La Maestra (The
Teacher) is a
half-hour documentary about a young Mexican woman who decides to follow her own
path and in doing so, inspires other to do the same and changes her community's
expectations of what's appropriate for girls and women. The film profiles Mayra
Agulair, a teacher in a tiny rural fishing village in Baja, Mexico, who becomes
the first Mexican woman surfer in her area. Told in Spanish with English subtitles using mainly
Mayra's voice, the film shows how she has gone on to inspire both her students
and other local women to take up the sport and follow their dreams. Through her
deep connection to the ocean, Mayra has also become an environmentalist,
teaching her students the importance of land and sea stewardship through hands
on learning. In the film, Mayra talks about the amazing surfing waves in her
town -- a gift of nature that has brought thousands of gringo surfers to the
area over the years, forever changing Mayra's hometown in both positive and
negative ways. In this regard, the film is also a subtle commentary on the
impact outsider surf tourists can have on small communities around the globe
and the need for all of us to be mindful of taking care of the environment, no
matter where we are. La
Maestra (The Teacher) is an
important film because it features a strong Latina woman role model that will
appeal to everyone. There is no surf
media hype, no surf company sponsors, and no surf industry to spoil the soul of
this film.
This Film Is Unique
Surf movies are
filmed all over the world, but usually it’s Americans, Australians, and/or
Europeans traveling to exotic locals and talking about what they are seeing,
and it’s rare that the filmmakers bother to interview the local people who are
born and raised in these locations or capture their daily experiences of living
and surfing there year-round. La Maestra (The Teacher) is unique
in that it’s a story about a local woman, told entirely in Spanish, through our
character’s own voice, not the voices of outsiders. Our cameras follow Mayra
throughout her day, giving viewers a rare glimpse into the life of this young
Mexican teacher and surfer who was born and continues to live and work in her
tiny, remote village.
We hope that
through screenings and outreach events, as well as through educational DVD
copies distributed throughout CA and Baja, Mexico, that La Maestra (The Teacher) will
generate discussions about gender, the challenges facing women who step out of
traditional roles, the growth mindset, the impacts of outsiders on small rural
communities, and the need for all of us to care for the environment. Our hope
is that viewers will gain an awareness of the issues facing women surfers, as
well as understand that when we travel, we have an impact on the communities we
visit – in both positive and negative ways. It is also our hope that Mayra’s
story will also encourage other girls and women to feel comfortable following
their own path, and for everyone to care for the land and for their
communities.
While La
Maestra (The Teahcer) will have immediate resonance with surfing
audiences around the globe, it is intended for a wider viewership throughout
the world via television, community screenings, and outreach events held with
non-profit and educational groups.
What We Need
Making a
documentary is incredibly expensive and labor intensive. Below are the areas of
post-production to which we will be directing campaign funds. Post-production
is what happens after you turn off the cameras and start putting the story
together in the edit room. Complete post-production and you’ll leave the edit room
with a broadcast ready movie. We want to take our raw footage and make a
beautiful, inspiring, and moving film, and with your support -- we will!
Editing – we
have a rough cut but need money to finish the editing process and get the film
ready for film festivals, outreach screenings, and broadcast.
Film Graphics
& Titles – so you know what you are watching and who made it!
Color
Correction – We tried really hard to capture the images in a beautiful and
creative way, but since we were filming on multiple days, sometimes there were
issues with light and color balance. Color correction makes everything look
beautiful in its own way.
Audio Mix &
Sound Sweetening – So you don’t have to turn up or down the audio when you are
watching our film and the songs don’t overpower people’s sound bites.
Outreach
screenings – it takes money to put on a show!
Free DVD copies
for teachers throughout Baja – Important because many towns in Baja have
intermittent power and very slow internet service so digital files of the film
are often useless.
You Know This Film Will Get Done
We’re not going
to take your money and go on a year-long surf safari. Making films and shooting
photos is what we do for a living even though we probably could make better
money working at McDonalds. We both have decades-long track records of creating
beautiful, moving, and educational film and photo projects that people like to
watch and that win awards, and La Maestra (The Teacher) will be no different.
Paul is a San
Francisco father, husband, surfer, inner city high school teacher,
photographer, traveler, gardener, and filmmaker. When he is not engaged in
these activities he is sleeping. He’s traveled to more than 60 countries on six
continents. Paul’s photographs have
appeared in galleries and have been featured in books in the United States,
Europe, and Japan, as well as in Surfers Journal and other international
magazines. His images are also in many
collections around the globe.
