AFTER DARK
Expressive Art Film to Inspire HOPE
Dear friends, I would like to introduce you the project that has kept my soul alive during Covid-19: AFTER DARK.
AFTER DARK is a multimedia short-film that combines flamenco with poetry, visual art, drama and creative expression. This was born as an artistic response to all emotional states that I experienced as a woman, artist, mother, immigrant and trauma survivor during quarantine.
This short film was created to inspire hope in difficult times and create awareness about racial discrimination, climate change and mental health.
AFTER DARK is inspired by the stories of thousands of people affected by Covid-19. Stories that must be told and remember because they will mark a before and after in the way we see the world, relate to others and exist.
AFTER DARK was co-directed by Belén Maya.
I have reached to a point where I need support to move forward with this project and launched a Crowdfunding Campaign to get the necessary funds to continue presenting AFTER-DARK. The funds of the campaign are meant to pay post- production, promotion and distribution fees.
Please check it out and support in any way you can!
STORY BEHIND AFTER DARK
Let me tell you how AFTER DARK was born and what is behind this multimedia art piece.
My resiliency story started few years ago after overcoming an existential life crisis where I had hit Rock-bottom. Situation exasperated after experiencing racial discrimination as a Spanish Speaker immigrant living in the USA.
My past memories stored in my physical body and emotional reactions programmed into my nervous system due to trauma, were triggered by Covid-19 manifesting as anxiety. I found in my art, the refuge to emotionally survive quarantine.
As an artist I had to reinvent myself and find new ways to create art. A thousand miles away from my family and in the midst of isolation, I founded in AFTER DARK the LIGHT I needed to visualize my path. This creative process has been an important transformation in my identity as an artist and a validation of my Expressive Flamenco arts based research work.
When lost and isolated, listening to the sounds of nature, helped me stay grounded and connected to my roots.
A quote from Auguste Rodin “Art is the pleasure of a spirit that enters nature and discovers that it too has a soul”, became an important source of inspiration since it reminds us how the transformation of a soul can happens when one is allowed to be moved by the soul of nature.
The elements of nature were intentionally chosen to bring awareness about climate change and the importance of listening to the unique rhythms of nature.
During Covid-19 quarantine, I used my skills as an expressive flamenco facilitator to connected people from all over the world experiencing similar emotions to heal together in a virtual therapeutic dance space.
Through arts, we transformed our emotions with weekly doses of hope during quarantine. Together we envisioned a future in which metaphorically we could would “fly” outside our windows. This metaphor became my muse and inspired me to use my art to tell a story that millions of people worldwide might relate to.
In AFTER DARK, I tell my story in my own word. Words that naturally spoke to me during the creative process and were kept in the film as they were expressed regardless the language to maintain the authenticity of the piece. This is my way to bring into the piece my struggles as a Spanish speaking immigrant living in the US who, despite having a “language barrier”, found my voice to speak up.
This pandemic has shown us that we are all in this together because anyone, regardless of race, mother language, ethnicity, gender, age or sexual orientation has been and will continue to be affected by Covid-19. And AFTER DARK is my personal way to fight against racism and discrimination.
This short-film is about bringing the light of a new day, a new beginning, a new opportunity after the pandemic to become better humans who will make this world, a better place to live.
Whoever you are, THANK YOU for taking the time to read my story.
NOMINATIONS & AWARDS
- Los Ángeles Film Award, Los Ángeles: Award Winner “Best Dance on Camera”
- IndieX Film Fest, Los Ángeles: Finalist
- Indie Short Film Festival, Los Ángeles: Semi-Finalist
- Venice Short Film Festival, Los Ángeles: Official Selection
- New York Short Film Festival, New York City: Official Selection
- European Short Film Festival, Berlin : Official Selection
- Asheville Fringe Arts Festival: Official Selection
