"The District of Pupusas" (2026): Film Screening and Q&A with Filmmaker Alexandra Colón-Amil
"The District of Pupusas" (2026): Film Screening and Q&A with Filmmaker Alexandra Colón-Amil
“District of Pupusas” (2026; Dirs. Alexandra Colón-Amil and Valeria Massarelli) tells the story of how Salvadoran immigrants transformed Washington, D.C. through food, culture, and community. This is not just a film about food. It is about how communities are built, how culture travels, and how identity is preserved and transformed across generations.
Pupusas may be Salvadoran, but they have become an emblematic dish of Washington, D.C.
These handmade corn tortillas, often filled with cheese, beans, or pork, arrived with immigrants like Chef Benjamín Velásquez and restaurateur Haydee Vanegas—both refugees from El Salvador's brutal civil war. As these newcomers made the District their home, they worked in restaurants and kitchens, eventually becoming food entrepreneurs in their own right. Over time, they enriched D.C.'s culinary and social landscape, emerging as pillars of support, connection, and purpose within their communities.
Told through the lived experiences of Benjamín and Haydee, the short documentary District of Pupusas weaves past and present to explore how Salvadorans—the largest immigrant group in Washington, D.C.—have shaped the US capital.
Sponsored by SLLC, SPAP and USLT