Documentary Films

The Dancing Chickens of Ventura Fabian



by Nina Hasin
color, 10 min, 2006



institutional price includes public performance rights
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The Dancing Chickens of Ventura Fabian is a lively, bilingual musical video visit with master woodcarver Ventura Fabian and his family in their small rural village of San Martin Tilcajete, nestled in the hills outside the colonial city of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Every member of this campesino/artesano family works together to create some of the country's most colorful and creative folk art -- the hand-carved, hand-painted wooden figures that have become one of Mexico's most popular contemporary crafts.

Combining documentary footage of home and village life, interviews, and animated musical segments of Don Ventura's whimsical creations, the video opens a window onto the daily life and unique world of this artisan family.

For more information about the film visit www.der.org/donate/dancing-chickens.

Film Festivals, Screenings, Awards
Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival, CA, 2007
KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, 2007
Society for Visual Anthropology/AAA Conference, Washington DC, 2007
Best Short Film, Tulipanes Latino Art & Film Festival, Michigan, 2007
Chicago International Children's Film Festival, 2007
Boston Latino International Film Festival, 2007
Quebec International Ethnographic Film Festival, Canada, 2008
Palm Beach International Film Festival, Florida, 2008
Rincon International Film Fest, Puerto Rico, 2008
Roxbury Film Festival, Massachusetts, 2008
XXII Pärnu International Film Festival, Estonia, 2008
Orlando Hispanic Film Festival, Florida, 2008
Honorable Mention, 56th Columbus International Film + Video Festival, Ohio, 2008
Third Place, Documentary, Ages 8-12, KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, 2008