Day of the Dead

Filmmaker Michael Mendoza takes you into one of the deadliest cities in recent memory, Juarez City, Chihuahua. A city in Mexico that was ravaged between 2007 and 2010 by drug cartel and gang violence that claimed the lives of over ten thousand residents. The city at one point was dubbed, "the murder capital of the world, where the morgue ran out of room and corpses stacked to the ceiling in the wheezing walk in freezers. In 2010, the peak, there were at least 3115 homicides, with many months posting at least 300 deaths, according to the local newspaper El Diario. To this day, Mexico is still struggling to make sense of the bloodshed as many deaths are still unsolved. Slowly the city recovered and everyday business resumed. Authorities attributed the decrease in the killings to the own efforts: patrols by the army, more arrests by police, new schools to keep young men out of gangs and in the classroom. Still, Juarez remains vulnerable as the violence began to recede soldier and federal police started to leave the city. Residents pray that the relative peace is maintained, while thousands of families that fled to Texas to escape the violence wonder whether it's safe to return. After this historic and infamous time in this city, Michael Mendoza visits the city to document a sacred day that takes place once a year on November 2nd, The Day of the Dead. The entire country celebrates this day of remembrance as they pay their respects to their loves ones whom have died. This documentary short provides a historical perspective on the traditions of this special day and the roots of its origin. Followed by an intimate short mass that takes place in a local cemetery conducted by a priest. Concluding with interviews of the residents in their own words describing their customs and traditions on this sacred day. The documentary takes place in some of the more impoverished parts of the city. A unique participatory documentary short and a firsthand look into this day .