Communiqué

 POV, the multi award-winning series, reimagines a more collaborative cinema in Hummingbirds, an upbeat documentary feature that centers on the lived experiences of its protagonist directors, Silvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía “Beba” Contreras, who grew up in the shadow of the Texas borderlands. Offering an unexpected depiction of the US/Mexico border, this sparky and irreverent tale of friendship and resilience explores the crossroads of immigration, gender, sexuality, mental health, and class. Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) is a co-sponsor of Hummingbirds.

After a widely acclaimed world premiere at Berlinale 2023, where it won the Generation 14plus Grand Prix for Best Feature Film, the documentary had a successful film festival run, making stops at True/False, NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, San Francisco, Hot Springs, among others. It will be available to stream until September 29, 2024, on pbs.org and the PBS App.

Hummingbirds, captured during the balmy summer nights of their fleeting youth in Laredo, Texas, best friends and directors Castaños and Contreras—the former from Laredo and the latter from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico—narrate their coming-of-age journey, transforming their border-town locale into a haven of creative expression and activist mischief. Through collaborative filmmaking, their cinematic self-portrait exalts the potency of friendship and joy as tools of survival and resistance.

Between drive-thrus, friends’ couches, and the borderlands, both friends confront the stresses of survival, the future, and the imperative of community building. For them, this means protest action for legal abortion and against border militarization, in a politically divided America. But the summer heat is also a time for poetry and dreams. Their laughter and creative expression cement a sense of solidarity and belonging in togetherness.

Castaños and Contreras, aged 18 and 21 when they embarked on the film, navigated their way through uncertainty as Contreras awaited her papers, daring to envision their future amidst the limbo. Stuck in an immigration process over which deportation hangs as a constant possibility, home still seems a fragile concept. Both director/protagonists invite viewers on a journey through their misadventures: trespassing, protesting, and even ‘correcting’ an anti-abortion sign. Between the thresholds of childhood and adulthood, the details of their lives unfold through poignant conversations: reminiscing about childhood deportations, recounting secretive trips to San Antonio for an abortion, and Contreras’s recollection of crossing the border on her mother’s shoulders.

Following in the footsteps of Las Marthas (2014) by El Paso-native director Cristina Ibarra, which is also set in Laredo,Hummingbirds contributes to the Border New Wave of Mexican-American women and gender non-conforming filmmakers from Texas. This emerging wave contrasts the sensationalist headlines depicting border chaos and disruption with nuanced and sensitive portraits of the resilience of the region’s people and the complexities of bi-cultural and bi-national communities along the Rio Grande (or Río Bravo, as it’s known south of the border).

At the core of the film lies a profound sense of deep love and acceptance; the close-knit group of friends supports one another while capturing candid moments of dancing and singing. They express a desire to memorialize every experience, even the hardships. Castaños and Contreras skillfully document these fleeting yet transformative moments, akin to the Hummingbird tattoo Beba creates for Silvia, symbolically covering their scars from self-harm/cutting.

Featuring animation by local Laredoan artist Yensey Murillo, and original music by director/protagonist Contreras, Hummingbirds is the result of what the filmmakers refer to as a “collaborative apprenticeship model of filmmaking.” The first-time filmmakers were mentored by industry professionals, including producer/editor/co-director Jillian Schlesinger and producer/cinematographer/co-director Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, co-producer Dawn Valadez, and editor/co-producer Isidore Bethel (known for his work on What We Leave Behind). In this dynamic, the exchange of learning was mutual within a young team that is predominantly Mexican-American, Texan, queer, women/non-binary, and Fronterizo.

Estefanía “Beba” Contreras, Protagonist-Director said: It means a lot to have this chance to tell our story in Hummingbirds, to represent Laredo and border culture, and highlight the beauty of our community in a time capsule of our friendship. We are proud to be releasing the film in the US with PBS POV so that it can be available and accessible to audiences for free.”

Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Protagonist-Director said: “Making Hummingbirds was really fun and we hope people have fun watching it. It is a dream to have our art on PBS. There are so many artists out there with stories to tell, ours is just one of an infinite number. We hope that many more will have the support and opportunities to share them with the world.”

Chris White, Executive Producer, POV said: “Hummingbirds is a raw, joyful, and introspective portrayal of youth in Laredo, Texas. The experiences of protagonist-directors Silvia and Beba genuinely reflect what it’s like coming of age in an American border town. Whether through the lens of immigration, sexuality, abortion rights or family, the film captures their acerbic wit, and reveals both their vulnerability and self-determination as they enter adulthood.”

“Politically fueled and summer-bright.”

—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter

“[A] joyous indie hybrid… A film of deep honesty that’s carefully crafted.”

—Jason Gorber,Roger Ebert.com

“A vibrant, infectious and surprisingly hopeful portrait of a divided America, fuelled not by idealism but dogged determination.”
—Nikki Baughan, Screen International