El Chapulin Premiere
We’re delighted to announce that El Chapulin – our award-winning documentary about mezcalero Onofre Ortiz – is finally ready to fly the nest.
It’s been a long time coming.
We shot the film in November 2022 with our friend and long-time collaborator Leo Stamps. The edit was ready by Summer 2023, and in 2024 we took it on the film festival circuit, with screenings at WOW Fest in Wales, Little Venice in London, DocsMX in Mexico City, and The Austin Film Festival – an Oscar qualifier and one of the biggest film events of the year. It went on to receive a double gold & best-in-category at the Agavos Awards 2025 - a new agave spirits competition founded by Taste Tequila / Tequila Matchmaker.
After this success, we lost some momentum locating an official partner for an online release – an underserved market for makers of short documentaries. Finally, in March 2026, we landed on a release agreement with Klipist – an independent film studio and the highest-ranking streaming platform for short films on Google.
El Chapulin is a portrait of Onofre Ortiz – the mezcalero behind our Espadín – following his story of life in Mexico and the United States. It’s a story of rural poverty and the bitter realities of economic migration, but also of repatriation, retribution, and the power of mezcal to bring pride and hope to people in remote Oaxacan communities. Onofre is the focus, but his example speaks of a wider shared experience.
As the nascent mezcal industry begins to move away from traditional artisanal production, and towards commercial manufacturing, it’s more important than ever to introduce customers to the people who are still making Real Artisanal Mezcal; to show them the craft which goes into their drinks, and the positive impact of their conscious spending.
We hope you enjoy the show.
https://klipist.com/watch/el-chapulin/
