We are moving stories

“These were issues that i witnessed first-hand having grown up in Puerto Rico. I felt a strong need to tell. I felt a need to tell a story that focused on the issues of race and gender within the context of the Caribbean. Issues that are often not addressed in our society. I was inspired by different writers from the Caribbean such as Jamaica Kincaid and Maryse Conde... It has surprised me how much humor the audience has actually found in the film. It isn’t a comedy, but it does have some moments of irony and humor.”

“It is an intimate film narrated in Quechua (mother tongue). A portrait of my mother, the woman I admire. It is not the typical film about poverty in Latin America filmed by a privileged white filmmaker, but a film about an indigenous woman filmed by another indigenous man, filmed with a lot of honesty without looking for morbidity or victimization. It is a brave film.”

“What if I tell you that the people who sew our clothes are the ones who work the longest hours and get paid the least? Would you believe me? Unfortunately, this is a real story, something that happens regularly from Latin America to Asia.”

“In this current environmental crisis, we are all one. No matter whether you live in Australia or in Brazil. The consequences of global consumerism are affecting us all. It’s a film about what it is to stand up in front of destructive forces.”

“It just unfolded over the course of many months of writing, filming, and writing some more. We wanted the film to feel like a quilt being slowly woven together. The beginning feels like a traditional documentary with talking head interviews and observational footage. As the film progresses, and our protagonist (a slightly fictionalized version of Luisa) begins to find the beauty and power in these addresses we fall into a more essay-like mode of filmmaking.”

“Living in Santiago during a year of strict confinement rules, I also develop a very instant bond with my plants and a way to connect with the wilderness, searching for untamed and unpredictable aspects of life. Helechos’s narrative became a strong catalyst for me during a time when creativity became a lifeline.”

“It speaks of my search for emancipation and our collective quest to vindicate the struggles of indigenous and queer communities, the protection of territory, the access to vital resources such as water and, of course, the quest to live with dignity and joyfully.”

“Xela and the Ovas are fierce, unapologetic feminist women of color. They are brilliant strategists and have crafted an image and politics that centers their own voices, the stories of women of color from their neighborhoods, to fight against personal and collective violence. We hadn’t seen a film like this, and wanted to see a film like this, so we asked them if we could make it.”

“This film was made with the help of multiple latin trans organizations in LA and with the most utter love, care and responsibility that a film like this requires. A story that deals with invisible people that go through intense and real circumstances that must be seen and heard, and that are deeply rooted within my heart.”

“We felt that our community’s stories weren’t being portrayed on screen. The creators and cast of Bad Conchas are all members of the diverse queer community in Los Angeles and we wanted to show viewers that queer people and Latinx people are more than just supporting characters. We also wanted to show the diversity that exists within the queer Latinx experience, stories that can only be told by those belonging to such a community.”

“I think this film gives fresh insights into a world not yet seen in most cinema, and if you can set assumptions aside, the film takes the viewer on a journey with an aesthetic framework rooted in the themes of the film. Plus, I bet you or someone you know (queer or non queer) has been through an unhealthy relationship that they can’t seem to break free from for a variety of reasons.”

“I want people to walk away in love — in love with Chavela, in love with living, in love with themselves. I think her bravery and uniqueness can appeal to everyone in a way that extends celebration and appreciation of queer Latina leadership and creative brilliance to everyone.”

“I am Dominican and I won a scholarship to study film. I wrote Elena as my undergraduate thesis for my degree in film at the NECTV in Costa Rica. I decided to tell this story because it is very close to my reality. Many people have to hide or be inhibited about their sexuality. It is a topic in which we can observe a lot of prejudices and rejections, even today, in our countries. I think it’s a story that traces a path, a point of view on this topic. Beyond sexuality, there is the freedom for everyone, as a human being, we all have the right to choose, a way, a way of life, a way of facing reality.”

