2016 Winner: Loteria Vida

Project Information
Loteria Vida
Arts
FILM 171F Special Topics Workshop: Autobiographical Film
Loteria Vida is a compilation of short vignettes, memories, and reflections about experiences I had growing up trying to understand and negotiate my bi-cultural identity, what it means to be Mexican-American/Chicana/part colonized and part colonizer. I have used Loteria cards (Mexican bingo) as a visual metaphor for this identity formation and as a formal device to structure my film. Notably, these cards are recognizably Mexican yet they are so much more celebrated and used among Mexicanos and Chicanos in the U.S. These cards like me, straddle between two cultures.

For as long as I can remember, Loteria cards have been in my life. Images of these cards have adorned clothes and accessories I own. These cards were present at every childhood birthday party I had, a game my mother played with me so that the palabras (words) would roll of my tongue free from the pressures of assimilation. These cards have been so much apart of my everyday life that over the years I have attributed different meanings and associations with them, at times rejecting these cards in turn rejecting my Chicana-ness, and other times embracing these cards and thus, embracing my cultura. These cards have become the markers to my memories, holders of sights and smells, stories of their own, all of which is expressed in this short piece. By mixing text and voiceover I am also emphasizing the multi-layered process of remembering and memory-making.

While much of this piece reveals my family, the people who have shaped my consciousness, this piece is about my own identity formation as I seek to find my sense of place and purpose in this world. Moreover, this piece is not a fixed portrayal of my identity but a fragmented collection of various moments, people, and places that have contributed to my understanding of who I was, am, and becoming
Students
  • Marisol I. Medina-Cadena (Oakes)
Mentors