The American Tapestry

Running time: N/A

Director Gregory Nava is one of the most prolific and fascinating Latino artists working in film today. His films, El Norte, Mi Familia, Selena, and Why Do Fools Fall In Love, have received critical acclaim from around the world and have entranced audiences with stories of warmth and spirit. Gregory Nava's The American Tapestry is an uplifting and challenging journey through the memoirs of five immigrant families, each one culturally diverse and on a quest for its own American Dream. Beautifully interweaving accounts from several generations, Nava composes an astonishing tapestry of personal triumphs and tragedies, as each story of courage unfolds. "The American Dream" is an elusive thing. It has laid the path for people to rise in power, mostly due to an increase in riches, yet too many personal sacrifices have been made to acquire material gain. The lives of the people in Nava's films are both triumphant and tragic, teeming with optimism and sometimes despair. They expose the finest and worst in America as well as what we feel most magnificent and dreadful. They are part of the many contrasting threads that make up the American tapestry--a complex portrait of a nation at the turn of the millennium. Awards: Winner, FIPRESCI Award - Cottbus Film Festival of Young East European Cinema. --Mike Rabehl