'del muntú' is portrait of a woman of black and indigenous ancestry, a dignifying memory of her search for freedom. The film is part of a body of work that explores the African philosophy of the Bantú/Muntú that inspired the literary work of Colombian writer, Manuel Zapata Olivella. This first film of the series was shot at the White Sands National Monument during my time at the Santa Fe Art Institute's Truth and Reconciliation Residency in New Mexico. The films narrates historical episodes of the African diaspora, revealing the arrival of enslaved Africans to the Americas as a tragic historical moment that marked the creation of a new American identity.

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Poems written by Natalie Romero Marx

Directed & Produced by Natalie Romero-Marx

Performances by Natalie Romero-Marx

Direction of Photography: Leonardo Rúa

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Produced during the Truth and Reconciliation Artistic Residency at The Santa Fe Art Institute 2019-2020

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Read my sfai blog entry about this work here:  https://sfai.org/blog-imagining-an-ancient-western/ 

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