The náhuatl phrase for red and black ink signifies the power and permanence of the written word, of poetry.

In this short film directed by Cannonball Statman, four poets from the state of Oaxaca read their poems written in Spanish, Zapotec, and English. The work reflects on transcendence and language, the influence of landscape, and of immanence and cultural border crossing.

This is the director’s cut of the film. The original cut was first screened at the 2026 New Orleans Poetry Festival in April. In this piece from A Poet in México, you can learn more about the story behind this film and watch the original cut.

Poetry written and read by Pergentino José Ruiz, Araceli Mancilla Zayas, Mark Statman, and Efraín Velasco.

Audio Engineer: Mark Statman.
Editor and Camera Operator: Cannonball Statman.

Music written and performed by Cannonball Statman (“Ya mudamos a zonas diferentes”) and Corporate Lullaby (“Dream No.2”).

Special thanks to: Instituto Nacional de Antopología e Historia
Conaculta, New Orleans Poetry Festival, Lavender Ink / Diálogos, and Aliform Publishing.