“The film is short, and it needs a community like We Are Moving Stories to share it. Having it on the website will allow access to people that may not otherwise be able to reach it at a festival or outside of my own community. www.wearemovingstories.com has helped share the voices of marginalized people and subjects, it’s something that is so needed when oftentimes ignored by the mainstream media. I appreciate a platform that helps lift the voices of others be heard, including my own voice.”

“Honestly, besides the content we would love for people to recognize the diversity and inclusion on this film. Two Asian American men wrote and created this film. You’re seeing a romantic pairing of an Asian American man and Latinx man on screen which is almost never portrayed on film or television screens. We want people to see that good work can come from artists of color, especially queer artists of color and yet the piece itself is not about that. It is a human piece, a universal piece.”

“Even though my film features my partner and I, two queer Chicana women, there are several universal themes that so many can relate to in my film. As the film unfolds, virtually everyone can relate to the wide-ranging experiences of hardship, disappointment, and joy that are depicted in the film. Additionally, I was surprised that so many people came to me after the film to share they either have experienced the challenges of unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant or know someone that went through a similar journey.”

“After my co-writer Bill Posley and I saw Get Out last year, we left the theater blown away by its genius. We started spitballing ideas for our take on a social thriller and very quickly agreed we wanted to tell a story about the menacing side of gentrification. In Los Angeles, where we live, gentrification and urban displacement are enormous problems that are only exacerbated by LA’s housing crisis. A UCLA study recently showed that LA is actually the most unaffordable city in America. And if rents get raised 5%, which is basically how much rents get raised every year, 2,000 residents will be forced into homelessness.”

“Some people in the Jewish community feel that Division Ave is misrepresenting the reality in Williamsburg and that the film is making ALL Jews look bad. As some of us in the production are Jewish ourselves, we think that in order to solve an issue, it must be discussed openly. In addition, the film tells the story of an inner conflict in the Jewish community as some members do want to see change in the way domestic workers are treated.”

“I always want my work to spark discussion and empathy. I try to make work that doesn’t have an easy answer or lesson, because life is more nuanced and layered. I wanted to bring racial and cultural tensions to the forefront with the hope of sparking dialogue, and I think as it reaches more people it has the potential to do that.”

“M.O.T.H. is a psychological thriller feature film, about a woman named Linda Blake who grew up exclusively in the foster care system. After a horrific childhood, Linda systematically tracks down everyone who ever hurt her and makes them pay dearly. Despite extreme adversity and trauma, MOTH shows us that it is never too late to heal. For Linda, while it is too late to fix the broken cycles of destruction and abuse from the people entrusted to care for her, it is not too late to learn to love and start anew!”

“Whether you’re flying to see a loved, or you’re going home, or you’re trying to get away from home, the entire spectrum of human stories can be found at their airport at any given moment. I also wanted to tell stories about Latinx characters that didn’t portray them as stereotypes. And, most of all, I wanted to make an experimental film. Most of this movie was shot in one day with no script, only improvised dialogue. The two lead actors had never met before until they got on set and weren’t sure what to expect.”

“Acosta defies the easy moral dualism of Civil Rights storytelling. Unlike more commonly known figures of that era (think the gentle, self-sacrificing Cesar Chavez) Acosta’s story is rife with contradictions, many of which reveal a nuanced and complicated picture of Mexican-American identity politics of both then and now.”

“I would like the film to make audiences more aware of what happens when the most basic human right, nationality, is taken away and to not let it happen again.”

“As a woman filmmaker, I’ve been fighting people my whole life to prove that I can be a filmmaker. And it’s this fight that has marked the stories I tell and will continue to do so as I grow. So, when bringing the story of Maxima into the screen, I wanted my vision to narrow in on fighters.”

“Ted and I fell in love with Olancho when we where teaching there from 2010-2012. In our time there we experienced a lot of the negativity that you may have heard about or seen in the news, namely drug violence, but we also experienced a different side of Honduras- the side that doesn’t make the news. We met wonderful people with the most resilient spirit. They took us in and made us feel like we were a part of their community. We decided that we wanted to give the world a different view of Honduras, one that’s more holistic and humanistic. We wanted people to see the real Honduras.”