Ver, Veracruz
A Documentary Short Film by Andres Ramirez
Ver, Veracruz is a documentary told through the eyes of native Veracruz filmmaker Andres Ramirez. The film follows three Jarochos as they reflect on their past, present, and future, and their personal relationships to the city and its ties to one of Mexico’s oldest cities, revealing what defines Veracruz beyond its beaches, food, music, culture, and history. The goal is to answer the central question of the film:
What defines Veracruz as a special place beyond its surface?
What is the Film About?
Outside of Mexico, Veracruz remains relatively unknown, despite being the oldest European-founded city on the North American mainland, established by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés on April 22, 1519. Yet Veracruz’s cultural influence has quietly resonated far beyond its borders—from its folkloric song “La Bamba” to moments of global recognition, such as Pope John Paul II’s 1990 declaration: “sólo Veracruz es bello.”
Ver, Veracruz seeks to uncover what truly defines the city beyond its beaches, food, music, culture, and history, revealing the deeper identity shaped by its people, memory, and lived experience.
Shooting with an iPhone
World premiering at the International Cell Phone Cinema Showcase in Cannes, Ver, Veracruz joins a growing movement of filmmakers redefining cinema through mobile technology, following in the footsteps of films like Tangerine by Academy Award winner Sean Baker.
What began as a challenge, facing the limitations and misconceptions of shooting on an iPhone, became an opportunity. Through rigorous testing and experimentation, Andres Ramirez sought to capture Veracruz with a cinematic sensibility, inviting audiences to experience its beauty as if they were there.
Rather than restricting the process, the iPhone became a liberating tool, allowing for immediacy, intimacy, and a deeper connection to answer the film’s central question: What defines Veracruz as a special place beyond its surface?
The Team
Crew
Director of Photography: Andres Ramirez. Director of Photography Advisor: Ali-Zain Mevawala. Additional Photography: Dafne Ortiz. Production Assistants: Adri Ceballos Vela, Valentina Cevallos Pintos, and Gerardo “Gerry” Somohano. Transportation: Gerardo “Gerry” Somohano and Rogelio Sánchez Valencia.
Post Production
Editing: Andres Ramirez. Color: Andres Ramirez. Color Advisor: Ali-Zain Mevawala. Sound Editing: Andres Ramirez.
Music courtesy of the Maestro Ryszard Siwy
Participants
Rubén Ramírez Rojas
Alfonso Ortiz Díaz
María José Cevallos Pintos
Ricardo Cañas Montalvo
Festival Selections
Ver, Veracruz will make its world premiere at the most prestigious Cellphone Film Festival in the world, the International Cell Phone Cinema Showcase in Cannes.
Contact Us
Follow us, Ver, Veracruz on Instagram: @ ververacruzfilm
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