Yucatan Cinemas to Screen Documentary on Flamingos

Mérida, Yucatán — The documentary “Flamingos: Life After the Meteorite,” directed by Lorenzo Hagerman and narrated by singer Julieta Venegas, will screen in commercial cinemas and community venues across Yucatán this week as part of an effort to promote conservation of the region’s iconic bird.

The Yucatán Secretariat of Culture and the Arts (Sedeculta) announced free screenings on May 7 at the municipal dome in Celestún, on May 8 at the Mayamax Hall of the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya in Mérida with Hagerman in attendance, and on May 9 at the basketball court in Sisal. All screenings begin at 7 p.m.

The film, which took more than 700 days of observation and filming over nine years in the flamingo sanctuaries of Sisal and Celestún, was named Documentary of the Year by the Chinese Academy of Documentary Film.

The title refers to the meteorite impact on the Yucatán Peninsula linked to the extinction of dinosaurs. The documentary portrays flamingos as descendants of birds that survived that catastrophe, embodying resilience and biological continuity.

The screenings follow a collaboration agreement signed at the recent Tianguis Turístico in Acapulco between Skal México Mérida, Isla Mujeres, and Puerto Morelos, and the Pedro y Elena Hernández Foundation. The agreement aims to promote the flamingo conservation program through Skal’s six Mexican associations, which bring together tourism industry companies to raise awareness among members as observers of the species.

The accord also includes implementing regenerative and community tourism principles linked to experiences that foster knowledge and respect for the Caribbean flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) and its habitat in the northern Yucatán Peninsula.

The 81-minute documentary features cinematography by Gerrit Vyn, Eric Liner, Tim Laman, and Hagerman, with original music by Bryce Dessner. It is produced by Cactus Docs and distributed by Pimienta Films.