La familia de la Vejiga
"The family illegally preserving its identity"
Familia de la vejiga
Product Type: Short Film
Genre: Documentary
Production year: 2017
Format: HD
Documentary La Familia de la Vejiga
The festivities of Barva in Heredia, are characterized by the traditional Costa Rican masquerade with traditional masquerade figures and brass bands (cimarronas). A celebration that in the eyes of the country and the world might look like an ordinary carnival at first glance, but it holds a deeper meaning, since the pig and beef bladders make their entrance to the party as an important symbol for the identity of the community.
This is a 120 year old tradition that we have here in town and it is really something and it is something very nice.
The Costa Rican government restrictions makes it difficult to access the bladders, which has consolidated a hidden market where the illegal trade of bladders in the surrounding towns is part of its natural dynamics. Bombi, the most famous mascarero (traditional mask maker) of the town contributes to the cultural tradition as an artist, but his real contribution to the festivities is to be, along with his family, the trafficker of the bladders.
The documentary project La Familia de la Vejiga, arises after several productions for organizations and public institutions in the canton of Barva with the participation of Cucumelo Films. After several conversations with community leaders, we saw the possibility of supporting the efforts of these people to legalize their tradition by telling a story that surpasses fiction in many ways.
Start to see where we can get bladders where we are going to take out, clandestinely because they no longer help us.
In Barva they dance clowns with bladder, nowhere else in the country only in Barva.
You come to Barva, get hit with a bladder, leave stinking, and no one has ever died from a bladder.
