Jovita y Valentín

A Documentary Film

produced by Maite Zubiaurre, Jonathan Crisman, and Dignicraft


Jovita García Ortiz. Valentín Flores Flores. They are just two of the thousands of migrants who have died trying to cross the Arizona desert into the United States. This is the story of how their families and communities have been transformed by loss. It is also the story of Álvaro Enciso, Eli & Marisela Ortiz and Mirza Monterroso, four other migrants who take action on both sides of the border to help locate, identify, repatriate and honor Jovita and Valentín.

Teaser


Featuring


Learn more about a few of the individuals who are featured in Jovita y Valentin for their artistic, activist, and medicolegal work along the US-Mexico border.

Aguilas del Desierto

Aguilas del Desierto is a group of volunteers led by the husband and wife team of Don Ely and Maricela Ortiz. The Aguilas go out into the Arizona desert to conduct search and rescue missions for migrants who have been lost or abandoned, and often find the remains of migrants who have succumbed to the dangerous Sonoran heat. Their grueling missions take multiple days, and they work in close partnership with law enforcement and other government agencies who are unwilling to do the work that the Aguilas freely provide, and all this despite having no significant funds or resources for their work.

Mirza Monterroso

Mirza Monterroso is the director of the Missing Migrant Program at the Colibrí Center for Human Rights, a non-profit organization who works in close partnership with the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner. She spends every day connecting with families whose loved ones have gone missing on their migrant journey, helping them navigate the complexities of American bureaucracy so that they can be reunited -- hopefully in life, but often in death as remains are identified and repatriated to their home countries.

Alvaro Enciso

Tucson-based artist Alvaro Enciso has worked on his Donde mueren los sueños project for numerous years, hand crafting sculptures which are then placed at the precise location where deceased migrants have been found in the desert as a marker and memorial to those who have died. He uses GPS data provided by the non-profit organization Humane Borders along with the Pima County Forensic Science Center.

