helen peña
786.419.1111
helenmanifests@gmail.com
786.419.1111
helenmanifests@gmail.com
Directorial Work
Irresistible
(In development)
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A burnt-out activist fighting to protect their sinking city is visited by the spirit of Black feminist writer Toni Cade Bambara. Currently in development, Irresistible is a magical realist short narrative drama set in a fictional Southern town. To support the project and watch the teaser please contact helenmanifests@gmail.com.
When Angels Speak of Love
A ritual portrait of a Miami woman as she grieves her sister’s passing and prepares for new life in Clearwater, FL. Premiered at Third Horizon Film Festival.
El Compromiso
As the Dominican state works to complete a border wall, Haitians and Dominicans in the Batey Las Ceja gather to honor the misterios, Lwa and ancestors that have kept them alive across generations.
The Siren
The Siren is a cautionary bedtime story about a Black mermaid living in the polluted Biscayne bay. Inspired by water spirits depicted across the African diaspora such as Yemaya, La Siren, and Mami Wata, the mermaid protagonist is a hypnotizing creature that has surfaced from the depths of the ocean to awaken us. She is an ancestor who has jumped off slave ships and reincarnated as mermaid to remind us of ourselves and of our potential.
Watch here.