1980 marked the beginning of an exodus of Salvadorans fleeing a US-backed war, with tens of thousands of people making the Washington, DC, region their new home. This mass migration gave birth to a new artistic movement. Using the corner of 15th & Irving Streets in NW DC as their home base, artists brought meaning to a uniquely Salvadoran-Wachintonian identity. In the process, they shaped the city’s vibrant, longstanding, and thriving cultural scene.

Las Muertes Más Bellas del Mundo tells a story of the Salvadoran diaspora’s struggles and humanity through the eyes of artists who created art out of war. The film follows a poet’s journey to find acceptance and healing through his writing of Las Muertes and interweaves a collection of Salvadoran-Wachintonian artist portraits – a poet, a photographer, a dancer, and musicians. Collectively, their voices and archival images tell a compelling, intimate, and historically-grounded story of a community resolving trauma and finding identity, salvation, and joy.