Short documentaries produced at home and abroad.
Caravan for Peace
Produced by Jazmine Ulloa
Photos contributed by A.J. Miranda, Natalia Ciolko
Mexican poet Javier Sicilia and fellow activists under the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity stop in Austin in an estimated 6,000-mile journey — from the Mexican border city of Tijuana to Washington, D.C. The group’s mission is to draw attention to the bloody struggle in Mexico that has claimed the lives of thousands, including Sicilia’s son and other loved ones.
As released Aug. 29, 2012
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To sing and dance: Ensemble for elderly and disabled women is making its joyful mark
Story and video by Jazmine Ulloa
The Boston Globe
Maria Flores came to Villa Victoria eight years ago after a life in Puerto Rico of sewing, plowing, and doing almost anything a single mother in the countryside could to rase and educate her children.
Once her daughter and two sons had begun their careers, she moved from her native Sabana Grande to the South End neighborhood to simply enjoy the last and finest part of her life, she said.But Flores, a 64-year-old woman with a buoyant laugh and a magnetic personality, did much more.
As published July 17, 2009
Eastside Pride
Produced by Jazmine Ulloa and Rita Chapa
Perla Arpero was a junior when Johnston High School was shut down and restructured in 2008 after five years of dismal standardized test scores. The troubled school lost everything from teachers to its name and mascot, and the fight to keep it open had a profound effect on its students. We sought to tell their story through the bright, vivacious girl, as she finished up her senior year at the re-named Eastside Memorial High School.
As released spring 2009
La Botánica
Produced by Caitlin Diaz, Araceli Jaime, Lauren Pruitt, and Jazmine Ulloa
John Cazeras is the owner of the Green and White. In this short film, we tell the story of the East Austin landmark that has changed roles over time. Formerly a neighborhood grocery store, it now offers more esoteric goods, from herbs and incense to lucky candles and arcane artifacts. His clientele is growing. La India or La Mistica is one of his regular customers. She also has her own business in the store. She can break a curse or give you a reading.
As released spring 2009
Czech Tekno
Produced by Jazmine Ulloa
Think Woodstock for electronica music lovers.
Czeck Tek is a massive open-air festival that brings more than 40,000 people from all over Europe to the Czech Republic every July for a weeklong celebration of electronic, house and techno beats. In its early years, the “teknival” location would surface not until a day before the event because the party was truly underground and not even legal. But after a bloody showdown between partygoers and police in the summer of 2005, organizers acquired permits for the following year.
As part of a study abroad program in 2006, a friend and I traveled to Hadriste military fields to cover the fest for a short documentary I was making on the underground music scene in Prague.
Credits at the end: Brian Chamblee for lighting, Josh and Tomas for sharing their tent, Professor Andy Garrison, FAMU, UT Austin
As released summer 2006
Watch more Prague stories here.
