Synopsis
In southern Mexico, a 1,525 km long railway line is being built: the Tren Maya. It runs through the five states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo, intended to boost tourism and, above all, transport goods. The route cuts through protected ecosystems and autonomous indigenous territories.
TRAMPATRENMAYA weaves a collective narrative from anonymous testimonials gathered during the construction phase from 2022 to 2025. In a fragmented collage of voices, residents, village leaders, construction workers, and activists report on environmental destruction, militarization, social division, and loss of identity. Animated visual metaphors express the connection to nature, social fragmentation, and uprooting.

TRAMPATRENMAYA RESEARCH CLIPS
TRAMPATRENMAYA BLOG

Credits
AnimaDoc· 29:03 min · 5.1 · 16:9 · 2K · es/OmU
Regie | Animation | Sounddesign: Nikki Schuster (AT)
Face-Animations & Pixilation: collectively within the communities
Drone-Images: Elias Siebenborn
Soundmix: Sebastian Müller
Production: Fiesfilm (D)
Support: innovative Film / BMWKMS Vienna
Sales: sixpack_lm Vienna (AT)
© Nikki Schuster MEX/AT/DE/ES 2026