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Thanks

Thank you to all of the individuals and organizations who have helped fund SIN NADA:Aditya Adiredja, Aditya Nochur, Albert Ching, Alejandro Macias, Alex Smith, Alexander Chee, Alexin Tenefrancia, Alice Shay, Alina Bezdikian, Alison Trope, Allie Rigby, Alvin Huang, Amy Hu, Amy Kim, Ana Iwataki, Ana Maria Leon, Ana Ozaki, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, AnaTere Martinez , Andrea Romero, Andrew Ahn, Andrew Huang, Angelica Villegas , Ann Lok Lui, Anna Duda, Annette Kim, Antonio de Zubiaurre Wagner, Arum Park, Ashley Harris, Aubrey Koch and Tran Le, Aurora Tang, Beatrice Dupuy, Benjamin Critton, Benjamin Toney, Beomki Lee, Beth Weinstein, Bianca Dellepiane, Bill Kelley Jr., Brady Collins, Bruce Chan, Calvin Chin, Carl Twombly, Carlo de la Cruz, Carmen King Ramirez, Carri Hulet, Catherine Yang, Chad Diep, Charles Lee, Chen Chen, Chia Chieh Lee, Chris Tilly, Christine Curella, Christopher Carter, Christopher Lequang, Christopher M Miller, Christopher Rhie, Cindy Cruz, CJ Ormita, Claire Markgraf, Clara Sao, Colby D Sato, Colleen Lucey, Conroy Gibson, Conte Margail Sandrine, Dana Cuff, Daniel Canogar, Daniel Hyo Kim , Daniel Ostroff, David Gies, David Kim, David Sloane, David Wakukawa, Dennis Yee, Derek Lieu, Ding Kong, Domi Hodko , Dominic Leong, Doris Sung, Du Heng, Duc Luu, E. Alex Jung, Eileen Logue, Eleanor Abrons, Emanuel Ag, Eric Cazdyn, Eric Oleary, Erik Benjamins, Erika Gault, Erin Keeffe, Esther Shubinski, Eugenia Afinoguenova, Eva Marxen, Evan Shulman, Fai Tang, Fernando Zapatero Huerga, Flavie Fuentes, Florisse Vazquez, Frank Refuerzo, Fredo Chen, Gabriel Fries-Briggs, George X Lin, Gloria Arjona, Grant Sunoo, Guadalupe Yanez, Guillermo Sarinana, Gus Wendel, Hai Vo, Heidi Korsavong, Helen Elizabeth Deutsch, Helen Song, Hollice Wang, Howin Wong , Hue-Tam Jamme, Humberto S Castro, Ionit Behar, Jacqueline Jean Barrios, Janice McGregor, Jared Press, Jasmine Leiva, Jasmine Shah, JC De Vera, Jeffrey King, Jennifer Lindholm, Jennifer Ly, Jennyfer A Cienfuegos Hernandez, Jerry Dang, Jerry Fang, Jessica Sidhu, Jia Yi Gu, Jianhui Xu, Jill Koyama, Jimena Salas, John Alvin Bonifacio, John Chau, John Le , John McCumber, John N Ta, Johnny Townsend, Jonathan Banfill, Jonathan Grossman, Jonathan Huang , Joshua Jenkins, JP Bolles, Judd Ruggill, Justin J Wee, Justin Michael Valliere, Kael Greco, Kara Cooney, Karen R. Mendoza, Karen Roberts, Karlo Bueno Bello, Kate Jun, Kate Macwilliamson, Kate Yeh Chiu, Katharina Graefin von Bassewitz, Katherine Buckingham, Kathleen Rodgers, Kathy Choi, Katie Gates , Katrina Lauron, Kelly E Shaw, Kelly Heintz , Ken S. McAllister, Kenneth So, Kenny Wong, Kenzo Isoda Upton, Kerry Kay, Kerry O'Sullivan, Kevin Lee, Kevin Lo, Kevyn Fong, Kyson Bunthuwong, Laure Murat, Lauren Smith, Leisy Abrego, Lex White, Lindsey Tomiko Kunisaki, Luis de Zubiaurre Wagner, Ly Tran , Lynn Chen, Lynne Horiuchi, Makela Brizuela, Marcus Degnan, Maria Alvarez, Maria Moreno, Marie Laure Coubes, Marisa Belausteguigoitia Rius , Marisa Turesky, Mary Wildner-Bassett, Matt Bianco, Matt Brooks, Matthew Bindner, Matthew Miller, Maxwell Shutt, Meike Schalk, Melanie Young, Melissa Phatharanavik, Melody Glenn, Meredith Drake Reitan , Michael Linares, Miguel Alvarez, Miguel Rojas Rojas Sotelo, Mitch Dao, Muriel Leung, Mylo Lam, Nadia Cabeza De Vaca, Nadia Segura, Nanci Ochoa, Nancy Ai, Nancy Kim, Nancy Uyemura, Nathan Ramos-Park, Neil Goldberg, Nerve Macaspac, Nicolas Zapatero, Nicole Salazar, Noah Koretz, Norma Iglesias Prieto, Nushelle de Silva, Omar Hajji, Paul Lim, Paul Morales, Paul Ocampo, Peter Byeon, Peter Eversoll, Philip Beaumont, Philip Poon, Philip Stoker, Rafael Osuba, Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan, Reem Hanna-Harwell, Renee Reynolds, Ricardo Vivancos-Perez, Robbie Monsod, Sam Amago, Scott Wen, Sean Andrew Park, Sean Angst, Sean Kelley, Sean Miura, seanortega, Sergio Florez, Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, Silvia Bermúdez, Soyoon Choo, Stacey Slevcove, Stefan Timmermans, Stefanie Pitaro, Stephanie and Adam Springer, Stephanie Odenheimer, Stephen Huynh, Stephen Kennedy, Sumayya K Racy, Susan Larson, Susan McLean, Suzanne Lacy, Suzanne Panferov Reese, Tammy Hu, Teo Wickland, Thai Le, The Beslers, The Noh Family, Thomas Yung, Timothy Goddard, Tina Diep, Todd Presner, Tom Kiefer, Tony Lee, Travis Williams, Tru Nguyen, Tyler Sabbag , Ursula Heise, Valentina Cappelletti, Van Yabut, Victoria Westover, Vincent Yung, Waqas Jawaid, Westley Garcia, Whitney Unruh, Willeke Wendrich, William Ho, Winston Kwong, Yang Yang, Yen Sen, Yi Chen, Yihyun Lim, Yoh Kawano, Yolanda Zhu, Yougeng Lu, Yumi Sakugawa, Yun Wu, Zen Sekizawa, Zrinka Stahuljak