Two years after the earthquakes of September 7, 19, and 23, 2017, Ambulante launches Reconstrucciones, a transmedia platform that collects the reconstruction process of the 44 organizations and groups supported by the Levantemos México project.
In line with Ambulante’s mission to promote documentary cinema as a catalyst for social change, this unique platform documents each participating organization’s reconstruction project and process, with the aim of preserving memory and experience, and of sharing knowledge on reconstruction after a disaster. Reconstrucciones can be experienced online and may also be expanded to create live cinema events.
Reconstrucciones also opens a window into the use of the $32,896,911.00 MXN fund raised and administered by Levantemos México for reconstruction efforts, collected through more than 15,000 donations from around the world. “The platform is a virtual doorway into the constellation of organizations that continue to rebuild what the September 2017 earthquakes fractured. Through first-person narratives, we access inspiring life stories and witness the progress made by each of the groups. All of this was made possible by the grants delivered by Levantemos México and the commitment of those who implemented them,” said Christiane Burkhard, renowned documentary filmmaker and director of Reconstrucciones.
The platform promotes solidarity with those who continue to rebuild their communities two years after the earthquakes, through self-representation: “Filming our project has helped us see, recognize, and question ourselves; to reformulate our processes, to provoke dialogue, and transfer knowledge to other generations. Memory is an act of emotional recovery so that our town continues to be strengthened,” shared Alma Benítez, a direct beneficiary from the community of Xoxocotla, in Morelos.
To date, Reconstrucciones compiles the projects and experiences of 21 organizations and community groups, located in Mexico City, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Puebla, Morelos and the State of Mexico, which make up a representative sample of the beneficiaries of the Levantemos México project:
Over the coming months, Reconstrucciones will continue to gather the progress and achievements of the remaining organizations and projects supported by Levantemos México, which conclude in July 2020. The second phase of the platform will launch during Ambulante’s 2020 Documentary Tour.
To access Reconstrucciones click here
To access the narrative report After the earthquake (Ambulante and Fondo Semillas) click here
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to allies, colleagues, donors, individuals, and businesses who showed solidarity with this effort and without whose support the project would not have been possible. We particularly appreciate the sustained support of Deloitte, who donated audit services to Ambulante for FY2018, thereby ensuring Levantemos México’s transparency and accountability.
