The Mexican director Christóbal Jasso introduced the film Marino and the Authentics participating in the Documentary Film competition of 47th Moscow International Film Festival.
The film character Marino Mariano is a fisherman and musician from Collantes who lives in an Afro-Mexican community on the coast of Oaxaca state. Being illiterate, he composed over 46 songs. Today, at 68, he has decided to record the ones he still remembers before he forgets them. To do this, Marino finds other musicians from the band The Authentics, who as a reflection of their own history also seek to leave their mark in art.
Christóbal Jasso: "I do not have a film-making background but I have a diploma of a rural sociologist who works with communities' issues and I have been deeply working with this subject for 15 years. I was a co-founder of the community radio in Oaxaca where I am from originally. We created it to unite all those living in our state: these are indigenous peoples, Afro-Americans and Mestizos. Despite the great number of peoples living in this territory, unfortunately, we still have unpleasant neocolonialism consequences and racism. So, for us it was important to unite people. The Authentics became the first music band who helped us with this initiative. Also, ten years back I met with Marino Mariano who told me that he had a similar band when he was young, with whom they played traditional rhythms that could soon be forgotten. And the producer and I understood that we have a true treasure in our hands: the story of Mariano and the music band which, as we do, dreams of preserving its legacy and show other generations the traditional rhythms and authenticity of this indigenous culture.
The film character Marino Mariano is a fisherman and musician from Collantes who lives in an Afro-Mexican community on the coast of Oaxaca state. Being illiterate, he composed over 46 songs. Today, at 68, he has decided to record the ones he still remembers before he forgets them. To do this, Marino finds other musicians from the band The Authentics, who as a reflection of their own history also seek to leave their mark in art.
Christóbal Jasso: "I do not have a film-making background but I have a diploma of a rural sociologist who works with communities' issues and I have been deeply working with this subject for 15 years. I was a co-founder of the community radio in Oaxaca where I am from originally. We created it to unite all those living in our state: these are indigenous peoples, Afro-Americans and Mestizos. Despite the great number of peoples living in this territory, unfortunately, we still have unpleasant neocolonialism consequences and racism. So, for us it was important to unite people. The Authentics became the first music band who helped us with this initiative. Also, ten years back I met with Marino Mariano who told me that he had a similar band when he was young, with whom they played traditional rhythms that could soon be forgotten. And the producer and I understood that we have a true treasure in our hands: the story of Mariano and the music band which, as we do, dreams of preserving its legacy and show other generations the traditional rhythms and authenticity of this indigenous culture.