“In these hostile and treacherous lands, every bone has a story.”
Along the southern desert border in Arizona, it is estimated that only one out of every five missing migrants are ever found. Águilas is the story of one group of searchers, the Aguilas del Desierto. Once a month these volunteers—construction workers, gardeners, domestic laborers by trade—set out to recover the missing, reported to them by loved ones often thousands of miles away. Amidst rising political repression and cartel violence, as well as the eternal difficulties of travel in the Sonoran Desert, the Aguilas carry out their solemn task.
Águilas lays bare the tragic reality of migrant death by venturing deep into the wilderness of the borderlands. The desert is a vast cemetery where the bodies and dried bones of migrants lie exposed under the scorching sun. In a world where efforts to humanize the migrant experience often get lost within the statistics and headlines, this documentary provides an observational and poetic response to one of the most pressing issues of our time, undocumented immigration and the hardships of the border crossing experience.
Jury Statements
screenings & awards
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2021, Missoula, MN Best Mini-Doc
SXSW Film Festival 2021, Austin, TX, Documentary Shorts Winner
Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival (POW), Portland, Oregon
Mountain Film Festival, Telluride, CO
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Durham, NC
Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival 2021, Los Angeles, CA, Best Live Action Short Film
San Francisco Doc Fest SF Indie - Virtual/San Francisco, CA (June 2021)
Sedona International Film Festival, Sedona, AZ
Palm Springs Shortfest, Palm Springs, CA
42 Cinefestival San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, Best Documentary Short Film
Walla Walla Movie Crush, Walla Walla, WA
Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Indianapolis, IN
University Film and Video Association Screening, Best Documentary Short
Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) Summerfest, Sonoma, CA
Phoenix Film Festival, Phoenix, AZ
Nevada City Film Festival, Nevada City, CA
New York Latino Film Festival, New York, NY
Woodstock Film Festival, Woodstock, NY
Nashville Film Festival, Nashville, TN Best Documentary Short
Seattle Latino Film Festival, Seattle, WA
El Paso Film Festival, El Paso, TX, Best Documentary Short
San Francisco Latino Film Festival, San Francisco, CA
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Hot Springs National Park, AR
Double Exposure Film Festival, (Virtual)
SLO Film Festival, San Luis Obispo, CA
Home Is Distant Shores Film Festival, (Virtual) Special Award for Documentary Short
Charlotte Film Festival, Charlotte, NC, Best Documentary Short
24fps International Short Film Festival, Abilene, TX
DOC NYC, New York City, NY, Short List
DOC LA 2021, Los Angeles, CA, Best Director (Short)
IDA Documentary Awards Nominee 2021
Borders No Borders Film Festival, Houston, TX
Kendal Mountain Festival, Kendal, Cumbria, UK
Official Latino Film and Arts Festival (Virtual)
Centre Film Festival, Pittsburg, PA, Audience Award for Best Short Documentary
Denver Film Festival, Denver, CO
Still Voices Short Film Festival (Virtual)
St. Louis International Film Festival (Virtual)
Hawai’i International Film Festival (Virtual)
Oxford International Film Festival (Virtual), Best Documentary Short
My Hero International Film Festival, First Place Humanitarian Film
Buenos Aires International Documentary Film Festival
McMinnville Short Film Festival, McMinnville, OR
Watsonville Film Festival, Monterey Bay, CA
San Diego Latino Film Festival, San Diego, CA
Barcelona International Short and Animation Film Festival , Barcelona, ESP
Milwaukee Film Festival, Milwaukee, WI
San Luis Obispo Film Festival, San Luis Obispo, CA
Independent Film Festival - Boston, MA
Ennesimo Film Festival - Modena, IT
LIFE Film Festival - Los Angeles, CA, Best Documentary
Humanitas Award in Impact Video Category - SIMA
Houston Latino Film Festival, Houston, TX
FILMMAKERS
Who are the águilas?
Aguilas del Desierto inc. is a nonprofit organization helping lost migrants in the deserts and along the borders of California and Arizona.
Aguilas del Desierto inc. Es una organización sin fines de lucro ayudando a migrantes perdidos en los desiertos y fronteras de California y Arizona.
PRESS
The New Yorker - The Grim Compassion of Searching for Missing Migrants in the Desert
UCLA Newsroom - Professors’ doc shines light on U.S. border humanitarian group
Ringside Report - Documentary Short Film Águilas/Eagles Shines A Light On An Organization That Brings Closure To The Families Of Missing Migrants
Variety - From Streamers to Newspapers, Nonfiction Shorts Offer Awards and Audience Recognition
LatinHeat - Immigration Doc ‘Águilas’ Wins LALIFF Short Film Competition
A.Frame - 5 Latinx Filmmakers On Showing Up Unapologetically
The Hollywood Reporter - COVID-19, Jan. 6 Insurrection Among Topics Explored in Documentary Shorts Contenders
Film School Radio - The filmmakers of Oscar-shortlist short Águilas talk about their experiences making the film.
Daily Bruin - UCLA professors shine light on border crisis in new documentary ‘Águilas’
The Wrap - ‘Summer of Soul,’ ‘Flee,’ ‘Ascension’ Land on DOC NYC Short List of Awards-Worthy Documentaries
The Wrap - The Human Face of the Refugee Crisis
Eye for Film - Review of SXSW-winning short documentary, ‘Águilas’
San Diego Union Tribune - San Diego Latino Film Festival returns