Five years ago, 31-year-old Aleida Gallangos discovered her true identity. Brought up by her adoptive family, at the age of 26, she found out they were not her real parents and that her grandmother was looking for her and her brother Toni. Through her grandmother, Aleida also discovers that her parents were among those who disappeared during the dirty war waged by Mexico’s authoritarian regime in the 1970s against left-wing dissidents.

The film forms an intimate recording of the search effort to trace the family members, as it unfolds, eventually leading to brother and sister being reunited. The director accompanies Aleida as she researches the whereabouts of his brother. Documents about the dirty wars made public by the Mexican government since 2000 make it easier to trace the stories of those who went missing. Finally, they track Toni down in Washington, D.C. and Burkhard captures the siblings’ reunion after 25 years of separation on camera. The film-maker and her protagonist also follow the trail of her parents in the Mexican state of Guerrero, where they were involved in guerrilla activity until their arrest in the 70s. In witnessing the reuniting of the Gallangos family, Tracing Aleida looks back at what is still a largely ignored chapter in Mexican history, when an authoritarian state apparatus simply made members of the population disappear. The film celebrated its world premiere at the 2008 Guadalajara International Film Festival.

Awards for ›Trazando Aleida‹
Best Feature-length Mexican Documentary – Morelia International Film Festival 2008 | Best Mexican Documentary – Guadalajara International Film Festival 2008 | José Rovirosa Award / Best Mexican Documentary – International Documentary Film Festival of Mexico City 2008 | Honorary Mention – Encuentro Hispanoamericano Independent Documentary Film and Video Festival 2008 | SIGNIS Award und Julio Pliego Award – Festival de la Memoria Tepoztlán 2008