BORRUFA
2020 | 110 minutes
Shot on 16mm film in long, thoughtful takes, Roland Dahwen’s debut feature tells the story of an immigrant family in Oregon whose life is disrupted when it’s revealed that the father has a second family. Reeling from this news, his wife Leonora must choose to either leave her husband, her dying mother, and her son, who has a mysterious illness—or to move on, and let her husband take responsibility for the family he’s destroyed. Haunted by memories, Leonora now struggles between her desires and her responsibilities. With a pace that mimics real life contemplations, Borrufa straddles the line between documentary and narrative, while the generational tragedies of human error slowly creep through the screen. – Portland International Film Festival
BORRUFA
2020 | 110 minutes
Shot on 16mm film in long, thoughtful takes, Roland Dahwen’s debut feature tells the story of an immigrant family in Oregon whose life is disrupted when it’s revealed that the father has a second family. Reeling from this news, his wife Leonora must choose to either leave her husband, her dying mother, and her son, who has a mysterious illness—or to move on, and let her husband take responsibility for the family he’s destroyed. Haunted by memories, Leonora now struggles between her desires and her responsibilities. With a pace that mimics real life contemplations, Borrufa straddles the line between documentary and narrative, while the generational tragedies of human error slowly creep through the screen. – Portland International Film Festival
Desierto a Desierto | We Got Each Other’s Back: Carlos Motta with
Heldáy De La Cruz, Julio Salgado, and Edna Vázquez
2020
Heldáy de la Cruz: Desierto a Desierto presents an interview with Mexican-born, Portland-based, illustrator and designer Heldáy de la Cruz; performances inspired by three spoken-word poems written by Heldáy and accompanied by corresponding built sets; and a collaborative video performance piece with the late performance artist David Andrew Torres. Heldáy uses his art, community work, and life experience to uplift the voices of undocumented people. He shares his family story and dives deep into what it means to experience love and loss through an undocumented and queer perspective. HD video, sound, 3 minutes, 15 seconds Heldáy explores themes of home within his undocumented status, his need for objects that connect him back to this place, the things he can and cannot do, and the deep-rooted pain in the journey across the border through his mother’s eyes. This set is an ode to all of the objects that hold cultural relevance, and Heldáy is in the center moving around. Director of Photography / Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal Assistant Director of Photography / Kanon Havens Sound / Kai Tillman and Sam Hamilton Second Camera and Gaffer/ Eli Haan Set Design / Gabi Villaseñor Transcription and Translation / Camilo Godoy Producer / Ella Marra-Ketelaar
Heldáy de la Cruz: Desierto a Desierto (Desert to Desert), (2020) Five-channel video, sound, approximately 55 minutes; and carpet Courtesy of the artist; P•P•O•W, New York; mor charpentier, Paris; and Galeria Vermelho, São Paulo.
Cuando Dos Almas
2019
Performed by the late David Andrew Torres and Heldáy de la Cruz
Original song by Abu Zizo