Every day dozens of decommissioned school buses leave the United States on a southward migration that carries them to Guatemala, where they are repaired, repainted, and resurrected as the brightly-colored camionetas that bring the vast majority of Guatemalans to work each day. Since 2006, nearly 1,000 camioneta drivers and fare-collectors have been murdered for either refusing or being unable to pay the extortion money demanded by local Guatemalan gangs. LA CAMIONETA follows one such bus on its transformative journey: a journey between North and South, between life and death, and through an unfolding collection of moments, people, and places that serve to quietly remind us of the interconnected worlds in which we live.
Cinematography
Every frame looks like a painting you want to hang.
Direction
Kendall finds epic scope in rust and road paint.
Editing
72 minutes that feel both suspended and urgent.
Director
Mark Kendall
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Each camioneta's elaborate paint job signals gang affiliation, religious devotion, and driver personality—making the bus a moving autobiography that also marks you for death.
The extortion system mirrors global supply chains: American discard becomes Guatemalan necessity becomes cartel revenue stream. Your yellow bus helped fund violence you'll never see.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
US
