Join us for another iteration of BETWEEN THE FRAMES, a program of films in Redmond that uses visual storytelling to promote and deepen our understanding of different histories, traditions, and cultures.
These 2 short films, situated in the Afro-Latino and South Asian contexts are linked by themes of acceptance, self-love, and the complexities of the diasporic experience. They explore and disrupt the deep connections between internalized racial biases and colorism within/outside spaces of color.
Afterwards, there will be a moderated conversation with Dr. Diana Flores Ruíz, Assistant Professor in Cinema & Media Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle.
This program was organized by Savita Krishnamoorthy
Media design by @_chiledulce
About the Films & Artists
RIZO (2020, USA, 14:37 mins)
Directed by Jeanette Dilone
Produced by Jeanette Dilone & Andrew McLaren
An Afro-Latina actress looking for her big break has her hopes dashed when things take a bad turn at an important audition.
JEANETTE DILONE is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Washington Heights, NYC. Though Jeanette's first passion was classical ballet, she fell in love with acting during her college years. Since then, her acting work has spanned television, film, theater, commercials, and new media. She made her directorial debut with the short film, "Return," which she also wrote and produced. It premiered at the NY Shorts International Film Festival and was acquired by Shorts TV. Her second short, "Rizo" (2020), which she wrote, produced, and directed, premiered at LALIFF and was one of the 2020 HBO Latinx Short Film Competition winners and is available to watch on HBOMax. In 2021, Jeanette became a recipient of the LALIFF Inclusion Fellowship, sponsored by Netflix. In 2022, her third short "Hoar", which she wrote, produced, and directed, premiered at LALIFF.
KAALA (2019, India, 15:24 mins)
Directed by Tarun Jain
Produced by Nasira Khan
A short socio-political film about the increasing issues of racism, specifically on hate crimes against African nationals that occurred in New Delhi, India in 2016 and 2017.
TARUN JAIN is an acclaimed filmmaker from New Delhi, India. His short film, Amma Meri has screened in over 48 festivals including the Oscar Qualifying Tampere Film Festival, IFFI Goa, MIFF, IDSFFK, and Dharamshala, India. His latest film Kaala (2019) is based on the racist attacks on the Africans in New Delhi, India. Kaala (2019) had its world premiere at the Oscar Qualifying Cinequest Film and VR Festival in the USA and also played at Rapid Lion Film Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was screened at the Coalition of South Asian Film Festivals (CoSAFF), a first of its kind event that brought together seven well-established South Asian film festivals across North America in 2020.
About the Moderator
DR. DIANA FLORES RUÍZ is Assistant Professor in Cinema & Media Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle, where her teaching specializes in race and media in the US. Dr. Ruíz’s research examines technologies that produce and facilitate structures of racialized violence, as well as artistic and activist media that propose alternative forms of safety and survival.
About the Curator
SAVITA KRISHNAMOORTHY is an art historian, educator, organizer, and writer from India, based in Redmond, WA. Her writing publications include The Times of India, Feminist Media Histories (University of California Press), Courageous Creativity, Black Embodiment Studio Journal, and the International Examiner, where she is a regular contributor writing on arts and culture. She earned an MA in Art History (University of Bangalore, India), her MA in Cultural Studies (University of Washington) and received the 2019 Merit Award from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Foundation.
“I value the space between arts practice and community engagement. To affect change by facilitating conversations that shift the narratives on equity, access, and representation.”
The program is presented by Black Cinema Collective along with Centro Cultural Mexicano, with grants received from the Redmond Arts Seasons Grant (2021) and 4 Culture.