The Short Life Of JosÃ© Antonio Gutierrez

About Me

JosÃ© Antonio Gutierrez was one of the 300'000 soldiers sent by US Armed Forces to war in Iraq. A few hours after the war began, his picture was broadcast all over the world: he was the first American soldier to be killed in the war. He was there as a so-called 'green-card soldier' .. one of approximately 32 000, fighting in the ranks of the US Armed Forces for a foreign country.
The film tells the moving and nearly unbelievable story of a one-time street kid from Guatemala, who headed north along the Pan-American Highway .. full of hopes and desires for a better future .. ultimately to die an American hero far from home. Searching for the images and stories that made up this life, we set out to retrace JosÃ© Antonio..s path .. from Guatemala through Mexico and into the USA. This story is told by the people who knew JosÃ© Antonio: his friends from the street, the social workers at the orphanage, his sister, his foster family, his comrades at Camp Pendleton in the United States Marines.
But the narrators of the film are also the people we encountered as we were repeating JosÃ© Antonio..s odyssey from the world of the poor to the world of the rich. People who day after day join the endless stream of emigrants .. with no identity, no papers .. equipped with nothing but their ability to work and their willingness to turn their backs on home and family forever. JosÃ© Antonio..s story is no adventurer's tale. It is the story of an attempt to survive .. on both sides of the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycZOgio48h4

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"A well-researched, graceful film."- Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

"Sensitively and methodically tells the story of the first U.S. soldier killed in the 2003 Iraq invasion... distinguished by Specogna's intelligent and politically aware narration." - Robert Koehler, VARIETY

"An artful film.. a sad, illuminating story." - David Ansen, NEWSWEEK

"Profound... one of those docs that takes the life of an individual and surrounds it with other people's stories that are just as absorbing." - Michael Ferraro, FILM THREAT

"One of my favorite documentaries of the year is so timely that I'm saddened to learn that it still hasn't been widely distributed in the States since I saw it in January, even though it seems to fill a void in the public debate." - Rob Davis, ERRATA

"A superb miniature of globalization." - Patricia Aufderheide, IN THESE TIMES

"Several people have told me that they think The Short Life of Jos.. Antonio Gutierrez is the best film of the festival. It's surely one of the best." - GREEN CINE PARK CITY DISPATCH (Sundance report)

My Blog

The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez at The 15th Providence Latin American Film Festival!

Montreal Monday September 24, 2007 - Heidi Specogna's award winning documentary The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez, is still on its festival tour. This unsettling and timely documentary about...
Posted by The Short Life Of José Antonio Gutierrez on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:13:00 PST

Buy The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez on DVD !

- To Order from Canada- To Order from the USA- To Order from the USA (Spanish packaging) The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez DVD will be available in the US on September 25th 2007, with dual Span...
Posted by The Short Life Of José Antonio Gutierrez on Tue, 11 Sep 2007 03:32:00 PST

THE SHORT LIFE OF JOSÉ ANTONIO GUTIÉRREZ IN US STORES SEPTEMBER 25TH!

"Critics' Pick" - The New York Times"An artful film& a sad, illuminating story." - Newsweek "A well-researched, graceful film." - Entertainment Weekly"Intelligent and politically aware narration." - ...
Posted by The Short Life Of José Antonio Gutierrez on Tue, 04 Sep 2007 07:13:00 PST

THE SHORT LIFE OF JOSÉ ANTONIO GUTIERREZ Opens in Montreal September 5th!

After its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006, Heidi Specogna's The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez has gone on to win the Best Documentary Prize at the Swiss Film Awards, the Fo...
Posted by The Short Life Of José Antonio Gutierrez on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 06:25:00 PST

The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez, honoured once more!

The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez has just won the Best Documentary Award at the XicanIndie Film Festival in Denver ,CO, in the category of Latin World Cinema.This award is the third one for He...
Posted by The Short Life Of José Antonio Gutierrez on Thu, 28 Jun 2007 10:51:00 PST

The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez opens in Chicago June 16th !

Continuing its' US tour, The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez moves across the country: following screenings in Seattle, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, this thought-provoking documentary...
Posted by The Short Life Of José Antonio Gutierrez on Wed, 06 Jun 2007 02:40:00 PST

Another Award for The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez !

After being honored at the Swiss Film Awards as the "Best Documentary" in 2006, and at the San Diego Latino Film Festival where it won the Fox Azteca Borders on Film Award in 2007, The Short Life of J...
Posted by The Short Life Of José Antonio Gutierrez on Wed, 06 Jun 2007 02:37:00 PST

Organize a screening of "The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez" in your city !

We are a small independent film distribution outfit working on increasing awareness of "The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez" in the USA and Canada, since we believe the film is of interest to man...
Posted by The Short Life Of José Antonio Gutierrez on Wed, 23 May 2007 01:07:00 PST

The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez opens in Los Angeles TONIGHT!

In co-presentation with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez will be screening in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Cinemas as of May 11th.Following op...
Posted by The Short Life Of José Antonio Gutierrez on Fri, 11 May 2007 10:02:00 PST

The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez Opens in San Francisco at the The Victoria Theatre!

In co-presentation with the International Latino Film Festival -San Fransisco Bay Area, The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez, will be screening at The Victoria Theatre, on May 4-6, 2007; May 9-13,...
Posted by The Short Life Of José Antonio Gutierrez on Fri, 11 May 2007 09:57:00 PST