10 · 25 · 22

Lourdes Grobet’s BERING, REUNIÓN FAMILIAR was Screened During the 20th FICM

Gustavo R. Gallardo

Bering, reunión familiar (2022) by filmmaker Lourdes Grobet was presented by her children, Juan Cristóbal and Alejandra, and by producer César Ahumada, who were joined by the festival’s director, Daniela Michel.

In Bering, reunión familiar Etta Tall, an Inupiaq woman, sets her mind upon crossing the Bering Strait from Alaska into Russia, in order to reunite with her lost family members after an ethnic separation during the Cold War. This film is a sequel to Bering. Equilibrio y resistencia (2013).

“It's such a joy to be able to present this film on behalf of Lourdes… her schedule is a bit complicated today, and she couldn’t make it,” joked musician Juan Cristóbal Pérez Grobet, considering the filmmaker died last July.

“It’s so emotional to bring this film to a close after so many years in the making, along with another project yet to be premiered,” he said.

Producer César Ahumada told the audience that Bering, reunión familiar is an endearing project to all the people involved in it and he hopes “that it will feel the same way to you.” He also emphasized the importance of presenting the film during the 20th FICM.

Alejandra Pérez Grobet said that her mother was defined by shooting lifelong projects “and this one was one of them.”

“It’s impressive that she could, after so many years, reunite the families on both sides [...] Through her work, through her lens, she created concepts which gave life to all the communities,” she added.

FICM director Daniela Michel said she felt moved while presenting Bering, reunión familiar, since she knew Lourdes Grobet for many years: “We have a very close history as a family [...] and to me, this is a humble tribute to Lourdes’ work. She was a truly formidable woman whom I always admired.”

“Why was there a Mexican crew filming in Alaska? That’s for Lourdes Grobet to answer.”

After the screening, musician Juan Cristóbal Pérez Grobet, producer César Ahumada, and cinematographer Jorge Malpica answer some questions from the audience about the film, one in particular about how the director reunited not just the families onscreen but also behind the camera.

“Gee, I’m going to start crying,” said Juan Cristóbal, and then continued: “The work started with Yolanda Muñoz [...] who was meant to be interviewed by a magazine Lourdes was working for and, when they met, Yolanda said: ‘Lourdes, I had a dream: we were crossing the Bering Strait’, and that sparked 20 years of work; 20 years my mother spent with that idea. She started doing research, and she got so involved [...] She made six trips, and together made five [...] The Grobet family is behind this but it’s become extended with the Malpicas, the Ahumadas, the Ruiz’s [...] this has indeed been a very nice family reunion made over time.”

Alejandra Pérez, sitting among the audience, said that Lourdes Grobet “always represented union, family, a social issues." Through her camera, she made this whole family, which includes all of us.