This film showcases Oaxaca via an all-women wind ensemble

“There’s a lot of prejudices about Mexico and, now that there are more hard times, it’s wonderful to show this other part of Mexico that is music, that is traditions – that is unity.” This is how Mexican filmmaker Lila Avilés prefaced the conversation around her latest piece, MÚSICAS, on February 23 at the Roxy Cinema in New York. The film, made in partnership with RIMOWA, follows the women and girls of Mujeres del Viento Florido, an Indigenous all-female wind instrument ensemble in Oaxaca. The regional Oaxacan band brings together 40 musicians from the Sierra Norte and Valles Centrales region, led by their director, Leticia Gallardo, who joined Avilés in New York. It was the first time the conductor had heard the hopes and dreams of the girls she leads. “But I don’t want this to be only a dream, but a reality that transcends,” Gallardo said at the screening. 

At the heart of MÚSICAS is, of course, the music: there are plenty of shots of trumpeting against breathtaking backdrops and moments that make way for the sounds alone. There’s also the fact that the film itself was reated in the spirit of RIMOWA’s latest collaboration with the German music instrument manufacturer, GEWA, on a new aluminum Trumpet Case. But it’s also a story of one of the few all-female bands in Mexico navigating a genre traditionally dominated by men. You get to view the mountainous region of Tlahuitoltepec from the eyes of the women who enthusiastically love to live there – one of whom was excited to get online at an internet café until she realised that being outside with her friends is much better (there’s a lesson in there for many of us).

When I caught up with Avilés the day after the New York screening, she was having lunch with Gallardo, making plans to show MÚSICAS to the people in Oaxaca who star in it. It will also be showing in a few more upcoming film festivals (soon to be announced) before RIMOWA release it online. 

Ahead, Avilés speaks about treating directing like playing an instrument and the power of people-driven storytelling.

Firstly, the film is beautiful; it made me want to play an instrument again. How did you and Leticia meet, and how did it all come together?

Lila Avilés: Thank you. As a filmmaker, when you receive an invitation to do something with open creativity, it’s the best of the best. I know about Leticia and Mujeres del Viento Florido, and that she was going a lot of stuff with music and girls, and so I went, ‘Hey, I want to follow these girls.’

What was it that drew you to the girls at Mujeres del Viento Florido? Why did you want to tell their story?

Avilés: There are sometimes prejudices about Mexico and stories about violence, but for me, Mexico has a lot of culture and a profound and sacred union with the land and compassion. Music doesn’t have a gender, but if you look for women trumpetists, it’s almost zero. It’s really difficult to find. For me, it’s not only the bands but also the communal structure that empowers these girls – their dreams and struggles. They are a force.

How long were you there? What was the filming schedule like?

Avilés: We were there one week, but it was a crazy ride. It looks like we were there for longer because these women move so strongly and fast.

What about your own relationship with music? Did you play any instruments growing up?

Avilés: I’m from the south of Mexico, Campeche, but I’m a Mexico City citizen. I’ve worked a lot in opera, so music has always been super nearby, but I’m not a musician. I dance a lot and can feel it. How I direct is almost, for me, music. They are such an energy that you need to be on that level.

I liked how the film emphasised how much the girls love where they live, especially in contrast to the narratives in the US right now about Mexican immigrants. Were you intentionally trying to subvert those?

Avilés: I’m like a jazz director, so I improvise a lot. You’re following a human, and you need to feel their essence and be open. I, obviously, have a lot of notes, but it’s beautiful when you just let people be free and express themselves.

How did you feel being at the screening with Leticia?

Avilés: It was the first time that Leticia was watching, and I normally only watch my films one time. I could feel that the audience was catching the essence, and Leticia was crying. It’s the thing that makes you keep working: I like people in all parts of the world. I like to hear, observe and catch something. To discover, be curious and have a point of view. That’s the beauty of cinema. If you see a film from Congo, you may not have been there, but you realise we’re super similar. We eat, we laugh, we cry and we have our struggles. That’s the essence of community.

When do you know when you want to make a film about a group of people? How do you know what you want to capture?

Avilés: I always say this: when you’re creative and something comes to your mind that you’re so passionate about and won’t let it go, there’s a fire in the heart. You have this intuitive intuition. I love the journey of Agnès Varda and how she made films about Black Panthers and also graffiti. She’d do a huge film and then a small firm but was always encouraging her passion. Nowadays, we’re surrounded by so much visual language that it’s nice to have a profound intuition that asks: OK, it’s beautiful, but what else?