Elizabeth is an
Ojai wife, surfer, filmmaker, photographer, and writer. She and her husband
grow their own food and like to play with their dog, cat, and chickens when not
sliding down a wave, riding their bikes, or hiking in the mountains behind
their home. For nearly 18 years, Elizabeth has been making films independently
and for PBS and has won five Emmy Awards and several film festival awards for
her television and documentary film work. Elizabeth’s photographs have been
shown in galleries and museums and featured in publications and books around
the world, and she has written a book on San Francisco jazz history that was
published by Chronicle Books in 2006.
Why We Wanted to Make This Film
Paul: I have been traveling to Mexico and to Baja since I a was a
baby. My mother is from Mexico and I
have family throughout Northern Baja and Jalisco, and as a child, we would make
the two hour journey across the border regularly. Mexico brings me happiness and joy and I’m
always in awe of how kind and resilient the people are. Mexico is family to me. I think that most surfers and travelers who
visit Mexico see it as a vacationland and neglect to really see the people who
live there. If we were to rely on the
media and stereotypes about Mexico we would be left to think that Mexico is a
lawless place run by drug cartels, where banditos are lurking behind every
corner waiting for the opportunity rob and kill you. I wanted this film to give viewers a glimpse
into a day in the life of a very normal yet somewhat extraordinary woman. Mayra is a strong woman and a graceful
surfer, but really she is no different from surfers and teachers everywhere and
that is what I want this film to show: That people are people, I want the
viewers to see themselves in Mayra.
Because only when people begin to see the similarities amongst others
can we begin to humanize these places that are so misrepresented by the media.
Elizabeth: La Maestra (The Teacher) is a continuation of my efforts through my
films and photography to change the way all women are portrayed in the media
and create an alternative voice in surfing by pointing my video and photo
lenses at women surfers of all ethnicities and backgrounds, ages, and sizes
and shapes. I’m also tired of watching surf movies with the same groups of
young white guys in every film – definitely not reflecting what I see in the
line-ups around the world. I felt it was time that a local woman at one of these
surf spots had a chance to tell her own story.
I began exploring Baja in 1992, and fell in love with
the people, culture, and land. I have always wanted to make a film there, but
have been limited by my poor Spanish, so I was thrilled when Paul asked if I
wanted to make a film with him in Mexico, because his language skills would
enable me to finally fulfill my documentary dream. I had briefly met Mayra
during a surf trip in 2012, and had taken some photographs of her stylish and
graceful surfing and admired her courage to do something different from most of
her peers. When Paul said he wanted to make a film with me, I told him about
Mayra and we agreed we had the star of our documentary – if only she would
agree. Lucky for us, Mayra was fine with us filming her, and once we arrived in
Baja, she and her family opened their lives and their home to us, allowing us
complete access. We are extremely grateful to the entire Aguilar family for
being so generous with their time and their stories, as well as their delicious
food.
Risks & Challenges
Making a
documentary film isn’t easy, and anything to do with surfing and remote
locations makes it even more challenging. Nobody knows that better than us.
During our two and a half day drive down the Baja peninsula and the subsequent
two weeks in Mayra’s village, our mighty band of intrepid filmmakers had a
comical chain of unfortunate events including car engine trouble that
occasionally reduced our speed down to 15 miles per hour, terrible road
conditions that sometimes disappeared altogether into sandy tracts causing
Elizabeth to break into a nervous condition, illness, intermittent power
outages, lack of waves, a group of 45 (!!!) camping surfers from San Diego who
overran the lineup for days on end, Mexican police stops complete with bribes,
and angry gringos worried we were going to disclose “their” secret surf spot. We
faced all challenges with laughter (and a few tears) because we believed in
Mayra and in our story so much that nothing was going to stop us. We are
documentary filmmakers, hear us roar!
Now we face our
biggest challenge yet – can we raise enough funds to finish our film?
Other Ways You Can Help
Besides making
a financial contribution to our documentary project, we hope you will tell your
friends and family about La Maestra (The Teacher). Email our
link to anyone you think who would be interested. Talk about our film on your
Facebook page and in your Twitter feed. Discuss it with your friends over a few
beers. Chat about it out in the line-up. Help us spread the word and get this
film made.
Thank you,
thank you, and thank you. Without your help, this film will not be possible.