Film gives voice to Big Bend folks irked by closures

Web Posted: 12/04/2006 12:01 AM CST

John MacCormack
Express-News

MARFA — When the U.S. government closed a half-dozen informal West Texas border crossings eight months after 9-11, the ostensible aim was increased national security.
Little thought was apparently given to the hundreds of Mexican villagers in Boquillas del Carmen, Santa Elena and Paso Lajitas, who suddenly found themselves economically and socially cut off from American tourists and neighbors.


And, as the title of a new documentary, "Mexiphobia," implies, many in the Big Bend region believe the closures were based on irrational fears and have only degraded national border security.

Adding insult to injury, it soon came to light that far less drastic enforcement measures were applied to similar informal crossings along the Canadian border.

But more than four years of complaints to federal officials and requests to open the crossings, by Big Bend National Park superintendents on down, have come to nothing.

With its premier Saturday night here, "Mexiphobia" gives full voice to those upset with the closures and makes a forceful, nuanced case that the moves were both bad policy and inhumane.

Given a chance to speak, the locals pull no punches.

"It was really a double standard. These terrorists didn't come across the southern border. They came through the northern border. Is it because they (Mexicans) are brown and don't speak English?" asked Linda Walker, owner of a Big Bend stable.

Most of those heard in the 66-minute movie are local folks, and nearly half are Mexican. Austin filmmakers Nevie Owens and Buckner Cooke spent ample time on both sides of the Rio Grande.

Remarking with bitter sarcasm, "Profe" Galindo, a mayoral candidate from San Carlos, Mexico, said, "I don't know. Maybe there were too many terrorists in Boquillas. National security, they say."

Notably absent are any comments from officials of the various federal agencies charged with policing the border and responsible for closing the various crossings.

"No one would talk to us. We couldn't even get a written statement after repeated questions. It wasn't our goal to be one-sided, but our hands were tied," said Owens, 30.

The Big Bend National Park rangers who appear in the film say they knew a lot more about what was going on in Mexico when they were on friendly terms with the villagers.

One ranger also believes the park has lost its unique personality.

"There are lots of parks with mountains, deserts and rivers. What defines Big Bend is its interaction with other cultures, and we failed to protect that," said a saddened Marco Paredes.

The film paints a bleak picture of the now-isolated villages.

Boquillas, which once hosted hundreds of tourists each weekend, has since lost two-thirds of its population. Paso Lajitas is a ghost town. And Santa Elena, once a mellow artists colony, is too dangerous to visit.

In the three years Owens and Cooke spent working on the project, they regularly encountered a conceptual disconnect when they tried to explain its focus.

"The thing I found most interesting is that because we were doing something on the border, people assumed it had to do with immigration or drugs. You'd explain it several times, and they still didn't get it," said Cooke, 36.

The Saturday night screening here at a theater converted from an old feed store drew more than 100 people, most of whom appeared in complete sympathy with the message.

"I was raised here, and I think it's totally ridiculous for our government to close these crossings," said Boyd Elder, 62, of nearby Valentine.

The film's second showing came Sunday night in Terlingua.

Cooke and Owens say that, with a little luck, viewers and students across the country might someday see it and that with a little more luck, it could be seen in Mexico.

"The next step is to get it into festivals and get it screened. We've always viewed this as a PBS kind of film. We hope it will be shown on television," Cooke said.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/mexico ... ce806.html