Thursday 5 January 2012

Doña Canche-The Tortilla Maker






Synopsis

Doña Canche - The Tortilla Maker is a short documentary about the life of a Guatemalan woman that has owned a tortilla store for over 25 years. Doña Canche explains what she does in her business and tells us about her family and life. Among suppliers, employees and clients, Doña Canche gives us a view of a tortilla business in Guatemala. 


Behind the scenes

It was absolutely fun to spend time with Doña Canche. She was always smiling. She amused me with her energy and constant jokes.   
On that day, I joined her at 6am (she normally wakes up at 4am) to talk to her about the documentary. She got really excited about it and we started right away. All what she said in the documentary was not rehearsed, it all came spontaneously.
It was also really nice to see how the clients, suppliers and assistants wanted to take part in the documentary. They were all really supportive.

Doña Canche told me that she wanted to help me, because she knew that with the video her business would be always remembered. 
But I think that only with her kindness, energy and smile she will be remembered every day in town. 

Notes

8.00 Quetzales (Guatemalan´s currency) are equivalent to US$ 1.00. 
This means that for US$ 1.00, you get 32 tortillas at Doña Canche´s store.

Jutiapa is a region in Guatemala 124km from Guatemala City.