On December 11, Vox Populi transformed into a forum to explore the many layers of the Mexican diaspora. Under the title Voices of the Mexican Diaspora, the program—presented by Black Box Presents in collaboration with the Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival and co-curated by Erick Barragán—brought together film, community, and conversation in a space where migrant stories ceased to be abstract and became intimate, tangible, and deeply human.
From the moment the doors opened, the atmosphere anticipated a special evening. Blanche Brown, Executive Director of Vox Populi, and Erick Barragán delivered the welcoming remarks, marking the formal start of the program. The proposal went beyond a simple film screening: it was a journey through experiences shaped by work, memory, migration, and collective organizing, with stories rooted in Mexico City, Puebla, and Philadelphia.
The selection included titles ranging from documentary to experimental narrative: Mi Querida Escandón, directed by Héctor Tapia; Made in America, by Edgar Aquino Huerta; Wham!, by Sandra Manzanares; La Sal de Mi Tierra, by Antonio Arroniz Castro; and Expanding Sanctuary, by Kristal Sotomayor.
Over approximately 127 minutes, the program moved through documentary, fiction, and experimental horror, offering portraits anchored in everyday life and the social forces that shape it. From inherited trades and culinary traditions to sanctuary politics and the construction of home beyond borders, each work contributed a distinct vision of what it means to be part of the Mexican diaspora.
After a brief intermission, it was time for dialogue with the filmmakers. The conversation began with Héctor Tapia and Edgar Aquino Huerta, whose works speak directly to the experience of being Mexican from both intimate and political perspectives. They were joined by Reyna Cazares, assistant director of La Sal de Mi Tierra; Wi-Moto Nyoka, writer and producer of the short film Wham!; and Linda Hernández, protagonist of Expanding Sanctuary.
Although not all of them occupy the director’s chair, every panelist shares a Mexican origin and a direct connection to the creative processes behind these productions. Their voices made it clear that identity is not built solely from the country of origin, but also from the moment and circumstances of migration, and how those experiences shaped their identity, personal stories, and professional paths.
The works—some created before and others after migration—served as mirrors of their lives in Mexico and during their journey to the United States. This reflection was reinforced in the final dialogue, where it became evident how cinema becomes a tool for catharsis in the face of uprooting, for re-signifying memory, and for strengthening community resilience amid the challenging process of building a new identity without letting go of what gave it origin.