El Chapulin at the Austin Film Festival
In November 2022 we were in Oaxaca with our friend and long-time collaborator Leo Stamps working on a short documentary about the mezcal culture of Miahuatlán – the home of Pensador. There were a lot of unknowns. We hadn’t finalised the characters, narrative, or purpose of the piece. But having spent a lot of time in the area, including shooting a short production film with Atenogenes and Jose three years earlier, we were sure we would find some material.
We began by interviewing Onofre – the maestro mezcalero behind our Espadín expression - and soon realised that his story was sufficiently compelling to fill our 15 minute format, and arguably something much longer.
It’s a story of rural poverty and the bitter realities of economic migration, but also of repatriation, retribution, and the power of mezcal to bring pride and hope to people in these remote Oaxacan communities. Onofre is the focus, but his example speaks of a wider shared experience.
After 10 days of 4am starts and 9pm finishes we left Miahuatlán with about 6 hours of interviews, and 50 hours of footage – a mass of material from which we plucked El Chapulin.
6 months later the edit was ready. It may have been the mezcal talking, but we were really happy with the result. Rather than chuck it on YouTube we decided to keep it offline and enter it into the film festival circuit.
For anyone who doesn’t know, film festivals are a pretty brutal affair. The more popular festivals can get tens of thousands of entries so the odds are stacked against selection. Submissions can cost over £50, and rejected applications come with no refund and no feedback. Announcements are made throughout the year. A drip feed of gently crushing disappointment.
After 10 months and 30 rejections we finally had a spell of good luck. Selections from WOW Fest in Wales, Little Venice in London, DocsMX in Mexico City, and finally – The Austin Film Festival – an Oscar qualifier and one of the biggest film events of the year. We quickly booked flights to Texas.
We were really impressed by the festival. The standard was super high and it was amazing to rub shoulders so many talented film makers. It also felt great to share Onofre’s story with a wide and engaged audience, particularly in a place where the themes of US / Mexican migration are so pertinent. Austin is also a big vibe. We had a wicked time.
As the nascent mezcal industry begins to move away from traditional artisanal production, and towards commercial manufacturing, it’s more important than ever to introduce customers to the people who are still making real artisanal mezcal; to show them the craft which goes into their drinks, and the positive impact of their conscious spending.
We’re not quite ready yet to post El Chapulin online, but if you hit me up on Instagram or at ben@meanwhiledrinks.com I can share a private link.
