Tierra Citrus: Independent cinema portraying rural labor and the matriarchy of Northern Argentina

Argentine film director Ayelén Agüero premirtd Tierra Citrus this month, an independent documentary filmed in Tucumán in co-production with the Los Angeles-based organization Make Art Not War. With a solid background in audiovisual directing from the University of San Martín (UNSAM) and an active track record in independent cultural projects—such as the writing project The Club of Living Poets—the filmmaker explores territorial memory, family roots, and the strength of the rural matriarchy in Northern Argentina in this work.

<sup>The beautiful thing about independent cinema is that those images will remain archived forever, and making film, in and of itself, is making history.
- Ayelén Agüero</sup>

How did Tierra Citrus come about?

It came about at a time when I was traveling a lot to visit my mother's family in Alpachiri, Tucumán. I have a rural working-class family that has always worked in the potato and lemon harvests. Later, much of it grew out of a close connection I maintained with my Aunt Kika. She reminded me a lot of my grandmother because of the way she spoke; both held a matriarchal role within the family. Tucumán is a province of matriarchs, and I set out to portray this community. The film started as a photo essay, a visual investigation based on the role of rural bodies and the identity of Northern Argentina.

How was the film's development and assembling the crew?

I made it in parts. I treated it as an exercise in capturing moments, instances with my family, and the colors and details that felt familiar to me: the sants, the altars, the hills, the houses. Then I started a treatment that took some time, and I wrote the script during the pandemic.

I found the crew as the project's development progressed. A lot of people helped me, especially the editors, Julia Straface and Verónica De Cata, who helped me assemble the narrative structure that was floating around in my mind. It’s an independent Argentine film that unfolds as a documentary, but incorporates fiction to tell certain details with a more optimistic lens.

What about the sound design work?

The film's sound design was based on sounds that are familiar to me and could build the universe of Tierra Citrus: from the silence during siesta time to passing motorcycles, the TV on, the radio, and barking dogs. We worked to convey that soundscape alongside Paula Ramirez, the film's sound designer. People have also told me that the movie is very quiet or that there’s little dialogue. The thing is, in Northern Argentina, people speak more deliberately and slowly, and they also speak less. So I wanted to convey that feeling of sitting at any family table in Alpachiri, where people are calmer and outside sounds stand out, acting as a constant soundtrack.

Where can we watch it?

Any message for audiovisual workers and independent creators?

Don't abandon your goals of making movies and telling stories; I feel like the world needs us today. Even though we are in a global crisis and streaming platforms have taken over movie theaters, let's keep trying to find ways to tell our realities in any format. This film was made on a very low budget and in guerilla style. I hope it can serve as a catalyst to inspire audiovisual filmmaking and the independent production of other films. The beautiful thing about independent cinema is that those images will remain archived forever, and making film, in and of itself, is making history.