{"id":70263,"date":"2026-01-22T09:44:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/?p=70263"},"modified":"2026-01-22T16:21:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T00:21:26","slug":"keeper-of-the-fire-documentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/en\/keeper-of-the-fire-documentary\/","title":{"rendered":"Film shows enduring legacy of art and resistance among Latinos in the Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Wearing a black beret, Alejandro Murgu\u00eda, 76, sat inside filmmaker and photographer Louis Dematteis\u2019s Potrero Hill studio, reflecting on his decades-long career as a writer, artist and activist. From the studio\u2019s large bay windows three stories up, he gazed out at the industrial landscape as the San Francisco Bay sparkled in the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe role of a poet is to prophesize a better society,\u201d Murgu\u00eda said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/es\/documental-alejandro-murguia-resistencia-migrante\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/es\/documental-alejandro-murguia-resistencia-migrante\/\">Lee esta historia en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Born in North Hollywood, Murgu\u00eda moved to Mexico City at age 6 and returned to the United States as a young adult. He settled in San Francisco, where he joined the Chicano movement and later became the city\u2019s first Latino poet laureate. Through activism and literature, Murgu\u00eda has borne witness to the Sandinista Revolution, solidarity movements in the Mission District and across Latin America.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"598\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AM-Roberto-FSLN_FIX_.jpg?resize=598%2C480&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70264\" style=\"width:810px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AM-Roberto-FSLN_FIX_.jpg?resize=598%2C480&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 598w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AM-Roberto-FSLN_FIX_.jpg?resize=311%2C250&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 311w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AM-Roberto-FSLN_FIX_.jpg?resize=768%2C617&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AM-Roberto-FSLN_FIX_.jpg?resize=400%2C321&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AM-Roberto-FSLN_FIX_.jpg?w=900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 598px) 100vw, 598px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Archival photo of a solidarity march in San Francisco supporting Nicaragua\u2019s Sandinista movement during the 1970s, featured in the documentary Keeper of the Fire. Photo courtesy: Keeper of the Fire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Murgu\u00eda\u2019s life and work are the focus of <a href=\"https:\/\/keeperofthefire.info\/\"><em>Keeper of the Fire, a<\/em><\/a> 33-minute documentary that will officially<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brava.org\/all-events\/keeperofthefire-n4ykm\"> premiere<\/a> Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Brava Theater in the Mission District, following more than a decade of crowdfunding and research. The film arrives during a renewed period of immigration enforcement and political repression across the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using archival footage and photographs, the film transports viewers to the Mission District between the 1970s and 1990s and to the front lines of the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua. Murgu\u00eda joined international solidarity volunteers supporting efforts to overthrow the Somoza dictatorship, inspiring his collection of short stories, <a href=\"https:\/\/alejandromurguia.org\/southern-front\/\"><em>Southern Front<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSimilar to now, Somoza during that time was bombing its own cities,\u201d Murgu\u00eda said. \u201cKind of what is going on now [with Donald Trump] attacking our own cities. And the wholesale slaughter of the Nicaraguan people. The United States set up that dictatorship in 1933.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-05.jpg?resize=600%2C399&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70211\" style=\"width:810px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-05.jpg?resize=600%2C399&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-05.jpg?resize=360%2C240&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 360w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-05.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-05.jpg?resize=1200%2C798&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-05.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-05.jpg?resize=400%2C266&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-05.jpg?w=1500&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alejandro Murgu\u00eda, 76, San Francisco\u2019s first Latino poet laureate, sits inside a studio in San Francisco on Jan. 9, 2026. Murgu\u00eda is featured in the documentary Keeper of the Fire, which explores his life and work as a poet and activist, tracing his journeys from Central America to San Francisco\u2019s Mission District. Photo: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>For Murgu\u00eda, solidarity with the Sandinistas was rooted in the growing Nicaraguan community that had blossomed in the Mission. The film features footage of anti-imperialist demonstrations in the neighborhood, drawing a direct connection between local struggles and movements across Central America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a Chicano, but I\u2019m also an internationalist,\u201d Murgu\u00eda said. \u201cLike Che [Guevara], the struggles in other parts of the world also impact me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout much of the film, Murgu\u00eda narrates using excerpts from his poetry and short stories. Archival visual materials create a cinematic bridge between his literary work and political history, highlighting parallels between past Latino and Chicano struggles during that time. <em>Keeper of the Fire<\/em> also evokes today\u2019s political climate, as immigration crackdowns continue across major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf this film would\u2019ve come out 10 years ago, it wouldn\u2019t have the same relevance,\u201d said Raymond Telles, a writer and producer of the film. \u201cRight now, people are taking action, whether it&#8217;s protesting or being involved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-11.jpg?resize=600%2C399&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70217\" style=\"width:810px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-11.jpg?resize=600%2C399&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-11.jpg?resize=360%2C240&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 360w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-11.