This article was authored by a local high school student as part of Lookout’s Journalism Scholarship Challenge and placed in the top 3 winners.
Working from home, she created one of the most critical events in Watsonville 12 years ago. The co-founder of WFF (Watsonville Film Festival), the representation that all immigrants in this country need. This unsung hero is Consuelo Alba.
More than 25 years ago, she migrated to this country with no plans to stay, and without realizing it, she started a family. With her, she brought her roots and her love for the art of telling stories. So, with her activist mind, she quickly realized the lack of Latinx representation in film. “My plan was not to stay,” said Consuelo, and now being a great inspiration for everyone who attended the film festival, she became a hero without a cape.
But her work continues after sharing stories. She goes much further than the ordinary. She has been a collaborator with the HOPE Club for more than two years, where she has shared her story and the importance of representing the country that we had to leave behind. Consuelo works with the HOPE Club to promote culture and any type of art that the members create without forgetting that through the school club, she is the bridge for the opportunities it offers to participate in the WFF or the Day of Hope Festival. Dead. “This collaboration with Consuelo has been one of the best things that has happened to us. Our best season is on the Day of the Dead celebration,” said the president of the HOPE Club at Watsonville High School. “All the visits that Consuelo has made to the HOPE Club have been full of joy.”
“It takes one to see another,” said Consuelo to describe the mutual inspiration between students fighting for their education in this country, which she finds pretty similar to her story of struggle with the HOPE Club students, emphasizing how the club breaks the language barrier, making their meetings entirely in Spanish, something she admires a lot because she remembers the hard work of learning a new language and how this isolates from your roots.
Consuelo Alba is truly a community hero because she and her team managed to create the city’s film festival from her home. All this is different from what people in charge of events like this usually have. Her passion for cinema and culture is evident in her efforts to showcase films produced in Mexico and beyond, breaking language barriers and promoting diversity. In addition, she has directed “El Andalon” (“The Healer”), a film highlighting a humanitarian who supports Indigenous communities. Consuelo provides a platform for young filmmakers to showcase their projects, and as a Latina role model, she nurtures our dreams and aspirations.
This year, the Watsonville Film Festival will take place from March 7th to March 17th, featuring both online and in-person screenings at Cinelux Green Valley Cinema. Thanks to Consuelo’s dedication, cinema and culture continue to thrive in the Watsonville community.