Shenny de Los Angeles is an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker from Kissimmee, Florida. Anchored in Black Caribbean folklore, her stories unearth the complicated beauty of being alive. Her work has been featured on various platforms, festivals, and theaters.
Amanda Morell “iiritu”, a Bronx native of Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage, is an independent filmmaker and editor. Her films have earned widespread acclaim, showcasing at various institutions and festivals, including Black Star Film Festival.
Through a series of black-and-white tableaux, this poetry film follows the journey of Young Naomi in Everglades, Florida. She learns from Florinda, her grandmother, about the ancestral practices of caring for the land and nurturing grief in the face of environmental challenges. As the story unfolds, we grow to understand Florinda’s indigenous teachings of controlled burns and the importance of embracing fire rather than suppressing it. As the prescribed burns ignite from Florinda’s hands, an archival portal is birthed.
Hija de Florinda will play as part of the Shorts Block: Your Hands Were Built from Memory
