Freeing Juanita
An Indigenous Maya Chuj couple make a treacherous thousand-mile journey across Guatemala and into Mexico to demand the emancipation of their niece, who was wrongfully imprisoned during her intended migration to the United States.
To what lengths would you go to rescue a family member wrongfully imprisoned? In Freeing Juanita, Ana and Pedro embark on a thousand-mile journey from Guatemala to Northern Mexico to bring attention to and liberate their niece Juanita. Juanita has unjustly languished for seven years after a failed border crossing into the United States, unable to defend herself against false criminal allegations in Spanish as she only speaks her native Mayan tongue. In his gorgeously shot feature directorial debut, Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers frames his protagonists with humanity, care, and occasional levity in their pursuit not only for justice for Juanita, but for other families who have lost their loved ones in the chaos at the border. The genuine affection between the two subjects and their shared love for their niece grounds the narrative in a hopefulness that illuminates a lesser-seen side of the immigration crisis.
- Original Language Title: Liberando a Juanita
- Director: Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers
- Principal Cast: Ana Matilde Gómez Pérez, Pedro Alonzo Santizo, Juana Alonzo Santizo
- Premiere Status: US
- Country: USA, Mexico, Guatemala
- Year: 2024
- Running Time: 74 min.
- Producer: Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers, Ana Gómez, Adrián Gutiérrez, Tristan Call
- Cinematographers: Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers
- Editors: Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers, Lorena Alvarado
- Music: Stewart Bird
- Website: Official Film Website
- Filmography: Debut Feature Film
- Language: Spanish, Chuj Maya
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- Format: DCP
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