The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world: the ways in which we lived were upended regardless of social class, demographic and location. Though the U.S. has mostly returned to a vaguely familiar sense of “normal,” the cracks in the foundation remain.
Food insecurity, healthcare disparities and police brutality continue to plague the nation. The flaws of an unjust society have become more glaring and openly challenged – their effects blatantly present in communities of color and in the lived experiences of BIPOC. These stories of perseverance in the face of hardship are at the forefront of HINDSIGHT, a new initiative created by Firelight Media, Reel South and the Center for Asian American Media.
HINDSIGHT, a series of six short films, captures long-standing community issues, calling attention to what life in the American South and Puerto Rico looks like today and how social movements and the complicated history of the regions provide color to it all.
NOW LET US SING
An interfaith, interracial choir in Durham, North Carolina is forced to take a new direction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the choir, which is dedicated to racial unity, must grapple with the dual crises of the coronavirus pandemic and police killings of African Americans, all while trying to sing as one unit while living miles apart.
Filmmakers Dilsey Davis and John Valadez met with film participants Cara Williams Madlala and Charles Bullock of One Human Family for a livestream Q&A about the film. Watch the recording.
MISSING MAGIC
As uprisings spread across the country, a young poet in Birmingham, Alabama becomes involved in local protests against decades of police brutality. As he tries to reconcile the city’s modern image as a diverse and welcoming metropolis with its violent and complex civil rights history, he suddenly becomes a part of the story when he’s arrested at a demonstration.
Filmmaker Anissa Latham-Brown, with subject and spoken word poet Dikerius Blevins, joined an Instagram Live to talk about the film, Magic City's history of racial injustice and what it means to find Black joy in revolution. Moderated by Tina Martin, host of Local, USA and Boston University Associate Professor. Watch the recording.
WE STAY IN THE HOUSE
Four mothers in New Orleans struggle to care for their families and themselves throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Between taking care of their children, finding time to work and coping with personal loss and health crises, this intimate portrait of these women’s stories represent the lived realities of millions of mothers in America.
The Center for Asian American Media hosted an Instagram Live with filmmaker Kiyoko McCrae and special guests from the film on Mothering in a Time of Crisis. Watch the recording.
UDAAN (SOAR)
A young Pakistani woman immigrates from Karachi, Pakistan to a small town in Arkansas to begin her first year of college. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, she prepares to live in isolation with her family and to attend classes remotely. But when her mother is turned away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she must learn to navigate her new life in the U.S. alone.
COMIDA PA LOS POBRES (FOOD FOR THE POOR)
Giovanni, a young Puerto Rican activist, confronts the island’s persistent crisis of food insecurity. Motivated by his childhood struggle with hunger, he seeks to inspire his fellow citizens to join a movement of solidarity-oriented work by feeding families and college students through mutual aid efforts – all while facing challenges from local authorities. Also available to watch in Spanish.
Filmmaker Arleen Cruz-Alicea, film subject Giovanni Roberto Cáez and Comedores Sociales Coordinator Marisel Robles Gutiérrez met for a virtual screening and live Q&A about the film. Hosted by Jason Fitzroy Jeffers, co-founder and co-executive director of the Miami-based filmmaking and creative collective Third Horizon. Watch the recording.
THIS BODY
As Sydney Hall participates in an experimental coronavirus vaccine trial in hopes of protecting her beloved New Orleans community, she and her loved ones explore the fraught relationship between African Americans and the medical industry, confronting the history of medical abuse and experimentation on Black bodies.
Filmmaker Zac Manuel and special guests – Dean and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity at Tulane University Dr. Thomas A. LaVeist and activist Shana M. Griffin – discussed 'This Body' and answered questions with IndieWire staff writer Tambay Obenson. Watch the recording.
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