EVENT DETAILS

UG Film Night: Southwest of Salem

Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four
(2016) excavates the nightmarish persecution of Elizabeth
Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna
Vasquez — four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of
gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. The film
begins its journey inside a Texas prison, after these women
have spent nearly a decade behind bars. They were 19 and
20 years at the time that allegations surfaced. Using the
women’s home video footage from 21 years ago combined
with recent verité footage and interviews, the film explores
their personal narratives and their search for exculpatory
evidence to help their losing criminal trials. 15 years into
their journey, director Deborah S. Esquenazi captures an
on-camera recantation by one of the initial outcry victims,
now 25 years old although 7 at the time of the investigation.
This brings the filmmaker into the role of investigator along
with attorneys at the Innocence Project, who are just
beginning their quest for truth in this case.