NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ANNOUNCES BLOOD ON THE WALL FROM ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE SEBASTIAN JUNGER AND EMMY WINNER NICK QUESTED TO PREMIERE SEPTEMBER 30 AT 9/8c
Feature Documentary Explores How Mexico and Surrounding Region Reached Current State, Influenced by Plight of Human Caravans, Resilient Drug Trafficking and Political Corruption at All Levels
With the trademark inside access unique to National Geographic and the filmmakers, BLOOD ON THE WALL explores the internal and external influences on Mexico as it deals with the key issues of migrant caravans from Central America heading to the U.S., the dangerous but resilient traffickers fueling the cross-border drug trade and how corruption has impacted politics at every level.
Featuring unprecedented first-person accounts from migrants on the road, farmers, narcos, security enforcers, journalists, presidents and diplomats, BLOOD ON THE WALL tells the story of how traffickers, corrupt politicians and well-positioned business interests have seized wealth and power, leaving everyday citizens desperately fighting for survival or needing to flee elsewhere for a better life.
Exploring Mexico’s tension with its northern neighbor and the way regional U.S. policies over the past few decades have helped fragment Mexico’s political order, the film looks at the ways in which the country has been weighed down by disorder and crime throughout the 21st century.
“The issues Mexico faces right now are layered and complex and ultimately intertwined with how the U.S. has approached foreign policy and immigration since the Reagan era. The history and the future of the country and its inhabitants is so bound up in the larger forces at work in the region, it’s vital to look at them holistically. We’re reaching a juncture in this election year when understanding the socio-political landscape of our neighbors is incredibly important for people before going into a voting booth,” said director Sebastian Junger.
“Systemic change is top of mind for a lot of people right now and that conversation needs to include U.S. foreign policies that only enhance the inequities across our southern border, allowing ruthless leaders and cartels to take advantage of people for their personal gain. Humans are remarkably resilient, but when you disenfranchise them, taking away their peace and stability, it can leave them in a very desperate situation. The urgency of tackling these nuanced, extremely complex issues — caravans, cartels and corruption — has never been greater,” added director Nick Quested.
SOURCE: ThinkLatino