folk frontera

DOCUMENTARY SHORT | 14 minutes | USA | 2022 | English | Color

Folk Frontera is a surrealist documentary about life in the borderlands that span the vast, remote Chihuahuan Desert. Its characters are scattered across the remote landscape on both sides of the border and are tied together by the broadcast frequencies of Gabriela Carballo’s radio show “Border, Beats, and Babes" and the folklorico dancing of Molly Rodriguez. Over the course of a tumultuous year, the lives of these two women inexorably change.

With a cinematic approach inspired by the Latin American tradition of magical-realism, Folk Frontera attempts to reconcile the political realities of the border with the magic of its lands.

Folk Frontera won the jury award for best texas short at sxsw.

DIRECTED BY
Alejandra Vasquez & Sam Osborn

SUPERVISING PRODUCER
Pamela Torno

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Kenny Wu

SOUND DESIGN
Hansdale Hsu

EDITOR
Sam Osborn

ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS
Sarah Vasquez & Susan Cohen

PARTNERS
Independent Lens
PBS
ITVS

“Centered around characters who call the desert borderlands of Texas their home, Folk Frontera turns the traditional documentary form on its head. Filmmakers Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborn imbue the documentary with the same magic and surrealism that feels authentic to the Chihuahuan Desert and its communities. Dreamlike visuals and nuanced presentation of the subjects’ stories make for a special experience.”

— Texas Shorts SXSW Jury

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