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Mosquita y Mari

About the Film
Year Released: 
2012
Running Time: 
85
Documentary/Fiction: 
Fiction
Synopsis: 

With this auspicious feature film debut, Aurora Guerrero explores the complexities of a budding friendship between two Chicana high schoolers in Los Angeles’s Huntington Park. Yolanda is stellar in her studies and makes her parents proud, while Mari has just moved to town with her undocumented family. On her first day of school, Mari is assigned to be Yolanda’s study partner. After a rocky start, the two find a bond that confuses them at times. Guerrero’s steady direction allows more intimate understanding of the girls’ aspirations and their families’ expectations.

With evocative performances from Fenessa Pineda as Yolanda and Venecia Troncoso as Mari, we experience their struggles: adjusting to their new reality; and charting their own paths in the face of parental sacrifice, immigration experiences, and peer pressure. InMosquita y Mari, Guerrero delivers an impressionistic meditation on desire, set in a vibrant Latino community, and emerges as an exciting new voice in American cinema.

Written by Bird Runningwater, Sundance Film Festival Archives

Poster Image: 
Director
Film Director: 
Aurora Guerrero
Production Info
Reported or Estimated Budget: 
$80000
Location: 
Huntington Park, Los Angeles, CA
Categories About the Film
Genre: 
coming of age
drama
family
highschool
romance
Keywords: 
coming of age
education
family
glbtq
immigration
sexuality
urban life
Racial/Ethnic Affiliation: 
Chicano/a
Filmmaking Team
Writer's Name: 
Aurora Guerrero
Producer: 
Charlene Blanco Agabao and Chad Burris
Cinematographer: 
Magela Crosignani
Primary Cast: 
Fenessa Pineda, Venecia Troncoso, Joaquín Garrido, Laura Patalano, Dulce Maria Solis, Marisela Uscanga, Melissa Uscanga, Omar Leyva
Exhibition/Distribution Info
Distributor: 
The Film Collaborative
Box Office Earnings: 
$8614
Where to find it/How to get it: 
Direct from Distributor
Festivals/Awards: 

World premiere at Sundance Film Festival. Nominated for Independent Spirt Award 2012-Producers Award: Chad Burris. Won Best Actress and Best First Feature at Outfest 2012. Won Queer Award at Torino LGBT Festival 2012. Won Audience Award at 12th Annual Pink Apple Film Festival. Won Best Narrative Feature at Cinefestival 2012.

Links
Link to the official film website: 
offical website
Links to Official trailer: 
official trailer
Links to interviews (written) with Director/Filmmakers: 
Aurora, Guerrero. Interview by Nishat Kurwa. "In 'Mosquita Y Mari,' A Tale Of Self And Community." National Public Radio. 07 2012. . Radio.
Links to Videos of Interviews: 
Aurora, Guerrero. Interview by Trixie Films. Aurora Guerrero Interview 2012. . Film.
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