Juan of the Witches

(Juan de las Brujas)
Andrew Houchens | Documentary

2019 | 18 minutes | Mexico, United States

An homage to 82-year-old Juan Medellín, a founding member of Mexico City's prestigious Ballet Folklórico de Amalia Hernández. 

Biography Dance + Performing Arts History Body Image Gender + Sexuality Studies Health + Aging Short Films North America
Synopsis

Juan of the Witches honors 82-year-old Juan Medellín's legacy as a founding company member of Mexico City's prestigious Ballet Folklórico de Amalia Hernández. An intimate portrait of a life richly lived and a testament to the power and the force of art, the film uses colorful hand-drawn animation to illustrate cherished memories from Medellin's childhood and introduction to dance to his heyday with the Ballet from the 1960s to 1970s.

Inspired by the director’s first encounter with Medellín on the day of the September 19, 2017 earthquake, the film is also a humble love letter to Mexico through the eyes of a foreigner.

Citation
Main credits

Houchens, Andrew (filmmaker)
Fernandez Ferri, Marina (film producer)
Medellín Taboada, Juan José (on-screen participant)

Other credits

Cinematography, Elías Martín del Campo; editing, Carlos Rojas Felice; music, Alex Dempster, Oscar Goldman, Alantl Molina.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
biography,autobiography,biopic,memoir,life history,bio,biographer,biographical,personal account,personal history,diary,personal narrative,sketch,profile,personal letters,letters,journal,personal record,dance,performing arts,dramatics,music,musical theatre,musical theater,entertainment,performance,performer,performers,dancer,dancers,dancing,musical,pageantry,scenes,live performance,recorded performance,choreography,movement,choreographer,history,context,narrative,past,chronicle,lore,annals,historic,personal history,archive,record,saga,biography,memoir,study,body image,appearance,body dissatisfaction,eating disorders,body acceptance,acceptance,body dysmorphic disorder,body dysmorphia,negative body image,distorted body image,confidence,self-esteem,self acceptance,fat acceptance,body acceptance,positive body image,negative body image,weight,fat,overweight,obesity,gender,sexuality,gender roles,gender identity,sexual orientation,gender equality,gender pronouns,gender studies,gender spectrum,gender norms,gender roles,gender stereotypes,sexual selection,sexualization,sexual awakening,puberty,pubescence,health,healthy,physical health,mental health,emotional health,health equity,public health,health care,health policy,fitness,veracity,welfare,soundness,aging,age,old age,senior,youth,middle age,aging gracefully,advanced age,collective health,maturity,short films,short film,short,non-feature,run time,short run time,running time,short running time,live-action short,documentary short,animated short,live-action short film,documentary short film,animated short film,north america,america,us,usa,united states,united states of america,us mexico and canada,map of north america,north american countries,states of north america,provinces of north america,countries of north america,continental america; "Juan of the Witches"; Pragda Films
Clips
No clips are available yet.
Festivals

Montclair Film Festival; San Francisco Latino Film Festival; New Fest New York’s LGBTQ Film Festival; Chicago Latino Film Festival; Dance Camera West Festival; Madrid Film Festival FCM-PNR - Audience Award Prize for Best International Short; Guadalajara International Film Festival; Festival Mix Brasil; Guanajuato International Film Festival; GAZE: LGBT Film Festival; ShortsMexico; Ville Film Fest

DIRECTOR: Andrew Houchens

NATIONALITY: Mexico, United States

YEAR: 2019

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: Spanish

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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