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The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to continue its premiere series with the one-night-only debut of “Kingdom of Shadows”, an award-winning and timely new documentary. The film will show Friday, Nov. 6 at 4 and 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
Director Bernardo Ruiz — a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico — will be in Sedona to host the premiere screenings and conduct a Q&A discussion after both shows. The Sedona debut of “Kingdom of Shadows” is part of a multi-city tour to promote the film prior to its theatrical release later in November.
In “Kingdom of Shadows”, Bernardo Ruiz takes an unflinching look at the hard choices and dramatic consequences of the U.S.-Mexico “drug war” through the perspectives of three unlikely individuals. He weaves together the stories of a U.S. drug enforcement agent on the border, an activist nun in violence-scarred Monterrey, Mexico, and a former Texas smuggler, to reveal the human side of an often misunderstood conflict that has resulted in a growing human-rights crisis that only recently has made international headlines.
Sister Consuelo Morales — based in the devastated city of Monterrey — prods government officials to take action against the drug cartels on behalf of grieving families whose loved ones have gone missing.
Texan rancher Don Henry Ford Jr. offers historical context for the evolution to the hyper-violent state of drug trafficking today, as he recounts his career as a smuggler during the 1980s, before he served time for importing marijuana.
And undercover agent-turned-senior Homeland Security officer, Oscar Hagelsieb, recounts his own remarkable journey, and offers a unique perspective on the U.S.’ role in the drug war. As the child of undocumented parents, Oscar grew up in an impoverished neighborhood where of his many peers gave in to the temptations of the drug economy.
Born in Mexico to a Mexican father and an American mother, filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz has spent his entire professional life exploring the two countries’ sometimes dysfunctional dynamic. “Everything I’ve worked on so far has had something to do with the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico,” he says. “I see Kingdom of Shadows as a continuation of the work I’ve done throughout my career.”
“I believe this crisis has been underreported until recently, so what I wanted to do in ‘Kingdom of Shadows’ is to make a stealth human-rights film. It’s an exploration of the root causes behind this unacceptable level of violence in Mexico,” said Ruiz. “I also wanted to show how ordinary people are impacted by his huge problem by telling the stories of three fascinating characters.”
Ruiz — who will be in Sedona to host the premiere of “Kingdom of Shadows” and conduct Q&A discussions after both screenings — is the founder of Quiet Pictures, an independent documentary production company. Ruiz was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and grew up in Brooklyn. His first documentary, “Repertero”, focused on a group of journalists working at an embattled Tijuana newsweekly. The film was nominated for an Emmy Award (Outstanding Informational Programming—Long Form).