El mar la mar

The sun beats down mercilessly on all those who cross the Sonoran Desert between Mexico and the United States. Aside from the few people who live here, it’s the poorest of undocumented immigrants that make the crossing, who have no choice but to take this extremely dangerous route, followed by border guards both official and self-appointed. The horizon seems endlessly far away and deadly dangers lurk everywhere. It’s best to move under the cover of darkness; during the day, being exposed to the heat and sun is enough to make animals and humans perish. Their traces and remains accumulate, fade, decompose and become inscribed into the topography of the landscape, making the absent ever-present as life and death, beauty and dread, hostile light and nights aglitter with stars and promise all continue to exist alongside one another.
El mar la mar masterfully weaves together sublime 16-mm shots of nature and weather phenomena, animals, people and the tracks they leave behind with a polyphonic soundtrack, creating a cinematographic exploration of the desert habitat, a multi-faceted panorama of a highly politicised stretch of land, a film poem that conjures up the ocean.
by Joshua Bonnetta, J.P. Sniadecki USA 2017 English, Spanish 94’ Colour Documentary form

Crew

Director Joshua Bonnetta, J.P. Sniadecki
Cinematography Joshua Bonnetta, J.P. Sniadecki
Editing Joshua Bonnetta, J.P. Sniadecki
Sound Design Joshua Bonnetta, J.P. Sniadecki
Sound Joshua Bonnetta, J.P. Sniadecki
Production Design Joshua Bonnetta, J.P. Sniadecki
Producers Joshua Bonnetta, J.P. Sniadecki

J.P. Sniadecki

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Joshua Bonnetta

Born in 1979 in Canada. He is an artist and filmmaker working in sound and moving image across installation, performance, and theatrical exhibition.

Filmography (selection)

2002 Cathode Aurora; Video installation, 6 min. 2004 Patchwork; Film installation · First Snow; 2 min. · November Light; 2 min. 2007 By Grace; 3 min. 2009 Parting; Film and video installation 2010 Long Shadows; 12 min. 2012 American Colour; 25 min., Video installation, Forum Expanded 2012 2011 American Colour; 25 min., Video installation, Forum Expanded 2012 2012 Remanence I – (Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost); 2 min., Forum Expanded 2013 · Remanence I – (Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost); 2 min., Forum Expanded 2013 2013 Strange Lines and Distances; Video installation, Forum Expanded 2013 · Strange Lines and Distances; Video installation, Forum Expanded 2013 2016 Lanterna; Installation 2017 Land of Thin Air; Video installation · Low Islands; Film installation, 65 min. · Lago; Sound installation, 44 min., Forum Expanded 2017 · Lago; Sound installation, 44 min., Forum Expanded 2017 · El mar la mar; 94 min., co-directed with J.P. Sniadecki, Forum 2017 · El mar la mar

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2020

J.P. Sniadecki

Born in 1979 in Marne, Michigan, USA. He studied Philosophy and Film and Chinese Language and Culture. He then attended Harvard University, where he earned an MA in East Asian Studies and a PhD in Social Anthropology with Media. J.P. Sniadecki is an artist, filmmaker, and anthropologist. He currently teaches filmmaking in the Documentary Media MFA programme at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, USA.

Filmography

2007 Songhua; 29 min. 2008 Demolition / Chai – Qian; 62 min. 2010 The Yellow Bank / Huangpu; 27 min. · Foreign Parts; 80 min. 2012 People’s Park / Renmin Gongyuan; 78 Min. 2013 Yumen; 65 min., Berlinale Forum Expanded 2013 2014 The Iron Ministry / Tie Dao; 82 min. 2017 El Mar La Mar

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2017