ALBA MORA ROCA I LOVE TO WORK
A Mexican Toy Story
“I saw something in street toys. I saw moments of joy, and perhaps the fear that this Mexico was disappearing.”
- Roberto Shimizu, toy collector.
Are you having problems to watch? Please watch it here.
SYNOPSIS/
What does a 65-year-old man do when he has one million toys in his personal collection? Mexican architect Roberto Shimizu opened an underground museum at his home in Mexico City.
The architect’s collection is not the result of a short-term buying spree. Instead he started collecting very young, back in 1955. Shimizu’s parents were Japanese immigrants who ran a business importing food and toys so his earliest treasures were gifts from them. But most of his toys are objects he recovered from flea markets, bazaars, scrap merchants and a network of suppliers. Today Shimizu has the biggest and most important toy collection in all of Latin America, with pieces that span the 19th and 20th centuries.
To someone else, the million-toy collection might look like a fantastic tourist attraction and a chance to make money. But Shimizu deliberately located his museum in a working-class neighborhood, Colonia Doctores, a place people go to buy stolen car parts. He calls it “a live museum for living Mexicans.”
And rather than charge admission, Shimizu has kept the entrance almost free, even though he has no public or private financial support for the enterprise. “I want to show Mexican youth that old toys are truly creative and they encourage sociability,” he says, complaining about the isolating nature of today’s videogames.
The museum is a family-run business. Shimizu’s son, Roberto Shimizu Jr., organizes visits and events, like the popular collectors’ fair, Collec. Twice a month, collectors of all sorts converge in an empty floor of this museum to exchange their ideas, objects and obsessions. Anyone can sign up for Collec and have a stand. Emerging Mexican artists showcase their work next to comic collectors, publishing houses and freelance designers. All sorts of aficionados and treasure hunters come to this unique fair to explore and discover.
CREDITS/
Directed and Produced by Alba Mora Roca
Duration: 9 min.
Country and Year: Mexico, 2009
Language: Spanish with English subtitles.
Cinematography: Alba Mora Roca
Sound: Carlos Davalos Barbabosa
Editing: Alba Mora Roca
HD Native. Shot with the Sony PMW-EX1.
AWARDS/
Best Documentary Award at the 2010 Chicago Int REEL Shorts Festival, USA.
Silver Palm Winner of the 2010 Mexico International Film Festival, Rosarito Baja California, Mexico.
FESTIVALS/
Chicago International REEL Shorts Festival, 7th, Annual - September 30, 2010 to October 03, 2010
Docs Df , Categoria Cortometraje Documental Mexicano, 5th Annual – October 21st to October 31st, 2010
San Diego Asian Film Festival, 11th, Annual – October 21, 2010 to October 28, 2010
Red Rock Film Festival of Zion Canyon, 4th Annual from November 11, 2010 to November 14, 2010
SCREENINGS/
Red Rock Film Festival Favorites program - 7 pm on Thursday, December 30 at GoGo37 on 37 E. St. George Blvd., St. George, UT
LINKS/
Metropolis aired “A Mexican toy story” as a recipient of INJUVE Award.
Blog del Museo del Juguete Antiguo México
LINKING TO US/
Cookies -n- Cream: Apparel and Designer Toys brand
Juxtable and the Dirty Dog Brothers
This is very cool and interesting!
Wonderful movie that all should see.
Love the Toy Story movies, great animation.
Excelente el corto-documental. la musica muy buena y muy adhoc. felicidades. Yo estuve particpando en el collectart muchos eventos, si gustas agregarme a facebook si manejas puedes ver ahi mas y mas fotos.http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=118078&id=551323561&l=1b826bcedf o en mi blog algun reporte como este :http://gusstoys.blogspot.com/2009/12/de-regreso-del-collecart-decembrino.html saludos y muy buen corto
[...] out a 2009 documentary about the museum. It´s by Alba Mora Roca, and was featured on websites for the New York Times and The San [...]
Kinda on a similar subject, brings me back to when I was only a young boy, when I was young i grew up on a farm exactly where all of the tractors were green. I like Allis Chalmers but for some cause I have usually liked Farmall. Anyawy I’m starting to daydream now…great post I have provided it a DIGG.Com for you.
Brilliant!…..Toy Story with a unique twist!
its an excelent story but i dont understand how this guy would make money to live of from this. i like his passion to preserve the past though.
How do I get on your mailing list?
Russel,
Sorry, I have no mailing list. Thanks for the interest, though.
Dear Garbage Truck Toys,
His goal is certainly not to make money out of it! It’s all about his passion for toys.
Muchas gracias Gus!
El collecart es un gran espacio de encuentro. Ojalá algún día crucemos caminos por ahí.
It’s interesting! I enjoyed to watch Japanese hero in the video. Thank you.
The toy story is super. A million toys, that is almost to much for the ordinary person to absorb. I came from a poor family and just had a couple of toys to play with for years…but I understand…I cherished those toys then and now!
Thank you for the memories.
Amazing story! It’s hard to imagine the dedication it takes to maintain a collection like that.