Going Varsity in Mariachi (Documentary Feature)

This Sundance Film Festival award winning documentary follows a Texas high school mariachi band and their dedicated coach as they aim for a state championship against fierce competition. Michael served as the director of photography and shot roughly three-quarters of the finished film which included mainly vérité material of rehearsals, performances, and the students’ lives beyond their intense band schedule. In addition he worked with co-directors Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborn to construct portraits that elevate individual mariachi students and interviews that feel naturalistic on a limited budget. It is currently streaming on Netflix.