130 Children

(130 Hermanos)
Ainara Aparici | Documentary

2021 | 74 minutes | Costa Rica, Chile

In Costa Rica, an elderly couple has raised over 130 foster children; the documentary explores love, community care, and life beyond genetics.

Synopsis

A pioneering Chilean–Costa Rican documentary, "130 Children" chronicles the extraordinary life of Melba (65) and Víctor (70), who have built a family spanning over 40 years—raising six biological children and more than 130 foster children.

The film opens with an intimate portrait of morning rituals in a household of forty-plus individuals preparing for school, university, and daily life—until the house falls silent as they depart. Through this quietude, the documentary invites reflections on kinship beyond genetics, collective caregiving, and intergenerational responsibility.

Director Ainara Aparici uses observational cinema to interrogate questions of sustainable family structures, hope, and compassion, making the work a compelling case for scholars in social anthropology, family studies, and human rights cinema.

Reviews

“130 Children: the documentary that seeks to raise awareness of the importance of foster families.” – Abril Becerra, Diario Uchile, Radio Universidad de Chile

Citation

Coming soon.

Cataloging

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Keywords
130 Children,130 Hermanos,documentary,Costa Rica,Ainara Aparici,brotherhood,orphan,adoption,adoptive parents,adoption,boys,girls,children,family,Kumelén Foundation,Kumelén,Kumelen,coming-of-age,family,kin,fellowship,household,immediate family,extended family,multigenerational family,multigenerational household,kinfolk,family tree,genealogy,nuclear family,modern family,family tree,activism,activist,digital activism,advocacy,advocate,involvement,militancy,militant,logrolling,striking,boycotting,championing,champion,effecting change,engagement,supporter,protest,protester,demonstrator,organizing,labor organizing,revolution,revolutionary,community organizing,effecting change,striking,labor strike,labor organizing,central america,honduras,costa rica,guatemala,belize,el salvador,nicaragua,panama,america central,mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot,central america volcanic arc,centroamérica,panama canal,education,school,pedagogy,schooling,elementary education,secondary education,upper education,advanced education,education gap,learning,schooling,university,college,degrees,high school,middle school,junior high school,public school,private school,independent school,elementary school,schooling,school policy,educational equity,religion,spirituality,organized religion,soul,spiritual beliefs,religious beliefs,belief systems,branches of religion,religious sects,sects,gods and goddesses,monotheism,theism,pantheism,polytheism,spiritual awakening,economics,social class,money,capital,capitalism,class,economy,prejudice,intersectionality,inequality,poverty,income gap,wage gap,class warfare,elitism,snobbery,bourgeois,poverty,upper class,middle class,lower class,nouveau riche,latin american studies,caribbean american studies,island studies,latin american culture,latin american history,latin american politics,caribbean american culture,caribbean american history,caribbean american politics,latin american languages,latin american and caribbean studies,hispanic american studies,hispanic people,hispanic culture,hispanic politics,anthropologically,cultural anthropology,forensic anthropology,anthropologist,human nature,physical anthropology,ethnocentric,ethnography,functionalism,cultures,societies,human people,human society,functionalism,globalization,ideology,pragmatism,dogmatism,social change,society,human rights,public rights,equal rights,freedom of expression,basic human rights,united nations,activism,human rights activism,human rights council,human rights commission,universal human rights,universal rights; "130 Children"; Pragda Films; "130 Hermanos";
Clips
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Festivals

Chicago Latino Film Festival - 3rd Audience Award; Cinemaking International Film Festival - Best International Documentary; Philadelphia Latino Film Festival; TRT International Documentary Awards; Des Moines Latino Film Festival; Buenos Aires International Film Festival; Ortigia Film Festival; Râsnov Film and History Festival

DIRECTOR: Ainara Aparici

NATIONALITY: Costa Rica, Chile

YEAR: 2021

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: Spanish

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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