JOVITA Y VALENTÍN
A Documentary Film
by Maite Zubiaurre & Jae-an Crisman
Media
Trailer
Poster
Film Stills
About
Synopsis
After two migrants disappear in the Arizona desert, JOVITA Y VALENTÍN takes us straight into the homes of their families in rural Hidalgo and Puebla, Mexico. Here we witness the fraught grief of ambiguous loss, but also the healing power of agency and solidarity: Unable to rely on consular agencies or law enforcement officials to locate their loved ones, families turn to an unlikely network of forensic experts, human rights activists, and artists working on both sides of the border. Through painstaking forensic work, community organizing, and sheer persistence, this dogged alliance accomplishes what official channels could not: bringing Jovita and Valentín back home.
Director Bio
MAITE ZUBIAURRE is an acclaimed filmmaker, scholar, and visual artist whose work explores memory, loss, and identity across borders, with a sustained focus on marginalized communities. She co-directed ÁGUILAS with Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, a multi-awarded and Oscar-shortlisted short documentary on migrant death in the Arizona desert and the volunteers who search for the remains. She continues that inquiry as co-director of JOVITA Y VALENTÍN, a feature documentary following the forensic identification of deceased migrants and the return of their unrecognizable remains to grieving families in Hidalgo and Puebla, Mexico. Zubiaurre is currently directing a new feature documentary, now in production, about street artists in Venice Beach, California. She is a Professor in the Humanities at UCLA and creates visual art under the name Filomena Cruz.
JAE-AN CRISMAN is a filmmaker, artist, and writer working at the intersection of documentary storytelling, urban culture, and community memory. He co-directed JOVITA Y VALENTÍN, a feature-length documentary about life and death along the US-Mexico border. Previously, he has published books on urban design, art, and the humanities, and currently he is working on a multimedia project about consciousness, astrobiology, and radio waves.
Director Statement
Full disclosure: we are both professors in the humanities. Our filmmaking comes out of our appreciation of the power of storytelling, and also is deeply embedded in longstanding research on migration, forensics, and the US-Mexico borderlands going back to 2016. Our academic endeavors quickly led to committed activism and awareness-raising filmmaking. We film the stark reality of undocumented migration and migrant death, but we also draw hope from a tight network of activists, volunteers, artists, and forensic experts that stand in solidarity with migrants.Zubiaurre first co-directed ÁGUILAS with Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, an Oscar-shortlisted and award-winning short documentary that tells the story of a group of volunteers who search for those lost in the Arizona desert. This opened the door to yet another untold and overlooked story: namely, the story of the families who have been left behind and are seeking answers about their missing loved ones. Arizona led us to rural Mexico, from the lethal vastness of the Sonoran desert to the intimate homes of grieving families experiencing ambiguous loss. If there is one thing JOVITA Y VALENTÍN shows us, it is that homecoming and repatriation are anything but straightforward. They are not closure but, rather, when grief takes another turn.
Connect
Contact us at [email protected] or check back soon to see where Jovita y Valentín is screening
Credits
Written and Directed by
Maite Zubiaurre & Jae-an CrismanProduced by
Maite Zubiaurre
Jae-an Crisman
and
DignicraftBased on original research by
Maite Zubiaurre & Jae-an CrismanExecutive Producers
Maite Zubiaurre
Jae-an Crisman
Editor
Armando de la CruzOriginal Score by
Jordi Nus GarrellMotion Graphics and Title Design
Felipe Otalora
Jae-an CrismanTranslation and Subtitles
Karla Liquidano
Maite ZubiaurreSound
Louie Alfaro
Christian GirardProduction Assistant
Cynthia Landa
Cecilia GirónSound Editors
Ricardo Hau
Manuel Danoy
Daniela Lopez Guerrero
Director of Photography
Eric WaldronSecond Unit Camera
Carlos Davis ColínCamera Assistant
Grant Boutiette
Eduardo CaprilesPost Production and Coordination of Post
Avalancha StudioColorist
Carlos F. RossiniSound Design and Mix
José Miguel EnríquezCoordination of Logistics and Materials
Armando de la Cruz
May RodríguezOnline and Conform
Fernando de la Rosa
Featuring
Martha Amaro Osorio
Widow of ValentínLuisa Osorio Núñez
Mother of MarthaMartín Amaro Rosas
