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ARROZ CON LECHE: K OOL UTIA’AL K KUXTAL is the result of collective and collaborative processes between five Mayan women and their families, and was motivated by the need to share the results of my research on agro-industrial projects for women, known as UAIM, with the women involved. Having learned that the visual is an important part of culture led me to look for allies in the use of new technological resources (a video camera) and to experiment with new ways of sharing knowledge.
Filmmaking crew: Byrt Wammack, in charge of filming with the video camera; Genny Ku, responsible for recording direct sound; Ana Rosa Duarte, in charge of still photography and coordination amongst the families and crew.
Filmmaking equipment: a borrowed video camera, a tripod, a one and a half hour battery for the video camera, a charger, several mini Super VHS cassettes with capacities of 20 and 30 minutes, a stereo microphone, a Sony WM-D6C cassette recorder, an extension (boom ) for the microphone, so as to be able to record sound outside of the frame, a camera for still photography with an assortment of lenses, AA batteries, extension cords of varying lengths, and a power strip.
This processual project began with the filming of one day in the life of each family between October 1997 and February 1998. During filming we were treated as guests and friends, and the camera was integrated into the everyday activities of the families. At different moments they themselves directed the camera towards the activities they wanted to include in the video. With some eight hours of material and without editing equipment, the tapes were left lying for several years. Meanwhile, we made copies of the materials on VHS cassettes, classified the images and transcribed the dialogues, all of which led us to a first script.
With digital technology now available, we began digitizing the tapes. The challenge was to use the technology to maximize the potential of the multiple voices without tiring the audience. In 2005 we received a grant for editing. We edited four films, which we presented one by one to each respective family, with their own images recorded eight years earlier. We recorded their comments and suggestions about the final version and deliver a DVD to each family.
In December 2005, the five families gathered in the Sala de Arte of the Teatro Merida to see the first collective cut of Arroz con Leche. We recorded the impressions of the participants upon seeing the images of their families on the big screen for the first time. The grant from the State Fund for Culture and the Artes in Yucatan (FOECAY) covered transportation costs, lodging and meals, and the payment of a day’s wages for those who had lost a day’s work.
In November 2006, one of the five women who participated in the documentary, was denied the right to reflect on her role as a native of the culture that she was studying for her doctoral thesis, adding a final twist to Arroz con Leche.
– Ana Rosa Duarte Duarte