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-11.jpg?resize=1200%2C798&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-11.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-11.jpg?resize=400%2C266&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-11.jpg?w=1500&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Louis Dematteis, 78, the director of the film, Keeper of the Fire, sits inside his studio in San Francisco, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2026. Dematteis, and two other co-producers, made a film about Alejandro Murgu\u00eda, prominent poet and activist based in the Mission District. Dematteis is also a legendary photographer. His work is featured in the film, alongside archival footage. Photo: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Telles describes the film as \u201cvisually lyrical,\u201d with music and imagery that transform Murgu\u00eda\u2019s writing into cinema.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The documentary also features Dematteis\u2019s black-and-white photographs, from the Mission before gentrification took hold, as well as documentation of the U.S.-backed Contra War in Nicaragua. His archival images reinforce the notion of preserving historical moments for collective memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCultural preservation is important. Anti-gentrification is important,\u201d Dematteis said. \u201cPeople\u2019s right to live in the neighborhood where they might\u2019ve been born and grew up in. This takes a certain amount of struggle but it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As ICE crackdowns continue to spark<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/14\/us\/ice-protests-activism.html\"> resistance<\/a> across the country and in the Bay Area, Murgu\u00eda\u2019s lifelong work as a poet and activist meets a moment of political reckoning. Still, for Murgu\u00eda, poetry has always remained essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t silence poetry. Poetry is the voice of the people. It\u2019s the voice of the community.\u201d<em>Keeper of the Fire, from film producers Raymond Telles, Louis F. Dematteis and David L. Brown, will premiere at the Brava Theater Center on Saturday, Jan. 24. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the screening scheduled for 7 p.m. <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/brava.my.salesforce-sites.com\/ticket\/#\/events\/a0SPa00000VY3UfMAL\"><em>Tickets are still available.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The documentary Keeper of the Fire traces the life of poet Alejandro Murgu\u00eda and decades of Latino resistance rooted in San Francisco\u2019s Mission District.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88938,"featured_media":70224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"large","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25374,3535,7],"tags":[],"coauthors":[24151],"class_list":["post-70263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-culture","category-film","category-news","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Film shows legacy of art and resistance among SF Latinos<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The documentary Keeper of the Fire traces the life of poet Alejandro Murgu\u00eda and decades of Latino resistance rooted in San Francisco\u2019s Mission District.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/en\/keeper-of-the-fire-documentary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Film shows legacy of art and resistance among SF Latinos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The documentary Keeper of the Fire traces the life of poet Alejandro Murgu\u00eda and decades of Latino resistance rooted in San Francisco\u2019s Mission District.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/en\/keeper-of-the-fire-documentary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"El Tecolote\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ElTecoloteSF\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-22T17:44:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-23T00:21:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-18.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"998\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Pablo Unzueta\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@eltecolotesf\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@eltecolotesf\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Pablo Unzueta\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/eltecolote.org\\\/content\\\/en\\\/keeper-of-the-fire-documentary\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/eltecolote.org\\\/content\\\/en\\\/keeper-of-the-fire-documentary\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Pablo Unzueta\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/eltecolote.org\\\/content\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/07b94c31fc1cbf5de1f2cbfe00194806\"},\"headline\":\"Film shows enduring legacy of art and resistance among Latinos in the Mission\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-22T17:44:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-23T00:21:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/eltecolote.org\\\/content\\\/en\\\/keeper-of-the-fire-documentary\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":838,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/eltecolote.org\\\/content\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/eltecolote.org\\\/content\\\/en\\\/keeper-of-the-fire-documentary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/eltecolote.org\\\/content\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/01092026-KEEPEROFTHEFIRE-ET-PU-18.jpg?fit=1500%2C998&quality=89&ssl=1\",\"articleSection\":[\"Arts &amp; 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