"FEVAH" Reflects New York City

"I think one of the things that makes New York so special is just the fact that it's the most diverse city in the world," filmmaker Randall Dottin told WNYC's cultural critic Rebecca Carroll. "That's kind of what you pay for. You know, the price of the ticket is, OK, I'm in New York, it's crazy. It's crowded. But it's also so much culture. It's also so many different kinds of people."

Dottin said the city's range of cultures and perspectives is what informed the plot and character development of his short film, FEVAH, which will screen at the 20th annual Latino Film Festival this year. The 12-minute short explores the emotional and psychological angst of a single Latina mother, Indira, as she navigates her feelings about the two black men she loves.  

Dottin described the process of developing his lead female character as one that required "a level of humility" and "a spirit of collaboration." The film, which takes place in Brooklyn, took nine months to make. "It didn't come without pain," said Dottin. "There's a lot on the cutting room floor." The lead role is played by Latina actress Melissa Jackson, who talked about bringing her own personal experience with racial identity to the character. "I'm not often recognized as Latina, because I don't look necessarily like what the Latina market intends, or what white people think Latina is," she said. "I was able to take that struggle and put that into Indira."

The film, with all its racial dynamics and relationships therein, comes back to New York City, Dottin said, and the merging between black and Latino communities. "There's always been a kind of easy fluid relationship in terms of how we work on and fight for justice."   

"FEVAH" will screen at the New York Latino Film Festival on August 17, at the Julia de Burgos Performance and Art Center.