*SOLD OUT, Join the waiting list at the VTIFF Box Office, 1:30pm, one hour before screening.*
Silvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía “Beba” Contreras are both the directors and subjects of the playful documentary Hummingbirds, which chronicles a summer of singalongs, hangouts, activism, bar-hopping and lots of goofing around in the border town of Laredo, Texas. The solidarity between the two friends – who were 18 and 21, respectively, when the film was shot in the summer of 2019 – is palpable and real, and the movie is joyous mostly because it’s just so damn fun to hang out with these two. There’s a melancholy undertow at work here, too, with plenty of introspection to go along with the hijinx, as Silvia deals with the immigration process, and the two of them confront the stresses ahead of future adulthood. Ultimately, the film is a testament to the power of true friendship in facing an uncertain world. ~SM