Selections from Fred’s Rainbow Bar and Other Stages on the International Border

Fred’s Rainbow Bar and Other Stages on the International Border is a topographical film essay using a variety of animation styles along with live action and archival imagery to interrogate histories, memories, and imaginings of the border landscapes of El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juárez, MX, the region where I grew up. The film is mostly set in the early 9o’s or the era before NAFTA and before the erection of the Border Security Fence with flashbacks to the Battle of Juárez and flashes forwards to contemporary events, like the razing of the ASARCO smelter. The International Border (or the river with two names) remains the main frame through which events unfold as we observe teens navigate these disparate landscapes.

Sequences in order of appearance: 
Forcing a River to Meander
River Offering
River Meander Map
Language of the Mountains
Carlos Gutierrez and Green Houses
Setting the Stage
River Sequence: Boundary Marker Morph, Boundary Marker Embrace, Boundary Marker Push
Flag Swap Backdrop with Fighting
Chamizal National Monument Archival Footage
Prom attire mistook for Quiñceanera celebration outside Fred's Rainbow Bar
Las Mañanitas Transition into Juan Gabriel's 1993 El Paso Concert
South of the river looking West toward Mt. Cristo Rey