Butterflies and Border Walls
A documentary film about two women and a rare community of butterflies standing on the front lines in a battle against the US-Mexico border wall.
A documentary film about two women and a rare community of butterflies standing on the front lines in a battle against the US-Mexico border wall.
This film delivered me tears, rage, and most dangerous of all, hope.
Ay Mariposa tells a story of three characters in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas whose lives are upended by plans to build a US-Mexico border wall. As the director of the National Butterfly Center, Marianna Trevino Wright has become a leader of wall resistance in the Valley, a position that has resulted in violent threats from pro-wall factions and an emotional odyssey as she tries to navigate the ever-shifting sands of border policy. Zulema Hernandez, a life-long migrant worker, immigrant and great grandmother, has been a dedicated advocate for all migrants, both wild and human-kind. Meanwhile the butterfly, la mariposa, fights its own daily battle for survival in a landscape where more than 95 percent of its habitat is long gone and much of what remains lies directly in the path of the wall.
Utterly stunning nature photography
An important film and call to action
This poignant film is an antidote to the false narrative of the dangerous out-of-control southern border.
You can now ask you library or school to get a copy of Ay Mariposa for you to see and share with your class or community. Just share our film page at Collective Eye Films with your local librarian, teacher, or other educational administrator
The future of borderlands wildlife and human communities depends on support from people around the nation who are willing to speak out for this embattled region. We have put together a library of resources to help Ay Mariposa viewers take action for the borderlands.
We have launched our Community Screenings campaign so that people around the world can show Ay Mariposa in their communities and start discussions about the nature of borders and the universal urge to migrate. The kit includes everything you need to host the film and take action for the borderlands.