Elizabeth Massie Movies
- 2006
Given the growing presence of Latin culture in the United States, it's not surprising that Mexican mariachi music has been experiencing a dramatic increase in popularity, and that more and more American-born musicians have been forming mariachi ensembles. But Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles are a band who are making a bold new statement within this traditional musical form; formed in California in 1994, they're America's first all-female mariachi group, featuring a dozen gifted women who are closing the gender gap in this traditionally male art form while also preserving the beauty and emotional power of classic mariachi sounds. Companeras is a documentary which chronicles the history of this ground-breaking group, and focuses on two women in particular -- a ardent fan of Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles whose great dream is to join the band, and the group's founding violinist, who in addition to being female is also not of Latin ancestry, which sometimes leading to a sense of cultural imbalance within the group. Companeras was screened in competition at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
While being born with physical handicaps presents challenges no matter where you're born or under what economic circumstances, in many respects it's even more difficult when you're raised in Ghana, a Third World nation where much of the country's population lives in severe poverty and conventional wisdom has it that those born with physical deformities have been cursed by the gods, and are fit to do little more than eke out a living as beggars. Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah was a 27-year-old Ghanan who was born with only one leg; the shame led his father to abandon the family, but his mother was determined to see her son grow up with strength and dignity, and with the help of a prosthetic leg, Yeboah was able to walk and care for himself. Determined to show his countrymen that the handicapped were capable of more than most were willing to acknowledge, Yeboah contacted an American organization called the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and with their help, set out on an unusual quest -- learning to ride a racing bike, and then piloting it across the nation of Ghana. Emmanuel's Gift is a documentary which chronicles Yeboah's remarkable life and his courageous journey, as well as the impact it had on his family as well as on handicapped people throughout the African continent. Oprah Winfrey serves as narrator. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emmanuel Ofusu Yeboah
