On June 30 we are screening two shorts by Texas women filmmakers with a Q&A to follow. Resistencia Bookstore is hosting with their peaceful venue on Cesar Chavez. Space is limited.

Filmmakers
Mayra Garza, MIER
Mayra was born in Laredo, Texas and raised just across the United States-Mexican border in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication in from Texas A&M International University (TAMIU), she started her career in broadcast production as a technical director in Laredo’s NBC affiliate KGNS-TV. She works at the TAMIU-KLRN TV studio, where she helped to establish the university’s first student reporting lab. Additionally, she is the assistant editor of the Laredo Morning Times’ Spanish section, where she occasionally writes about border culture and the local art scene.

Melissa Santillana, MIER
Born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Melissa has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and a Master of Arts degree in Communication with a concentration in Border and Latin America Media Studies from Texas A&M International University. She was recently granted admission to a doctorate program in Media Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. She is the Spanish Editor at Laredo Morning Times and Public Speaking Adjunct Instructor at TAMIU.

Michelle Mejía, DOÑA GUILLE Y EL GRAN MERCADO
Michelle Mejía is a native of Brownsville, Texas. She is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Radio-Television-Film with a concentration in Latino Media Studies. Michelle is a freelance editor currently working on multiple projects, one being a mom. She lends her tech savvy and communications knowledge to Mama Sana Vibrant Woman (MSVW) full-time as the communications director.

MIER Details:
Country: Mexico
Language: Spanish
Release Date: 2016 (USA)
Rated: NR

Mier is a Mexican border town located about 250 miles from San Antonio. In 2010, two of the most gruesome crime organizations in Mexico ignited a war for control of the town. In the midst of the War on Drugs, Mier that once had a population of 4,762 was left with only 400 people.

Mier es una ciudad fronteriza mexicana ubicada aproximadamente a 250 millas de San Antonio. En 2010, dos de las organizaciones criminales más despiadadas de México iniciaron una guerra por el control de la ciudad. En medio de la Guerra contra el narcotráfico, Mier que una vez tuvo una población de 4.762, se quedó con solo 400 personas.

DOÑA GUILLE Y EL GRAN MERCADO Details:
Country: USA
Language: Spanish
Release Date: 2014 (USA)
Rated: NR

About Resistencia Bookstore/ @redsalmonarts
Red Salmon Arts is a 501(c)3 grassroots cultural arts organization, with a thirty-year history of working with the indigenous neighborhoods of Austin. RSA is dedicated to the development of emerging writers and the promotion of Chican@/Latin@/Native American literature, providing outlets and mechanisms for cultural exchange, and sharing in the retrieval of a people’s cultural heritage with a commitment to social justice.

About #AltGirlCinema
Alt Girl Cinema brings an alternative cinematic representation of women’s lives to Austin through community film screenings. Alt Girl deviates from the mainstream, screening contemporary art films across genres, including horror, sci-fi, documentary, experimental, 90’s, and more. Alt Girl stresses the importance of complex characters giving a multidimensional view of womanhood in today’s society. Alt Girl Cinema is presented by the Women’s Community Center of Central Texas.

Schedule
7:30 – Arrival
8:00 – Films start
8:50 – Q&A start, Moderator TBD
18+ recommended

MIER, 25 minutes
DOÑA GUILLE Y EL GRAN MERCADO, 15 minutes

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.