Weaving a collective memory of the war
"Guerrilleras" is a documentary film and photography project about the Salvadoran Civil War capturing the female perspective within the anti-government Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) guerrilla forces.
Through intimate testimonies collected twenty years after the war's end, this visual essay aims to preserve the memory of fourteen former guerrilla women, weaving personal experiences into a collective narrative of courage and resilience.
Collaborators
CO-DIRECTOR: REBECKA BÍRÓ & Victoria Montero
La Caixa Foundation
Awarded by the 19º edition of FotoPres, organized by La Caixa Foundation in Spain.
Olof Palme Foundation
Awarded by the Fund for International Understanding and Security in Sweden.
BAVC Media
Selected for a year-long BAVC Mediamaker Fellowship in San Francisco, US.
The Book
Published in 2015, “Guerrilleras: Tradition and Rebellion in the Salvadoran Civil War” brings together original photography with the testimonies of former guerrilla women from the rural regions of Chalatenango, Morazán, and Guazapa.
The prologue is authored by Morena Herrera, a former guerrilla fighter turned prominent feminist activist known for her tireless advocacy around reproductive rights.
The Film
Former guerrilla fighters recount their memories of the war, offering an intimate perspective on how the revolution irreparably altered their lives and mobilized them toward resistance. They share how the strength, wisdom, and support of their communities have helped them cope with the long-lasting effects of military conflict.
The film reflects on a pivotal moment of struggle within the revolutionary movement, examining the war's profound impact on women in a deeply patriarchal social structure.
This video was done as part of the pre-production research. Guerrilleras is currently on the post-production stage.
The Exhibition
This project has been featured at various showcases worldwide, including Madrid, Barcelona, and Zaragoza, Spain. As a solo exhibition, it appeared at the Community Media Center of Marin in San Rafael and the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco. In 2016, Guerrilleras arrived at "Faces, Spaces, and Genres" at the Acción Latina Gallery in San Francisco, California.
"In one way or another, traumas may still be hurting us. I’m here at home, an A-37 flies by and it’s like going back to that time: I expect bombs to fall down. I still have nightmares, it’s exactly the same picture as if I were back in 1985 in the middle of the war."
Altagracia
Former combatant and political leader
