JOY

Joy is a short film. It explores the distresses of being an immigrant woman of color in Trump's America, juxtaposed against the social courteousness one always feels complied to present.

Director's Statement

When my visa application to establish myself as a female Brazilian filmmaker in the U.S. was derailed by the Trump administration, I sank to some of my lowest lows. While I anxiously awaited approval to finally begin working again, I experienced serious and expensive health issues, an emergency surgery, and a slow recovery, all without the security, stability, or insurance through employment because of my otherness. "Joy" is my cinematic expression of that harrowing experience as well as a way to emotionally process everything I had been through. I could not be more thankful for actress Joy Sunday's heartbreaking and raw performance in delivering something I had for a long time swallowed and hidden deep inside me. Through "Joy," I was able to offer my perspective as an immigrant Latina woman striving to work and live in the current American social climate - one where, unfortunately, xenophobia, sexism and racism seem to run rampant. But that doesn't mean we can't fight it.

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