Imported Film Festivals and Cultural Circuits of Documentary Cinema in Xalapa, Veracruz

Abstract

With the aim of understanding recent transformations in the reception of documentary cinema –and the role of non-fiction film festivals in this process–, the article analyzes testimonies from spectators, volunteers, former volunteers, and cultural managers in the film circuit in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Based on participant observation in exhibition activities and 51 interviews, the findings reveal that there has been an increase in access to documentary films for audiences in Veracruz, driven by festivals programmed from the national capital as well as by local citizen initiatives. At the same time, the study highlights the fragility of the projects’ labor relations and cultural management, which rely on volunteer work, intermittent contracts, and cultural activism.
Keywords: Memory, film audiences, documentary film, cultural managers, film clubs