In this film, Ingrid Silva—ballerina, activist and new mother—talks with Kim Barke about growing up in Brazil, her unlikely entry into the world of professional ballet, confronting the challenges of being a Black ballerina in a predominantly White space, becoming a new mom in turbulent times, and turning to activism and advocacy. She then breaks into dance—mere months after having given birth to her daughter—in a performance that made us all *gasp* on set. Produced by The Bloc, I had opportunity to direct and co-produce this film, along with my partner-in-crime at Bricolagista, Monihan Monihan.  MAKING SPACE premiered at Cannes Lions in June 2021.

For more info, visit ¡Bricolagista!  > 

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The media story that dominated the 2017 quake, however, was that of a girl named ‘Frida Sofia’ trapped alive in the rubble under one of the collapsed buildings. Minute by minute updates of the girl’s attempted rescue aired live on TV and radio, as the whole city remained spellbound.

The bizarre events that unfolded in the following days – the news spectacle, the coverups, the shock, confusion, and subsequent numbness of the citizenry – these form the backdrop of CHAMACA. I had come to learn about these strange events through time spent in Mexico City, a place that I have grown to love deeply like a second home. My intention in making CHAMACA was to recalibrate the focus on the more personal and intimate experiences of the often overlooked as they deal with their trauma in the aftermath of such a tragedy. A counter-narrative to the sensationalized media accounts that turn disaster into entertainment, reflecting instead on everyday people just trying to navigate their new circumstances.

For more info, visit ¡Bricolagista!  > 

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“A love letter to the other America”

25 years ago, at a halfpipe contest somewhere in Europe, two of skateboarding’s biggest loudmouths first met. They’ve been best friends ever since. Monihan, the palest of pink skinned pro-skaters from America, would later be crowned Thrasher Magazine’s “Most Hated Skateboarder of All Time”.  Boerleider, the chocolate complected comedian from Amsterdam, would gain fame as the most uncoordinated class clown to ever be sponsored by a big skateboard brand.

Now the glory days of youth are in their rear view mirror, with only the responsibilities of adulthood on the road ahead. As sand slips through the hourglass, Boerleider wants nothing more than to fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing America – a land of mythic proportions for this European, who has gladly gulped down every bit of exceptionalism the USA has ever propagandized about itself. But Boerleider is also a Black European, so for as much as he romanticizes all things red, white and blue, he is also rightfully terrified by the thought of being shot by a trigger happy cop.

Born and raised on American soil, Monihan is a bit more jaded about his homeland, having witnessed its contradictions and shortcomings his entire life. Nevertheless, he’s about to make his best buddy’s dream come true, thanks to his mom giving him the keys to her old Subaru at precisely the same moment Boerleider can get time off from his job in Amsterdam.

Almost immediately upon arrival in California, the Dutchman finds himself in an extremely awkward situation. And it’s a precarious start to our coast to coast adventure with two aging, shit-talking skaters, driving across the great expanse of a fantastic and fantastically flawed United States of America.

More about this project →

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The film is currently in development. For more information, visit ¡Bricolagista!  >  

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Our debut feature film La Voz De Loz Silenciados (The Voice of the Voiceless) is a radically different vision of filmmaking. An entirely homegrown effort, this 80-minute silent film tells the story of modern-day slavery, using non-actors, Brechtian edits, a brutal subway landscape, and the isolation of deafness. Inspired by a real New York story, the film follows Olga, a hearing impaired teenager from Central America. Lured to New York City under the false promise of attending a Christian sign language school, she finds herself a slave to an international criminal syndicate. Forced to sell “I am deaf” trinkets on the subway, Olga is trapped inside a nightmare that will not end– and the audience, are trapped with her.

The film is now gaining momentum in the international festival circuit and have picked up a few awards along the way. For more details, please visit LVDLS.com

Credits

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What aesthetic discourse could one have about ruined culture picking up after years of aggression and war? Modern postwar landscapes are inevitably still at war, existing in a transformed urban sphere, struggling to restore normalcy as life regains its persuasive cycle within these distorted landscapes. The aesthetic and emotional quotients evoked from such dissonant imagery are quite dislocating. While devastation and irreconcilable tragedy are persistently conveyed through these ruins, they also start to exude a new kind of aura – a subliminal aura through which bullet holes and grenade indentations gradually become infused into new landscapes of restored life. Their presence becomes acceptable, and a feeling of nervous caution, perhaps even comfort, resonates from them, through the identification of one of the most vital of human instincts – that of survival.

Urbicide was completed in June of 2001, just months before 9/11. The short film accompanying the project premiered at the rooftop terrace of ABC No Rio gallery in NYC on the six month anniversary of 9/11. The very first installation of the Towers of Light beamed in the background, adding new pathos and context to the piece.

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