KPU grad launches documentary sharing the stories of 3 Latina women
Nicole Gonzalez Filos’ documentary was screened at the Vancouver International Film Centre
The women at the center of Nicole Gonzalez Filo's documentary. (Submitted/Rachel De Freitas)
Editor’s note: Nicole Gonzalez Filos, who was interviewed for this article, was a previous editor in chief for The Runner. The Runner acknowledges and has taken steps to prevent conflicts of interest or potential bias from influencing the article.
The Tales of Our Resilience showcasing the resilience of Latina women was screened at the Vancouver International Film Centre earlier this month.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University journalism alumna Nicole Gonzalez Filos produced the documentary through funding from the Social Impact Grant for Youth Program by Latincouver. Funded also by Canada Service Corps, the $5,000 grant can be used for projects promoting social impact in Canada.
“The documentary … is about Latin American women who have emigrated to British Columbia and are in the process of restarting their career,” says Gonzalez Filos, who produced the documentary through The Aguacate Media, a company she founded.
“It’s really a story about resilience and not giving up on pursuing your dreams and your aspirations in your career.”
As Gonzalez Filos watched skilled immigrants arrive in Canada and struggle to be what they were back in their home countries, she felt inspired to create the documentary.
“I wanted to focus on the Latin communities, especially women, because I find there are so many stories that I think need to be told,” she says. “I wanted to pursue the idea of how women are persevering, and how they will do what they need to do in order to be where they want and become [the] people that they want [to be].”
Gonzalez Filos wanted to highlight the Latin community because they’re often not represented in the media.
“I really wanted to highlight my community, highlight the perseverance that we go through, the challenges, and how we can overcome them,” she says.
Gonzalez Filos researched the credentialing process, which varies from career to career, she says, while making the documentary.
The documentary follows three different women in three different phases of this process. One person was interviewed before entering the process, another was interviewed during the process, and the last one interviewed had completed the process, Gonzalez Filos says.
“It took five months for the documentary to be completed as I started in October,” she says, adding that research, reaching out to those interested in participating in the documentary, filming, and editing made up this process.
“I think the most interesting part about making a documentary is the process of collaboration. Even though I am producing, directing, then editing the documentary, it’s always really fun and nice when you get to collaborate with other people.”
It’s important to have documentaries because they narrate society’s problems and issues by interviewing people who have gone through those obstacles, she says. This also helps with resonation and connection with those experiences.
“I find that documentaries are the diary of individuals who have so many stories that nobody has told and are open to sharing those stories. Documentaries are a way for viewers to take a glance into somebody’s struggles, challenges, and how they were able to overcome them.”
Gonzalez Filos hopes people take away the perseverance and resilience of immigrants who work hard to create a stable and comfortable life in a new country from her documentary. She is also aiming to create more documentaries in the future, and says The Aguacate Media is always open to documentary ideas.
The Tales of Our Resilience is available on The Aguacate Media’s YouTube channel.
