Pau Ortiz, Maria Nova Lopez – The Other Side of the Wall #jedensvet2018

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Pau Ortiz and Maria Nova Lopez, director and producer of the film The Other Side of the Wall. 

The feature documentary The Other Side of the Wall had its Czech premiere at the 2018 One World Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in Prague, Czech Republic. We met up with director Pau Ortiz and cinematographer and producer Maria Nova Lopez to talk about it. Ortiz describes the film as a “touching movie about two young siblings that fight with the power of the law.” As young people from Honduras, whose mother was imprisoned, it is remarkable to see them find the strength they need to carry on against many struggles. As the director says, “the film is also about boarders.” Nova Lopez also talks about how the protagonists reacted to the cameras and adds that “I myself, when I watch the film … realize how close I was.” Originally intended to be a short film, the filmmakers were inspired to follow the entire journey of the family through their struggle. They talk benefit from a fair share of good luck, and among other things, share with us a happy ending that reveals how the power of a film can have a direct effect on the real world.

The Other Side of the Wall: An intimate documentary drama that follows a six-member family from Honduras who fled to Mexico in search of a better life. But everything goes wrong when the mother is arrested on dubious charges. They should be focusing on school, their love lives, friends and typical teenage problems. Instead, 18-year-old Alejandro has become the family’s breadwinner and 13-year-old Rocio the carer of their younger siblings. When the news comes that their mother will have to spend 10 years in prison, the tension between the older siblings increases. Their immigrant status also doesn’t help, nor does the fact that Alejandro and his girlfriend are expecting a baby of their own. Will they have to return to Honduras without their mother or risk a visit to the United States, whose new presidential administration is hostile to immigrants from Mexico?