Calexico – Flower of the dead

 Flor De Muertos is a meditative and celebratory journey into the rich borderlands culture between Tucson, Arizona and the towns of Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico. Director and Tucaon native Danny Vinik evokes the power and beauty of the Sonoran Desert and its people in this poetic exploration of life and death along the US/Mexico border.

The film begins with the traditional Day of the Dead celebration in a Nogales, Mexico cemetery and ends with Tucson’s 20th All Souls Procession – when 20,000 locals turn out in costume and skull face to honor and dance with their dead. The procession culminates in a spectacular finale by Flam Chen, the world-renowned pyrotechnics troupe known for death-defying aerial feats.

Part documentary and part concert film, Flor De Muertos features a stunning performance by acclaimed Americana band Calexico at Tucson’s historic Rialto Theatre, as well as interviews with legendary journalist Charles Bowden, journalist Margaret Regan, and artist Salvador Duran. The result is a striking commentary on failed US immigration policies set to an evocative Calexico soundtrack.