Artist Alvaro Enciso is on a mission to mark the locations in Arizona where migrants have died in the Sonoran Desert, as a way to honor his “neighbors” and create a visual remembrance of their struggle.
The Marker
Over 3000 migrants have died trying to cross the Sonoran Desert. The only marker for where their anonymous bodies were found: a red dot on a digital map. Artist Alvaro Enciso is on a mission to mark the places these people died, to find a way to honour his “neighbours” and create a visual remembrance of their struggle. For the past 9 years he has been placing home made crosses in the desert, leaving a signpost that a human being lost their life in this place. He’s placed more than 900 of these markers and yet it’s a task he will not complete in his lifetime.
Directors
Will Francome and Katie Green both began their documentary careers by writing the critically acclaimed feature “In Prison My Whole Life” (Sundance 2005). Katie went on to found Smoke & Apple Films with Carlye Rubin and the duo co-directed ‘The Dead Mothers Club’ (HBO Documentary Films), ‘The Family I Had’ (Discovery ID) and ‘1275 Days’ (Doc NYC 2019) which will be released this year. Will has been directing shorts and series like webby-nominated One For Ten (Raindance Film Festival ) feature-length documentary ‘The Penalty’ as well as directing documentary series for the BBC, Amazon and Discovery amongst others.
“As filmmakers who are drawn to stories of human rights, injustice and strong characters, we knew we wanted to make a film about Alvaro the moment we heard about him and his artwork. Inspired by his commitment to his mission, as well as his irreverent spirit, we saw a unique way we could broaden the ongoing discussion about immigration in the US. By creating the visual and physical representation of thousands of deaths, he allows us to poignantly try to consider those lives lost once we’re away from the political rhetoric.” – Will Francome and Katie Green