A New Documentary Short From Mariah Barrera

Upper West Side NY

05 December, 2021

11:24 AM

Description

Columbia Daily Spectator BY BELLA PECHATY NOVEMBER 30, 2021 For filmmaker Mariah Barrera, CC '24, elements of her identity—a family history of incarceration and Mexican American culture—have long been underrepresented in political and creative worlds. Barrera's latest documentary short, "My Brother's Keeper," is her poetic insertion of her family's personal truths into a larger public consciousness. Intent on sharing the unheard stories of her Mexican American family living in the Midwest, Barrera's medium of choice has always been the documentary. About a year ago, Barrera completed work on "My Brother's Keeper" and posted it to public platforms like her YouTube and Instagram pages, a common practice for independent filmmakers seeking to expose their content to as many viewers as possible. But what began as a private and artistic way to address the political conversation about incarceration grew into a long-term project that entered professional film spheres. Living at home in Grand Rapids, Michigan during fall 2020, Barrera's filmmaking conditions for this project were not ideal. She recalled not having access to other filmmakers and resources, but her isolation was not entirely a creative obstacle. "It was important to have my means of production in my hand," Barrera, who valued production control over her project, said. She had saved enough to purchase her dream camera for the project, a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, and filled the rest of her film toolbox with what she had on hand, which occasionally consisted of iPhones for use as flashlights or a broken tripod. For the cast and crew of the film, Barrera turned to her longtime collaborators and supporters: her family. Her six siblings, some of whom are also involved in creative fields, have been featured in her work before. Recruiting her 4-year-old brother and little nephews as cast members and two other siblings as integral crew members, Barrera shot and completed the four-minute-long film in about three weeks. Though the bulk of the work was done by her alone, she acknowledged the influence of family, both in the film's subject matter and production. "I guess the roles, yeah, I did it by myself. But I really couldn't have made this project without the help of my family, whether that's the actors or my siblings behind the scenes, they really helped me a lot. So I wasn't alone in that regard," she said. The fast pace of the film's production was part of its design. The content of the film was very personal to Barrera, who felt her message needed to be shared as soon as possible. During summer 2020, when Black Lives Matter protests prompted new discussions about the U.S. criminal justice system, Barrera still felt something vital was missing. "There were so many conversations going on about incarceration, but from my perspective, I didn't feel like both—whether that's newspeople or activists themselves—were using the right language … in trying to advocate for incarcerated people," Barrera said. "Thinking about that in the context of my life, that didn't sit right with me." Barrera's father, Robert Barrera, as well as two of her uncles, have had experiences with incarceration, and the young filmmaker sought to address an overlooked dimension to the issue through a personal lens. In unpacking her own family's history, she aimed to demonstrate how those in the criminal justice system and their families are forever impacted but never defined by this past. "[If] you're just talking about people as stats and statistics, I don't feel like that's an adequate way to create change," Barrera said. "My uncles aren't just prisoners; there's so much more there. … The way I felt like I could contribute at that moment in time was just through my art." Despite some preliminary nerves about reliving these old stories, Barrera approached her father with the concept. After conducting interviews with her father over dinner and again in her family basement, the story began to take shape. Barrera supplemented the film with recreated footage of her father and uncles, performed by younger family members. Interspersed throughout the film are family photographs, reflecting a style inspired by Chicano filmmaker Luis Valdez in his 1969 film "I Am Joaquin." The final result of the interviews, recreated footage, and photographs is "My Brother's Keeper," a lyrical reflection of incarceration's impact on the personal and fraternal lives of the Barrera family. Barrera's drive to create the film was initially political in nature—to produce a creative work that would fill a void in the nation's discussion about incarceration—but soon transformed into a familial drive as well. "It was more so a political thing, but through the process, I realized it was more of a family thing because I feel so much closer to my dad than I did before this process," Barrera said. "I think that ended up becoming the most important part to me. It was like the film became secondary to the growth I had in my relationship with my dad." Following the film's rapid completion, Barrera did not initially consider submitting "My Brother's Keeper'' to the professional festival circuit. But after the YoungArts Foundation—which recognizes and develops the work of young creatives—declared the film a finalist, one of the panelists encouraged Barrera to spread her work beyond nonprofessional circles. Among the festivals Barrera applied to was DOC NYC, the nation's largest documentary festival that has routinely predicted documentary films as Academy Award winners. Realizing that she would be putting her own name down for virtually every crew position listed, Barrera recalled feeling impostor syndrome and considered that application to be her furthest reach. But in fall 2021, Barrera received an email from a festival programmer that "My Brother's Keeper" had been selected for the festival and would be screened as part of its Shorts: Soundscapes lineup. The selection also included a Q&A screening and an invitation to DOC NYC Pro, a week of workshop programming and networking events for those included in the festival. "My Brother's Keeper" premiered at DOC NYC on Nov. 11, after being removed from its online platforms to be screened in person at the festival. Barrera's parents, the two siblings involved in production, and her younger brother featured in the film all attended its premiere. "I'd only watched this film on a laptop. Like the biggest was maybe a monitor," Barrera said. "And so seeing it on-screen, but also having my closest friends and family with me, was such a beautiful experience. It was lovely." Following the film's success at the documentary festival, Barrera was also selected as a 2021 fellow for Still I Rise, a program that equips female filmmakers with the funds to continue their work. The initial version of "My Brother's Keeper" had a four-minute running time, but Barrera now plans to extend it to around 15 to 20 minutes. In the extended version, she hopes to include additional chapters focusing on each of her uncles, integrating their voices with that of her father. Her younger family members, she said, are excited to reprise their roles. Barrera said the festival and her glimpse into the world of professional documentary filmmaking furthered her interest in the genre. She plans to continue lending these poetic and political angles to personal stories and looks forward to seeing where this niche will take her films in the future. "I was able to go to these panels and [see] people who are actually doing it, and [learn] more about what it means to be an independent documentary filmmaker," Barrera said. "I feel this is a good time for me to explore." Staff writer Bella Pechaty can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow Spectator on Twitter @ColumbiaSpec. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.