—Plunge into the fire of Tultepec, Mexico, the site of the National Pyrotechnic Festival—
The National Pyrotechnic Festival in the small Mexican town of Tultepec is a remarkable celebration of celebration itself. Viktor Jakovleski expertly captures the impressive scale of the festivities through his masterful documentary.
Utilizing a range of cinematic techniques, Jakovleski guides viewers on an experiential journey into Tultepec, culminating in an explosive, frenzied and caution-free ten-day event unlike any other in the world.
“Brimstone & Glory” has its national broadcast and streaming debut on POV, just in time for the week’s Independence Day celebrations.
The festival is more than just revelry for revelry’s sake.
In a world increasingly characterized by globalization and efficiency, Tultepec’s cottage-industry of pyrotechnics stands out.
The festival in celebration of San Juan de Dios, the patron saint of fireworks makers, offers an opportunity for artisans and craftsmen alike to show off their skills in ebullient fashion.
Their technical virtuosity is apparent in the towering, whistling, multicolored explosions. Up-and-comers, too, create their own rowdy, lo-fi combustibles, including devices that shower crowds in frenetic sparks.
Dozens of teams build larger-than-life papier-mâché bulls to parade around the town square. The bulls are adorned with fireworks, set to blow up in all directions.
With three quarters of Tultepec’s residents working in pyrotechnics, the town is inseparable from the festival. The celebration anchors the population in a generations-old tradition of artisanal firework making.
That business, though it allows them to make a solid living, is often characterized by danger. The festival, then, also offers an outlet for the inevitable tension that arises when working in such a dangerous field.
The event transcends mere celebration and becomes a spiritual experience for many; residents feel that exposing themselves to danger during the celebrations will protect them throughout the rest of the year.
Tultepec and its National Pyrotechnic Festival, as depicted in this film, are emblematic of the wider phenomenon of the Mexican fiesta and the lengths people will go to reach the zenith of joyful expression.
As Mexican Nobel Prize winner Octavio Paz writes about the Day of the Dead celebrations, “All are possessed by violence and frenzy. Their souls explode like the colors and voices and emotions... The fiesta is a cosmic experiment, an experiment in disorder, reuniting contradictory elements and principles in order to bring about a renascence of life.”
Through this unique display of joy and peril, of “violence and frenzy,” the residents of Tultepec seek to transcend themselves and their day-to-day lives.
“Brimstone & Glory” allows for a similar transcendental experience. By using a combination of shooting styles—from crafting in-the-fray handheld photography, to filming 1,500 frames per second using high speed cameras, to slapping down GoPros to capture dynamic, previously unseen vantage points — Jakovleski offers viewers an immersive dive into a wholly unique community and its remarkable, spirited act of celebration.
“Brimstone & Glory is a transporting film,” said POV Executive Producer Justine Nagan. “Through dreamlike scenes and a heart-pounding musical score, we’re immersed in the pageantry and personal stories of those who quite literally give their lives to their craft and profession. We invite audiences to start their Fourth of July celebrations with us and this beautiful revelatory film.”
WATCH ON YOUR SCHEDULE:
This film will stream online on POV.org in concurrence with its broadcast. Full episodes of POV are available to view on demand for a limited time after broadcast.
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CREDITS:
The film was funded by Cinereach and is a Court 13 and Department of Motion Pictures production. Director/Producer is Viktor Jakovleski. Producers: Dan Janvey, Elizabeth Lodge Stepp, Kellen Quinn, Affonso Gonçalves, Benh Zeitlin, Casey Coleman, Antonio “Tonitzin” Gómez and Erdem Karahan. Executive Producers for POV: Justine Nagan and Chris White. Executive Producers for Cinereach: Philipp Engelhorn, Caroline Kaplan and Michael Raisler. Produced by American Documentary, Inc., POV is public television’s premier showcase for nonfiction films.