Father of MarthaTeresa García Ortiz
Sister of JovitaElizabeth García Ortiz
Sister of JovitaAntonio García Ortiz
Brother of JovitaAlberto García Ortiz
Brother of JovitaDr. Gregory Hess
Chief Medical Examiner at the Pima County Office of the Medical ExaminerDr. Jennifer Vollner
Forensic Anthropologist at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner
Alvaro Enciso
Artist and ActivistMarisela Ortiz
Co-founder and President of Aguilas del DesiertoEly Ortiz
Co-founder and Executive Director of Aguilas del DesiertoOctavio Soria Aguilar
Member of Aguilas del Desierto and Founder of Migrantes del Estado de QuerétaroDr. Robin Reineke
Co-founder and former Director of Colibrí Center for Human Rights and Associate Professor and Research Social Scientist at the University of ArizonaMirza Monterroso
Former DNA and Missing Migrant Program Director at the Colibrí Center for Human Rights and Community Support Specialist at the University of ArizonaLindsay Hershberger
Morgue Supervisor at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner
Special thanks toThe families of Jovita Garcia Ortiz
and Valentín Flores FloresAguilas del Desierto Inc.Colibrí Center for Human RightsPima County Office of the Medical ExaminerHumane Borders
Sanjida Akter
Jacqueline Barrios
Vittoria Borso
Jade Cagz
Eric Cazdyn
Erin Cooney
Angelina Craig-Florez
Kirby Dick
Sergio Florez
Antonia Gallegos
Neil Goldberg
Andrew Thomas Huang
Jody Ibsen
Valarie Lee James
Tom Kiefer
David Kim
Gail Kocourek
Maria Larsson
John Le
Ana Sanz-Magallón
Matthew M. Mars
Ryan Mazie
Helena Medina
María Moreno Carranco
Laure Murat
Lola Orihuel
Rodrigo Ranero
Kathleen Rodgers
Judd Ruggill
Ricardo Ruiz Huerga
Laura Ruiz Vázquez
Ben Seyfert
Esther Shubinski
Stephanie Springer
Carla Suhr
Whitney Unruh
Esther Vázquez
Fernando Zapatero Huerga
Nicolás Zapatero-Zubiaurre
Sebastián Zapatero-Zubiaurre
Luis de Zubiaurre
Elena de Zubiaurre
Antonio de Zubiaurre
This project was made possible with support fromCalifornia Community FoundationCalifornia Humanities, a non-profit partner of
the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.Film Accelerator Program
of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
and the Latino Film InstituteAcademic Senate Council on Research
Dean’s Office, College Humanities Division
Department of European Languages & Transcultural Studies
Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities
and Urban Humanities Initiative
UCLADepartment of Public & Applied Humanities
Experiential Learning Design Accelerator
and College of Humanities
University of Arizona
And our generous crowdfunding campaign donors
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 Thomas Huang
Angelica Villegas
Ann Lok Lui
Anna Duda
Annette Kim
Annie Chu
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
Heather Macgillvray
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 Matsusaka
John McCumber
John N. Ta
Johnny Townsend
Jonathan Banfill
Jonathan Grossman
Jonathan Huang
Josephine Labanyi
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
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 Kim
Melissa Phatharanavik
Melody Glenn
Meredith Drake Reitan
Michael Linares
Miguel Alvarez
Miguel 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
Roberta Johnson
Sam Amago
Scott Wen
Sean Andrew Park
Sean Angst
Sean Kelley
Sean Miura
Sean Ortega
Sergio Florez
Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan
Shu-mei Shih
Silvia Bermúdez
Simon Kim
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
Fiscal Sponsor
International Documentary AssociationEnd Credits Music
"Yo ya me voy amigos míos"
Traditional cardenche song
Performed by Coro AcardenchadoArchival Footage Courtesy ofMartha Amaro Osorio
Aranzazú Ayala and Marlene Martínez, Lado B
Armando de la Cruz
Christen Eggers, Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner
Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense (EAAF)
Omar Foglio
Elizabeth García Ortiz
Mirza Monterroso
María Luisa Núñez Baroja, La Voz de los Desparecidos en Puebla
Marisela Ortiz, Aguilas del Desierto Inc.
Octavio Soria Aguilar
Guadalupe Flores Flores
Colibrí Center for Human RightsFilmed on location inTucson, Arizona
Sonoran Desert, Arizona
Mexico City, Mexico
La Mora, Hidalgo, Mexico
San José Ixtapa, Puebla, Mexico
Corona, California
Fallbrook, CaliforniaAll rights reserved © 2026 ZubiZapa Films LLC and Jae-an LLCAny views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this film are those of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of the filmmakers, funders, fiscal sponsor, or any other affiliated institutions.