Narco-capitalism has significantly modified the rural environments of contemporary Mexico. More than 40,000 acres of Indigenous forest in Michoacán have been appropriated by narco-industries. In the state of Michoacán, where most of the drug war takes place, narco-cartels continue to merge with local police, criminal groups and Indigenous guerrillas. Blending performance with observational approaches and ethnography, this documentary provides a glimpse into Indigenous rural Mexico at the intersection between ecocide, narco-labour and enforced disappearance.
Victor Arroyo is a video artist working at the intersection between documentary, video art and installation. His approach collapses the boundaries between documentary and fiction, opening up possibilities within reality, fiction and interpretation. His work has been exhibited most recently at The Canadian Centre for Architecture, Cinémathèque Québécoise, Sheffield International Documentary Festival, RIDM Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal, Festival International du Film sur l’Art, Santa Fe International New Media Festival, among many others.
Salix Tree (2015), Time Is Out of Joint (2018)