Award of Merit – “LUCHA and the EKEKO” (USA)

Title: LUCHA and the EKEKO
Runtime: 8 min
Country: USA
Director: Roger Edwards
Placement: Award of Merit
Competition: June, 2022

Synopsis: MARISOL is a shy, recently orphaned, middle-schooler. Today, with the help of her adoptive mother, ELENA, she rummages for items to sell at her school’s fundraiser.

When Marisol stumbles upon a peculiar doll, Elena recognizes it as an Ekeko – the souvenir/gift from an undocumented migrant girl named LUCHA. This prompts Elena to recount the colorful story of how Lucha (and her Ekeko) opened her heart … to eventually receive Marisol in adoption.