Screens with:

Everest

Fri Feb 24, 2023 – 7:30 pm | Hendricks Arts Center
Fri Mar 3, 2023 – 2:30 pm | La Casa Grande

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On the Divide

Directed by Leah Galant & Maya Cueva
Documentary Feature
United States | 79 min | 2021

On The Divide follows the story of three Latinx people living in McAllen, Texas who, despite their views, are connected by the most unexpected of places: the last abortion clinic on the U.S./Mexico border. As threats to the clinic and their personal safety mount, these three are forced to make decisions they never could have imagined.

AWARDS

Winner of the People’s Choice Award
Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), 2021

The Best Feature Documentary Award
Indy Film Fest, 2022

The Cercle d’or for Best Feature Documentary Award
Sherbrooke World Film Festival, 2022

The Grand Prix Documentary Award
Rising Sun International Film Festival, 2022

The Silver Award for Best Feature Documentary
Tokyo Film Awards, 2022

The Dr. Sydney K. Shapiro Humanitarian Award
Phoenix Film Festival, 2022

The Best Editing of a Documentary Award
Madrid International Film Festival, 2022

The Excellence in Editing Award
Docs Without Borders Film Festival, 2022

The Best Editing Award
Brussels World Film Festival, 2022

REVIEWS

“Truly a rare moment in Cinema… This film is a marvel”
Mélikah Abdelmoumen & Marc Béland, CBC Radio Canada

“An Exquisite Gem. Tenderness, wonder, & dignity…
a beautiful film about beautiful people”
Richard Propes, The Independent Critic

“Anyone who watches Dear Audrey will undoubtedly conclude
that Hayes is a masterful filmmaker”
Charlie Smith, The Georgia Straight

“Touching… luminous… truly magnificent”
Caroline Levesque, CBC Radio Canada

“Dear Audrey, a riveting documentary…
that stands as a powerful paean to passion and perseverance”
Evelyn C White, The Halifax Examiner

“…so many amazing lessons, stories, emotions with pain
and celebration intertwined”
Darren Wiesner, Hollywood North Magazine

“It’s impossible to watch this documentary, (a People’s Choice Award winner), without being overwhelmed by its sweetness and generosity”
Silvia Galipeau, La Press

“…an at once ethereal reflection on the enduring power of love,
and unblinking revelation of life’s steel-cold realities”
Chris Cook, Gorilla Radio

“The central force of Dear Audrey is the eternal, almost implacable force of love that binds people together through the most difficult times”
Dorothy Woodend, The Tyee

“Dear Audrey celebrates the very best the human heart has to offer, with such compassion, artistry and grace”
Terre Nash, Oscar-winning director

“A Stunning Love Story You Won’t Soon Forget!”
Indy Film Fest

“This love story will bring you joy, hope, tears and humility…”
Dr. Jen Hammersmark, Mind Your Madness

“…a beautiful homage to Audrey, to the couple’s
love and their family”
Nantali Indongo, CBC Radio

“Beautiful, touching … ‘Dear Audrey’ is a testament to
what Audrey was and what she remains forever”
Rob Wilson, The Bobr Times

“Poignant and could not be more authentic”
Amandine de Chanteloup, Le Collectif

Maya Cueva – Director’s Statement:
As a mixed Latinx filmmaker, ON THE DIVIDE was an incredibly important film for me to make because of my personal connection to the story and topic and understanding the complexity around abortion and choice in the Latinx community. Although I am not from the border region, I felt connected to our participants’–Rey, Mercedes, and Denisse stories and felt like they could be family members of mine. I felt that it was important to share the unlikely faces behind the issue surrounding reproductive healthcare and what it means to have to grapple with survival and choice when options are limited. Rarely do we see Latinx voices being centered in the battle surrounding reproductive healthcare, and it was important for me to take an intimate look into their lives to show how the issue is not as black and white as it might appear as well as show how choice is ultimately necessary for survival, bodily autonomy, and agency.

Leah Galant – Director’s Statement:
We decided to film ON THE DIVIDE in an intimate verité style in order to focus on the real human stories behind a complicated and polarizing issue. As the cinematographer, I wanted the lens to feel as close as an extension to Maya and me as possible and it was important for us to create a safe space for the protagonists to share. By allowing our participants to tell their own stories we hope to create dialogue across echo chambers and for people to understand what choice means if you are not provided many options.

On the Divide - Poster

On the Divide - Leah GalantLeah Galant
Director

Leah Galant is a Jewish filmmaker and Fulbright Scholar based in New York whose storytelling focuses on unexpected narratives often through the lens of womxn. In 2021 she was recognized as one of DOC NYC’s 40 under 40. While at Ithaca College in 2015 she was named one of Variety’s “110 Students to Watch in Film and Media” for her work on THE PROVIDER (SXSW 2016, Student Emmy Award) and BEYOND THE WALL. She was a Sundance Ignite and Jacob Burns Fellow where she created DEATH METAL GRANDMA (SXSW 2018) about a 97-year-old
Holocaust survivor Inge Ginsberg who sings death metal which won “Best Documentary” at the American Pavilion at Cannes Film Festival and is a NY Times Op Doc. Leah is a member of Meerkat Media worker-cooperative film production company in Sunset Park NY. Leah serves as the Director and Director of Photography on her feature debut, ON THE DIVIDE.

On the Divide - Maya CuevaMaya Cueva
Director

Maya Cueva is a Latina award-winning director and producer with a background in documentary, radio, and audio producing. She is a Netflix Nonfiction Director and Producer fellow and was recently listed on DOC NYC’s “40 Under 40 Filmmakers” co-presented by HBO Documentary Films. Maya’s work has been featured on The New Yorker, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” “Latino USA,” The Atlantic, Teen Vogue, and National Geographic. She received a student Emmy for her short film THE PROVIDER and her feature film, ON THE DIVIDE, premiered in the documentary competition at Tribeca Film Festival in 2021. Her most recent short documentary ALE LIBRE was acquired by The New Yorker and was selected to screen at several Oscar qualifying festivals, including Big Sky Documentary Festival, Hot Docs, Aspen Film Festival, and SFFILM. Maya’s feature documentary ON THE DIVIDE will be broadcast on POV on PBS in Spring 2022.cy.

Film Information

Director:  Maya Cueva & Leah Galant
Country: United States
Year: 2021
Language: English
Runtime: 79 min
Rated:  PG-13

Credits

Producer:Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Amanda Spain, Elizabeth Woodward
Editor: Berenice Chavez
Director of Photography: Leah Galant
Story Producer: Marina Nieto Ritger

Connect With This Film

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BIFF | Beloit International Film Festival