A film by Anne Lewis and Laura Varela
raúl r salinas and the Poetry of Liberation is trilogy that takes us through the life of Xicanindio poet/activist raúlrsalinas’ told through “medicine stories,” poetry, and the rhythm of jazz. This story examines, the social/political forces that transformed a man from petty criminal to a poet of the people and revolutionary. raúl’s journey includes transformative moments when, he directly engaged the oppressive forces that were attempting to destroy his own life and the people he loved. The first part, “Un Trip,” based on the words of “Un Trip through the Mind Jail” written in Leavenworth State Penitentiary in 1969 is now complete.
A split screen jazz and liberation film based on the words of “Un Trip through the Mind Jail” by raúlrsalinas, written in 1969 in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. The poem expresses lived experience in La Loma (east Austin). The short explores contemporary issues: imprisonment in the jail machine, community destruction and gentrification, the overwhelming force of cultural memory in sanity and salvation, the need for societal transformation.
Winner of the Audience Award at CinelasAmericas for Hecho en Tejas 2023. Winner of Best Documentary at the San Angelo Revolution Film Festival.
