Maza's Pasta de Conchos documentary Black Shine premieres at Morelia
Black Shine (El brillo negro) competes in Morelia's short film lineup and was shot in April with a four-person crew over four days.
Santiago Maza's documentary short Black Shine (El brillo negro) has premiered at the Morelia Film Festival, where it is competing for the top prize among the festival's short films, according to Variety.
The film revisits the 2006 explosion at the Pasta de Conchos mine in Coahuila, Mexico, and centres on two people still living with its consequences: El Güero, a former miner who recovered his brother's remains, and Elvira, who is still waiting for her husband.
Black Shine was filmed in April with a four-person crew over four shooting days. It features Coahuila-born writer Julián Herbert reading lines from a poem he wrote for the short.
The project grew out of a 2021 trip to Coahuila, when Maza met El Güero and Elvira while shooting a short film about climate change. In 2018, Andrés Manuel López Obrador visited the Pasta de Conchos site and promised to make the recovery happen if elected president.
Maza's previous documentary, State of Silence, was a passion project of Diego Luna and won the best feature award at Chile's 2024 Santiago Film Festival (Sanfic). His next project is a mockumentary titled Ecocides, Repent! (Ecocidas ¡Arrepentíos!), whose script is completed.
Quick answers
What is Black Shine about?
The documentary short revisits the 2006 Pasta de Conchos mine explosion in Coahuila, Mexico, focusing on former miner El Güero, who recovered his brother's remains, and Elvira, who is still waiting for her husband.
Where did Black Shine premiere?
It premiered at the Morelia Film Festival, where it is competing for the top prize among the short films in competition.
What is Santiago Maza's next project?
A mockumentary titled Ecocides, Repent! (Ecocidas ¡Arrepentíos!), whose script is completed.