Rosarito Beach International Mariachi and Folklorico Festival
A Mexican Sound will screen at opening night—Oct. 2, 2013—of the 4th Annual Rosarito Beach International Mariachi and Folklorico Festival in Rosarito, Mexico.
Roy Germano is the NYC-based director of two award-winning documentaries: The Other Side of Immigration (winner of the 2011 American Library Association Notable Video Award) and A Mexican Sound (currently touring international film festivals). He gives engaging talks, seminars, and keynote speeches about his films, documentary filmmaking, and Mexican immigration at universities, conferences, and community events around the country.
Roy holds an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin. At UT-Austin, Roy conducted extensive research in rural Mexico on the root causes of Mexican immigration. The Other Side of Immigration emerged from a survey of over 700 Mexican households that he conducted as a National Science Foundation Fellow. Roy finished his Ph.D. as the recipient of the prestigious Michael H. Granof Outstanding Graduate Student Award.
Roy ‘s films have been invited to screen at dozens of universities, film festivals, and public institutions, including the American Museum of Natural History, the San Antonio Film Festival, and Princeton University. He has given keynote speeches at conferences sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Education, the Texas Department of Public Health, the New York State Migrant Education Program and others. Roy has been interviewed by NPR, Univision, Fox News, Telemundo, CNN en Español, and The Economist. Commentaries about his work have appeared in publications such as The Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, FireDogLake, and Little White Lies. Roy’s films are available to watch on Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon.
Send an email to booking@roygermano.com to learn more about Roy’s visits or to host a screening of either or both of his films. Read testimonials and FAQs about Roy’s events.
The Other Side of Immigration
55 minutes
Winner of 2011 American Library Association Notable Video Award and Official Selection at dozens of film festivals and major institutions
Own the DVD. Email booking@roygermano.com to invite the director to speak or for information about how screen the film at your school, organization, or conference.
Contemporary immigration issues between the United States and Mexico receive careful study in this documentary, which uses extensive interviews to outline the experiences and perspectives of ordinary citizens in the Mexican countryside. In examining the economic factors prompting Mexicans to seek work in the United States and the social pressures that result, the film presents an affecting look at a complex political and moral issue.
“Does more than any other work to give people otherwise disparaged as ‘threatening’ and ‘illegal’ a human face” – Douglas S. Massey, Princeton University
“a must-see for anyone serious about the subject” – Crooks & Liars
“a beautifully shot film” that “shows the human side of immigration” – FireDogLake
A Mexican Sound / Un Son Mexicano
13 minutes
Official Selection: 2013 San Diego Latino Film Festival, Cine Las Americas Film Festival, Sunscreen Film Festival, Irish Latin American Film Festival, Phoenix College Film Festival
Watch instantly online
The beautiful Huastecan sound (son huasteco) has echoed from the mountains of northeast Mexico for more than a century. On Sundays, people meet in town squares to dance and stomp to the explosive violin solos and driving guitar rhythms that make this music so unique. Son huasteco continues to flourish here despite two decades of globalization and mass migration to the United States. From the award-winning director of The Other Side of Immigration, a documentary that explores the wonders of this vibrant musical tradition.
