Those Who Remain
Film Title (Original): Los Que Se Quedan
Film Title (Spanish): Los Que Se Quedan
Film Title (In English): Those Who Remain
Country Of Origin: Mexico
Year Of Completion: 2008
Running Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Format/Color/Bw:
Language: Spanish
Subtitles:
FILM CREDITS:
Directors and Producers: Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman
Producer: Nicolas Vale
Photography: Juan Carlos Rulfo
Editor: Valentina Leduc
Music: Café Tacvba
Associated Producer: Martha Sosa
Sound design: Ruy García and Valentina Leduc
Sound director: Mauricio Santos
Cast:
AWARDS: 2008 Gucci/Ambulante Grant; Best Picture (Documenta Madrid 2009)
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Best Documentary (Los Angeles Independent Film Festival 2009)
 
 

Juan Carlos Rulfo: (Mexico City, 1964) is one of Mexico's most acclaimed filmmakers. After graduating from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in communications sciences, he studied film directing at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica. He has won numerous international awards, including "Best Documentary" at the Sundance, Bacifi, Miami, Biarritz and Karlovi Vary festivals. Juan Carlos holds Guggenheim, Rockefeller and MacArthur grants and was a member of the National System of Art Creators.

Filmography:
Los que se quedan. Largometraje documental, 2008.
El crucero. Cortometraje, 2007.
En el hoyo. Largometraje documental, 2006.
Diminutos de calvario I, Silverio. Cortometraje, 2000.
El alma mexicana. Experimental, 2000.
Del olvido al no me acuerdo. Largometraje documental, 1999.
El abuelo Cheno y otras historias. Cortometraje, 1995.

Carlos Hagerman (Mexico City, 1966). Carlos holds a Bachelor's in communications and took a Master's in film directing at NYU on a Fulbright scholarship. He has won a series of awards for his short films, movie minutes, commercials and video installations. In addition to participating in the 2000 Hannover International Trade Fair, he was involved in the ABCDF project and his films have been screened at several festivals.

Filmography:
Diminutos de calvario (2001)
El alma mexicana (2000)
Ciudad (1999)
Angels Don't Know (1996)
The Storyteller (1995)
Sisyphus (1994)
La manifestación del concepto (1991)


It is a film about the families of those who have crossed the border to the United States in search of better opportunities. A film that explores the melancholy, memories and identity of those who remain, who continue to wait, to love and to dream. A film about absence, about the families whose lives are defined by the voids emigration has created.

The Simple Things... The Stories of the Ones Who Remain

Emigration is a much-talked-about problem in Mexico, but rarely do we hear about the families of those who have crossed the border, about how emigration has affected their lives and their communities.

Emigration has an enduring impact, not just on the families who remain, but on entire communities, towns and cities. No one ever talks about this.

What happens to these broken families? How do they adapt?
What happens in these communities of childless parents and fatherless children, where wives must raise families without their husbands?
What happens in these towns that are missing half their population, abandoned by generations of young people?

The Ones Who Remain gives a voice to this silent, but very real phenomenon that affects virtually every region of Mexico. The intention was not to simply interview those affected, but to record the trials and tribulations of their daily lives. This approach has resulted in a discreet, yet authentic portrayal of their day-to-day existence. We see the characters in the film at work, at rest, at play; listen as they reveal their hopes and fears; and marvel as they share their dreams with us.

The Ones Who Remain tells "the other side" of the story.

 
See Gallery of Photos
 
 
 
III Dominican Republic Global Film Festival - 2009