MENDINI

    

Project Description

Mendini is a story currently in development to be co-produced in Guatemala.  We are now raising funds to further develop the capacity of the co-producers, Vinya Studios  (www.vinyastudios.org).  This will enable them to film, using the digital cinema RED camera, producing a superb quality film, shot completely on digital media, and to edit in Final Cut high definition.  The film will be distributed globally, and it brings opportunities for community and local business development in Guatemala, plus a profit sharing business model which will help create revenue streams for the studio.  For more information on charitable donations and / or film investment, contact Ken Fast, northernrain@gmail.com

Synopsis

When war in Central America explodes, a woman disappears and her children flee to America. Her husband, Antonio Mendini remains behind and the accusations and rumours about her disappearance spread. Mendini is a talented artist, but twenty years later, in his old age, he can no longer paint and faces a premature death. His final work, done with shaky hand, is canvas mural, a timeline of his life which unfolds some of that hidden past, but more importantly, points to an inner faith that sustains him. Fatally ill, he desperately seeks reconciliation with his estranged children, Luis and Carmela. He appoints Joseph Chuq, a Mayan, to be his executor and pleads with Joseph to try to bring his children back to the country to be reconciled with their father. Joseph agrees to be the executor, but soon finds himself in a web of intrigue.

Joseph Chuq is more than Mendini's executor. As a young man, he worked for Mendini, and was there when Mendini's hacienda was attacked during the war. He was falsely implicated in Mendini's wife's disappearance; he was imprisoned, and his own life sunk into confusion and despair. Through the help of a judge whose life he had once saved, he was released, and is now ready to attend law school. Then he receives the call from Mendini, like a hand from the grave reaching out and clutching his ankle, asking for help. Mendini pleads with him to convince his two grown children living in America to return to Central America to meet with their father. Joseph's wife, Maria believes in him, and encourages him to do the right thing. So Joseph chooses to help Mendini.

Luis Mendini and his sister Carmela were raised in America by their maternal grandparents, the Carreras. The Carreras were honourable people, but had limited information about what had happened to their daughter who had disappeared. Like many, they believed Mendini was to blame, and that bitterness was passed down to the two children who grew to hate their estranged father. But when Joseph phones them, Luis Mendini finds himself wanting to discover what really happened to his mother; his sister Carmela is only interested in the sale of the land. Later when they interact with Joseph, they discover that Joseph had also been a suspect in their mother's disappearance. Can he be trusted?

As the three explore the hacienda and retrace their steps, the pieces of the puzzle come together. They discover that they share much in common. Although they live in completely different worlds -- rural Guatemala and suburban America -- they discover their common humanity, which transcends race and culture and binds them together.