International, national and local news have been filled with stories of the escalating Mexican drug war – stories focused on drug cartels and military interventions, unspeakable violence and corruption. Since 2006 when the ‘war’ was first declared, over 13,000 people have been killed; the media reports almost daily on new killings. There is side to this story not being told: the story of people living every day lives in the midst of a war. Some are directly involved in the drug market and some are not. El Sabor del Norte tells their story – the story of ordinary people living in the midst of what one journalist called, ‘ the most terrifying news event no one wants to care about.’
The story focuses on a mountain town in the Sierra Madre, located in some of the most rugged and breathtaking scenery of Northwest Mexico – the last Wild West. We invite you to follow us on our journey as we film the extraordinary story of El Sabor del Norte and the people who live their lives with incredible joy and passion, rising above the brutality of the drug wars and the daily fight to survive.
Due to the extremely dangerous and sensitive circumstances this documentary film highlights, the names of all the people have been changed in order to protect their identities – but their stories are real. Please help us in protecting both our identity and theirs.
How it began…
A young photographer and his dog came to the Sierra Madre 10 years ago, camera in hand, in search of native peoples, dramatic landscapes, horse rides into the wild and exciting tourist times. What he discovered there was wild beyond his imagination. When he finally left, he escaped in the middle of the night in his truck with his dog, his camera, as many belongings as he could pack in 2 hours and thousands of photographs. Now, his photographs serve as inspiration for the film El Sabor del Norte or The Taste of the North: the story of the place, the people and the landscapes he discovered.
The characters…
Ramaruri Indians – One of the remaining 0.001% of the world’s population who still live in their traditional native way, they are known as ‘The Runners” because of their special history and use of running. The Ramaruri fight growing development on their land by tourism and mining industries, while their sons and daughters are recruited to work the narco-trade business.
Don Miguel - a 70-year-old native Mexican farmer. He never uses drugs but like so many other farmers in the area, has turned to growing marijuana in his struggle to support his family.
Juan, Francisco, Armando and Sergio - Don Miguel’s four sons who are also marijuana farmers
El Osso “The Bear”– a worker on Juan’s farm. He was in the Mexican army before he came to work on the plantations
Beto – Another worker on the plantations, he is just released from a harrowing 7-year jail sentence after being caught carrying 350 kilos of marijuana
La Tussa “The Mole” – a Raramuri Indian boy who started working on the plantations at age 12
The neighbor Raramuri family – They live in a 1-room hut making their living from the land, including growing marijuana
Dona Rosalia – a Sierra Madre ‘grande dame’ she has lived her whole life on a ranch in some of the most remote areas of the mountains. Though her life has been filled with tremendous hardship, she exudes love of life and great humor.
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Tim, Struppi and Captain Haddock: About us and why this story…
We are a consortium of people – photographers, writers, accountants, film makers, construction workers, scientists – people from all walks of life who believe that each story has many different perspectives and all stories deserve to be examined through diverse lenses, offering a sometimes astonishing point of view. We hope to give voice to people who have no voice and an opportunity to tell their story when they have been denied that opportunity.
