{"product_id":"south-arts-southern-circuit-tour-of-independent-filmmakers-backside","title":"South Arts: Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers | Backside","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis ticket represents Museum admission \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e(free for Members or included with Museum admission).\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-renderer-start-pos=\"123\"\u003eJoin us for a screening of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBackside\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efollowed by a conversation with the filmmaker, Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-renderer-start-pos=\"603\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBackside\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eoffers an intimate portrait of the migrant workers who endure long hours and often dangerous working conditions year-round to prepare polished horses for “two minutes of glory.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-renderer-start-pos=\"603\"\u003eWith the support of an all Latinx team of talented filmmakers and groom experts, Backside took five years to make. The film peels back the layers of Churchill Downs’ barns in Louisville, Kentucky, known as the “backside,” patiently revealing the symbiotic relationship between human and animal labor.  Across a full racing season, the expertise and grit of the workers are juxtaposed against the wealth and pageantry of the Derby, exposing entrenched disparities of race and class that remain very much a part of the fabric of the United States.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-renderer-start-pos=\"603\"\u003eIn its essence,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBackside\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis an ode—to the working class, and most profoundly, to the immigrant workers who quietly sustain this country. In today’s political climate, immigrants are often dehumanized and blamed for the poverty, violence and declining living conditions in our country, ills we did not create.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBackside\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003einvites viewers to look beyond these incendiary words, to meet the people whose stories are rarely told. It asks audiences to witness their lives, their dignity, their resilience—and, in doing so, to reflect on the vital role immi-grants play in our communities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-renderer-start-pos=\"933\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the filmmaker:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-renderer-start-pos=\"933\"\u003eRaúl is a Mexican immigrant filmmaker, cinematographer and multimedia creator traversing borderlands\u003cbr\u003eand migrant trails. His work intersects narrative fiction, participatory filmmaking, and visual ethnography\u003cbr\u003eto explore themes of belonging, alienation and the concept of “home.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-renderer-start-pos=\"933\"\u003eRaúl’s films include “Backside” (2025 Tribeca \/ FICM, 85min.) a feature film about the migrant workforce behind the Kentucky Derby, exploring the relationship between the thoroughbred horses and those who care for them; “Border South” (2019 Sheffield \/ FICG, 84min.), which follows the clandestine migrant routes from southern Mexico to the U.S.-Mexico border; and “The Stars are the Same” (2025 Aspen ShortFest 12min.), which focuses on the experiences of an Indigenous Mayan elder who fled war-torn\u003cbr\u003eGuatemala for southern Colorado. His films have screened worldwide including at the Tribeca Film Festival, Sheffield Doc\/Fest, the Aspen ShortFest, the Margaret Mead Film Festival, MASS MoCA Museum, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, and the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), among many more. His work has received support from the Princess Grace Foundation, The Ford Foundation, the LEF Foundation, ITVS, Catapult Film Fund, the Jerome Foundation, and the Sundance Institute, among others. Raúl is a Firelight Media Documentary Lab Fellow, a New America National Fellow, a Creative Capital Awards Artist Fellow, and a Guggenheim Fellow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-renderer-start-pos=\"933\"\u003eSouthern Circuit screenings are funded in part by a grant from South Arts, a regional arts organization\u003cstrong\u003e,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003ein partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information about Southern Circuit please visit\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca class=\"_ymio1r31 _ypr0glyw _zcxs1o36 _mizu194a _1ah3dkaa _ra3xnqa1 _128mdkaa _1cvmnqa1 _4davt94y _4bfu1r31 _1hms8stv _ajmmnqa1 _vchhusvi _kqswh2mm _ect4ttxp _syaz13af _1a3b1r31 _4fpr8stv _5goinqa1 _f8pj13af _9oik1r31 _1bnxglyw _jf4cnqa1 _30l313af _1nrm1r31 _c2waglyw _1iohnqa1 _9h8h12zz _10531ra0 _1ien1ra0 _n0fx1ra0 _1vhv17z1\" title=\"https:\/\/www.southarts.org\/southerncircuit\" href=\"https:\/\/www.southarts.org\/southerncircuit\" data-renderer-mark=\"true\" data-is-router-link=\"false\" data-testid=\"link-with-safety\"\u003ewww.southarts.org\/southerncircuit\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Asheville Art Museum Store","offers":[{"title":"Adult","offer_id":41720980897850,"sku":"2839726","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Adult 65+","offer_id":41720980930618,"sku":"2839727","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Student","offer_id":41720980963386,"sku":"2839728","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Adult Buncombe County","offer_id":41720980996154,"sku":"2839729","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Adult 65+ Buncombe County","offer_id":41720981028922,"sku":"2839730","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Student Buncombe County","offer_id":41720981061690,"sku":"2839731","price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Museum Member","offer_id":41720981094458,"sku":"2839732","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1280\/3951\/files\/Backside-Poster.png?v=1791134146","url":"https:\/\/shop.ashevilleart.org\/products\/south-arts-southern-circuit-tour-of-independent-filmmakers-backside","provider":"Asheville Art Museum Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}