Speaking My Truth: Organizing & Filmmaking in These Times

03/12/19 • 56 min

Filmmaker, organizer, and impact producer Set Hernandez Rongkilyo waxes lyrical about how to bring together the worlds of storytelling and organizing in the service of building movements. They share their journey of feeling like the only person without a social security number to being connected to an entire universe of undocumented superheroes fighting in the migrant justice movement. Set reflects on how film is a sharp weapon that can be wielded in toxic or healing ways, and the unique role of the impact producer to support directors and producers in shaping film into a powerful tool for organizing and movements.

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MIXED: What it means to be biracial in a black and white world

Filmmaker, photographer, and professor Leena Jayaswal joins the show for a deep-dive into her current film project MIXED. She describes her filmmaking journey with fellow director Caty Borum Chattoo, as they--two mothers, one brown, one white--set off to explore the experiences of mixed race families fifty years after Loving v. Virginia legalized interracial marriage in the U.S. Leena reflects on the vulnerability of sharing her own family’s story on screen; why filmmaking sometimes feels like therapy; and what the work of inclusion looks like in the film and academic worlds.

Next Episode

Women Behind the Camera with Alexxiss Jackson

Director and cinematographer Alexxiss Jackson shares her journey as a visual storyteller committed to social justice: from being an eight-year-old making home movies starring Transformers and Barbie dolls, to being one of few women of color in film school, to working double to get half the recognition on film sets. To our question "What is it like to be a woman of color in the film industry?" Alexxiss offers nuanced insights based on her personal experiences, touching on the racialized dynamics of the filmmaking industry and the absolute necessity of unrepresented voices to create spaces and opportunities of their own.