Instagram | @doranvisual
A few years back, Stephan and I were sitting at my table in Brooklyn. We were sharing some mezcal and talking about an idea to go to Oaxaca to document the process and meet the people that make this agave spirit. We booked tickets that evening to fly down a few weeks later.
The colors, the community and the deep history of Oaxaca and México are told through mezcal. The tradition and stories are what drew me to the place and to the people of the region. While editing this film I found myself reliving the times I have spent there and was mindful of presenting the history and process in the most authentic and truthful light. We wanted to capture the feeling of taking a sip of mezcal, remembering the generations of people that came before and passed along this craft.
Editorially, the biggest challenge was without a doubt the language barrier. My Spanish is limited, and the film is in Spanish and Zapotec, the ancient language of the native culture in Oaxaca. This forced me to work on telling a story through body language and visual cues until the footage was translated, which in and of itself was a time-consuming process. I looked mostly for interactions between characters along with non-verbal indicators that helped me make decisions. Once the language was properly translated, I was able to go back and refine the scenes to be more concise.
Editing Sons of Mezcal allowed me to reflect upon history, tradition, and what it means to be a part of something that is much larger than one individual. It was a true community effort to complete and a beautiful film to be a part of.
