At Ceres, we’re drawn to films that explore the relationships behind our food and the traditions that shape it. Through the Ceres Collection, we celebrate stories that carry cultural knowledge across generations, preserving the connections between food, people, and place. We’re creating a growing home for films that deserve a longer life, stories that can be watched from anywhere, at any time.
Dear Friends,
We’re excited to share the newest film in the Ceres Collection: Mexcalli, directed by Mexican filmmaker Jonathan Yadir Barojas Quezada. (Runtime: 14 mins).
Mexcalli offers a glimpse into the people and practices behind this traditional spirit, highlighting the care, experience, and cultural knowledge that sustain its production.
Want a taste first? Watch the trailer.
Film Synopsis
Across the diverse regions of Michoacán, Mexico, families keep the tradition of mezcal alive, preserving the knowledge and techniques passed down from generation to generation.
Why We Chose This Film
How fascinating. To take such basic farming techniques and combine them into a scientific process using such large but old ‘machines’ and practices. I was curious throughout what the final product would be or how it would be achieved. Educational. Beautiful imagery. I love the multitude of close ups.
- Ceres juror, public speaker and United Nations humanitarian Cara Yar Khan
We were drawn to Mexcalli for the window it offers into a tradition shaped by generations of knowledge, hands-on experience, and a deep connection to the land. The film invites us to look beyond the finished product and consider the people, techniques, and processes that bring it to life.
Mezcal is more than a spirit. Its production carries cultural knowledge from one generation to the next, connecting families to their land and to the traditions of their communities. By documenting these practices across Michoacán, Mexcalli highlights the importance of keeping this knowledge alive.
The Ceres Collection is one of the ways we continue our commitment to filmmakers and audiences beyond the festival itself. By bringing these films to our YouTube channel, we hope to make meaningful storytelling more accessible and create opportunities for ongoing learning, reflection, and dialogue.
Watch Mexcalli, explore the other films in the Ceres Collection, and stay tuned as more films are released throughout the year.
Warmest,
Maayan and the Ceres Team
P.S. Join Us for Orna and Ella: What a Restaurant Leaves With Us 🎬
What remains when a beloved neighborhood restaurant closes its doors? Join The Neighborhood and Ceres Food × Film on Wednesday, November 4, from 6:30 to 9:00 PM, at Brooklyn Art Haus for a special screening of Orna and Ella, directed by Tomer Heymann.
Open on Tel Aviv’s Shenkin Street from 1992 to 2018, Orna and Ella was much more than a restaurant. It was a pioneering, woman-owned neighborhood institution where everything, from bread to pasta to ice cream, was made in-house. For 26 years, chefs and longtime friends Orna Agmon and Ella Shine created a gathering place for artists, families, and generations of loyal guests.
Filmmaker Tomer Heymann, who worked as a server at the restaurant in its early years, documented its final days, capturing an intimate portrait of friendship, creative partnership, and the bittersweet decision to close a place that had been at the center of two lives for so long.
After the screening, stay for a tasting of light bites from the Orna and Ella cookbook, prepared by Naama Tamir of Lighthouse BK.
We hope to see you there!
