PBI-Mexico accompanied Félix Zurita for documentary film on Indigenous opposition to Puebla 1 hydroelectric dam

On February 4, the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project posted this article on its website that highlights, “In February of last year, PBI-Mexico accompanied, in the Sierra Norte de Puebla, Félix Zurita, a Spanish documentary filmmaker, to record some images about the situation of defenders of their land, territory and the environment of the communities of San Mateo Tlacotepec, Altica and San Felipe Tepatlán.”

PBI-Mexico explains, “For more than a decade, in the Sierra Norte de Puebla, Totonac communities have fought for the survival of their traditions and the defense of their territory.” That struggle has included opposition to the construction on the Puebla 1 hydroelectric plant on the Ajajalpan River that began in February 2016.

“In January of this year, the communities won an important judicial battle against the construction of the dam project, when the local City Council revoked the construction permits for the Puebla 1 work due to serious illegalities in administrative processes.”

The footage by Félix Zurita can be seen in this 14-minute video titled ‘Los Hijxs del Agua’ (Children of the Water).

Zurita has also made a new documentary titled ‘La Sangre de la Tierra’ (The Blood of the Earth) that tells the story of three processes of resistance to hydroelectric dams in Mexico (Puebla 1), Guatemala (Renace and Oxec) and Honduras (Los Planes).

The trailer for that film can now be seen online here. You can also read more about the film on the Fundacion Luciernaga website.

PBI-Mexico adds, “The defenders who are part of these resistance movements have been attacked, threatened and criminalized for their active resistance against the imposition of economic projects in their territories. PBI is witnessing the worrying increase in these types of attacks against defenders in the region.”

The full PBI-Mexico article can be read here.

Please contact Peace Brigades International-Canada via brent@pbicanada.org if you are interested in co-organizing a community screening of ‘La Sangre de la Tierra’ (with English subtitles) in this country.