It seems to me that we have an incredibly co-dependent relationship and we blame the other for all our misery. I believe it’s time to change the script and forge a new mature relationship where both countries take responsibility of their own problems and accept that they need the other country economically and socially. Both countries benefit from the legal and illegal trade but unfortunately at the moment the poorest people from both countries are the ones who are suffering and being used. It would be beneficial for both countries if we would cherish the incredible third culture that was born from our mix, and learn to speak, negotiate and live in better terms. In my perspective, being neighbours and having one of the largest and most transited borders in the world is not going to change.


There are some amazing people in the film, how did you find them? And what was it about them that interested you so much?
I met the Mexican brothers, Chuy and Chato, due to my previous film Tierra Caliente. I got to know lots of people from that region in Mexico. Although this place is far away from the USA, the amount of people who have migrated is enormous. When I met the brothers I immediately knew that I wanted to work with them because they were the perfect example of how, in many cases, Mexicans go to the USA seeking something more complex than just bettering their economy. I’m fascinated by how human beings explain to themselves their needs so they can survive and give their life a sense of purpose. While working with the brothers I travelled to the USA to interview an array of people from different American communities searching to make a portrait of voices that would talk about the mythic “American dream” and other subjects related to immigration. That’s when I met Vanessa.

When I met her, I knew immediately I wanted to work with her because I was surprised with how someone that from the outside looks so different to Chuy and Chato, not just physically but in her way of speaking and expressing herself, shares many things with these Mexican brothers at a deeper level. The similarities were surprising and an eye opener to me. I realized more than ever how we need to make things either black or white in order to be at peace. Accepting that life is complex and constructed by an array of different colours and tones is unsettling to us, so we unfortunately seek to classify things into good or bad instead of assimilating that life is nothing like that, that it’s complex. In order to make changes for the better and find solutions, we need to accept this and learn to live with a multi layered and multi coloured landscape which is our reality.

Is there a scene or moment in the film that you want audience members to look out for? If so why this one?
I think the film will speak in different ways to each person, and I think that’s the beauty of creation. Each person is touched in very different ways and therefore can enrich the film with their own unique perspective. I personally love the BBQ scene where Vanessa is sharing a meal with a friend because it shows us in a very natural way this American proudness that many Americans have. Also, when the brothers are being taught by their mum how to bowl it’s tender and naïve and incredibly surprising to watch these two mature men that transported drugs behaving like children with the mum that abandoned them when they were children. But I think the film has many incredible surprises that will take the audience on an incredible journey.

The Raindance Film Festival must hold some special memories for you now. What is your favourite?
When Tierra Caliente was announced two years ago at Raindance’s programme, it was the first film to sell out its screenings. I received a phone call from the Raindance team saying that they were so happy that a Mexican-British co-production had been the first with sold out screenings that they were giving us an extra screening at Leicester Square Cinema as recognition. It felt incredible to see how a film with a title in Spanish had caught the attention of so many people in the UK. It was the best gift!

What films that you are hoping to capture at the festival this year?
There are five Mexican films this year at Raindance that I’m really looking forward to watching, specially the documentary “While Waiting” by Paola Villanueva and Mist who portrays a complex LGBT subject. I’m also looking forward to watching the American documentary “The Family I had” and “First Impressions/Best Documentary VR Experience”

Finally, can you tell us anything about what you are working on next?
I can’t talk much about the film I’m developing at the moment, but what I can say in advance is that it’s going to be set in the USA and that it’s going to reflect on social issues. I think cinema is an incredible art form that can reach many people and I think there are many social issues that deserve to have a voice.

Look out for more news on Siblings soon lovelies! 

Blog Soon, 
Joey X 


You Might Also Like

0 comments