Gallo Gallina
A Film by Veronica Riedel
Julia, a 13 year old girl works at a salt factory with her grandfather and her little 8 yr old brother. After his grandfather dies she decides to find her father in he United States along with her brother; they start the long trip looking for a brighter future . Julia puts Kiko -her pet rooster- in an arranged fight to get enough money to leave the country, but she discovers that she needs a lot more money for Jose to make the trip. Julia struggles to decide if selling her virginity as a solution to not separate herself from her brother is a good choice. Now the whole town seems to be of great danger for them to survive.
Gallo Gallina takes place in the pacific coast of Guatemala, surrounded by volcanic sand and simple makeshift houses called "ranches" made out of rustic wood and palm trees, with basic concrete floors.
Kitchens as well as latrines are usually outside of the housing structures, most likely out in the open as the tropical temperatures permit, and the blazing sun demands it. For the families, the bed is the place to coexist, to rest, and to shelter, where clothing is stored and the few things they consider personal property.
Latrines are just a hole in the ground, and the kitchen are two block put together, a simple metal grill and a few logs.
In their house and the environment color is non existent, its in plastics which comprise the utensils that they use to eat, or the things they use to shower with. All public spaces, schools, small shops, and community businesses are painted with the color of fruits and flowers, as if dressing everything with color would make misery disappear, or change the value or the importance of innocence. The gray scale of soil is the palette for the ranch structures that denote poverty; the primary colors blue, green and orange denote property, housing, schools, businesses, and objects.
Backstory
Gallo Gallina touches on a vulnerable area of modern society: human trafficking. This film is a culmination of years of research by Guatemalan artist Veronica Riedel that exposes child exploitation in rural communities in Escuintla. Riedel's goal is to bring awareness to this illicit practice in order to empower the public to be the voice of the voiceless.
While production in Guatemala is challenging, our talented team is working hard to bring this feature film to life, Gallo Gallina extends an invitation to individuals and companies that wish to participate in this world class project. Gallo Gallina has been awarded a Fiscal Sponsorship by From The Heart Production a 501(c) non-profit that has helped indie filmmakers get film funding since 1993. https://fromtheheartproductions.com/
Every Donation is Tax Deductible!
Veronica’s Past Success:
Veronica Riedel successfully funded and executed "Capsulas", a Narrative film about the relationship between society, the drug trade, and Guatemala's reality in a dance of love and discovery between a divorced father, a desperate mother and Fonsi, a privileged 12 yr old boy who's discovering his childhood through a societal turmoil.
Veronica's success as a multimedia artist lays a solid foundation for her new project "Gallo Gallina" with international festivals in mind. With a finalized script and several awards, Gallo Gallina moves into production! Join us in this adventure to tell the world this story of hope, love and resilience!
How to Donate
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We are also endorsed by:
The Sundance Institute
The Salinas Chamber of Commerce
From the Heart Productions
Magnitude Visuals
La Casa de Producción
IBERMEDIA
AGEXPORT
Guatemala's Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes
About the organizers:
Veronica Riedel
Screenwriter/Director/Producer
Director, producer, screenwriter, multimedia artist, Riedel will produce the new reality show María Marin Live streaming on Facebook. Veronica developed and directed 24 episodes of the series Strange Medicine for Fusion TV and Univision. Her narrative feature film and opera prima Capsulas (2012) participated in more than 30 international film festivals: HBO NYILFF, LALIFF, SFFF, Guadalajara’s Film Festival, Trieste, Latin Film Festival of Chicago, among others; winning awards as: Gran Cine, Best Film, Best Editing and Best Art Direction.
Her video arts and photographs have been exhibited in Museums and International art fairs, receiving much recognition!
Veronica has a Bachelor's in Communications with emphasis in film production at Miami University and UCLA.
Credits on cinema and TV: www.anverfilms.com
Credits on art: www.riedelveronica.com
Jayro Bustamante
Writer/Producer
Jayro Bustamante is a Guatemalan film director and screenwriter. He directed the 2015 film Ixcanul, which was selected as the Guatemalan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards. He was named on the jury for the Best First Feature Award at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. Bustamante culminated his studies in communication at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala City. Bustamante worked for international agency Ogilvy and Mather, and studies direction
Después trabajó para la agencia internacional Ogilvy & Mather como director de anuncios publicitarios.
Estudió Dirección en el Conservatorio Libre du Cinéma Français, de París, y fue escritor en el Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia de Roma.
En el 2009 Bustamante fundó junto con Marina Peralta la productora “La Casa de Producción en Panajachel“, Guatemala, que produjo anteriormente la mayoría de sus películas.
En primer lugar, la atención internacional la ganó principalmente por su cortometraje de Cuando el mar grande (dt traducción: “Cuando sea grande”), entre otros 2012 en el Alpinale.
Película Ixcanul
En el 2015, Bustamante estaba representado con su última película Ixcanul (2015) en la 65ª Berlinale.
Ixcanul fue durante reconocida en la Berlinale como la «película, que abre nuevas perspectivas», con el Premio Alfred Bauer. Además, la película recibió una nominación para el Premio Amnistía.
Oscar Garcia
Executive Producer
A Marine Veteran (Combat Videographer) turned filmmaker. Oscar has operated in Hollywood, Guatemala City, San Diego and most recently the Salinas Valley. He holds an A.A. in Film Production, a B.S. in Entertainment Business and an M.A. in Public Relations, his skills include cinematography, directing actors, digital and film photography.
Born in Los Angeles he spent most of his early life in Guatemala City where he attended high school. He moved to the United States at age 20. A year later he joined the United States Marine Corps as a Combat Videographer, and covered events such as the Miramar Airshow, numerous training operations, mission assignments and international exercises while deployed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
As he transitioned into the film industry, he worked for prestigious shows and films like AMC MadMen, and participated in film contests such as the 72 hr film festival for the Producer’s Guild of America; recently Oscar worked 3 years as a Visual Information Specialist for the Department of The Interior, handling video production where he helped Pinnacles National Park transition into the new century.
In October 2018 Oscar joined CMAP as a Content Producer and Member Services Liaison, a new chapter in his media career to be part of the most popular community TV station in the area, covering day to day productions and educational programs for members.
Erlin Ayala
Associate Producer
Erlin is an audiovisual expert with more than 25 years in Social Media and Journalism. His passion for audio visual art led to the foundation of AR Productions in 2002, a Guatemala based company.
As the head of AR productions, Erlin has created numerous audiovisual projects in Guatemala and internationally as a Director, Producer and Photography. Some of his products have been distribute nationally in syndicated television such as “De Fiesta Con Nelson Leal” and others have served as regional audiovisual assets such as “Reforestando Centro America, a show that was later considered for two spots for a Central American campaign called UICN in 2011.
Aside from his direct contact with Audiovisual projects, Ayala has been teaching at 4 of the most prestigious Universities in Guatemala, Universidad del Valle, Universidad del Istmo, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and Universidad Mesoamericana, as the lead Professor of Audio Visuals. Ayala has led multimedia workshops and conferences internationally such as “Scripture Creativa” at the Faculty of Linguistics and Foreign Literature at Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milano Italy in 2008.
Currently Ayala supports the creation and development of the visual arts in Guatemala, as an associate producer of Veronica Riedel’s “Gallo Gallina” a project with a powerful social message for the protection of children.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't contribute for any reason we hope that you can share our message on your network to reach people who may be interested in being part of this project!
There are other ways to donate! Get in touch with our fiscal sponsor From The Heart Productions to find out. Please contact them directly for details. https://fromtheheartproductions.com/contact-info/
Team Gallo Gallina would like to thank you for your time, and welcome you to our family!