CHELEM - Chelem, a small coastal town on the Gulf of Mexico, recently rebranded by Trump as the “Gulf of America”, is the stage for an unexpected reversal. Where once Mexicans journeyed north in search of a better life, today Americans are heading south, drawn by affordable healthcare, lower living costs, and the promise of a paradise filled with margaritas by the pool.
The documentary is a portrait of this inverted migration, set in a quiet fishing village transformed by the arrival of newcomers.
Ronny from Alabama, an umpire for the expat baseball team Los Jalapeños, came to Mexico to afford a knee operation that was out of reach in the U.S.: “I came here because I could never afford the care I needed back home. I stayed because Chelem gives me more security than my own country ever did.”
Kelly from Texas, a chain-smoking widow, is living her dream life in this seaside paradise, creating The Real Housewives of Yucatán—a flamboyant YouTube channel full of sun, self-irony, and glamour.
José, a local fisherman, has watched his town change before his eyes. Pushed out of the fishing trade, he now builds the villas of the newcomers to support his family.
The Gulf of America offers more than a glimpse into a small-town transformation, it tells a universal story about inequality, the privilege of a passport, and the human search for a better life. As Trump carries out mass deportations and fuels a narrative of fear around migration, millions of Americans are quietly taking the same route, only in the opposite direction.
The film is directed by Itza Bocken Méndez and Daniel Holmes, who live and work in southern Mexico.
Stills: © Omma Films — VRT
DOCUMENTARY
- The Gulf of America, VRT Canvas & VRT Max, 27/10/2025
RADIO
- De Nomaden: The Gulf of America, Itza Bocken Mendez in De Ochtend — VRT Max, 27/10/2025
PRESS
- Amerikanen verhuizen massaal naar het 'idyllische' Mexico dat Trump zo viseert, VRT NWS, 27/10/2025
- Maandag op tv: Vlaamse frieten in Nederland en Meryl Streep als egocentrische schrijfster, De Standaard, 27/10/2025
- Nieuwe reeks Nomaden met journalistiek door jonge makers, VRT
COUNTRY
- Mexico
