Oaxacalifornia: The Return – A Multigenerational Portrait of Contemporary American Identity

Trisha Ziff is back with her fifth feature film, Oaxacalifornia: The Return, which explores the multigenerational immigrant identities of a Mexican-American family in California. The film, which is the follow-up to her 1994 documentary, Oaxacalifornia, will have its U.S. premiere at the New York Latino Film Festival in September 2021.

The Mejía family, who were the subject of the first documentary, are revisited by Ziff 25 years later. The story picks up with the third generation of Mejías, now second-generation American teenagers, as they navigate their bicultural reality and what it means to be both Mexican and American in this country.

Shot on both sides of the border, Oaxacalifornia: The Return offers a compelling illustration of how multigenerational identities shift and take on new meanings within a single family. The documentary challenges older narratives that defined the migrant experience as one stuck between two worlds. Instead, the grandchildren explore and reclaim their identities as being both from here and there.

The film offers a fresh perspective on the complexities of contemporary American identity and the nuances of belonging and otherness. It is a reminder that despite the ongoing debates over immigration and border control, there are families like the Mejías whose stories are a testament to the resilience and adaptability of immigrant communities.

Oaxacalifornia: The Return is a moving epic of everyday life for the modern age. It is a testament to the power of family, culture, and resilience in the face of adversity. The documentary will also be screened at other locations, including the Milwaukee Film “Cinema Without Borders” series, the AFI Latin American Film Festival in Washington D.C., and the Portland Latino Film Festival.

In conclusion, Trisha Ziff’s Oaxacalifornia: The Return is a must-see documentary that offers a nuanced take on the complexities of multigenerational immigrant identities and the nuances of both belonging and otherness. It is a compelling portrait of a Mexican-American family in California that reminds us of the nuances of contemporary American identity. If you get a chance to see it at any of the upcoming screenings, don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience this moving epic of everyday life for the modern age.