helen peña
786.419.1111
helenmanifests@gmail.com
director,  production designer, programmer
download CV 


Directorial Work



Blue Longing

Two star-crossed queer lovers escape apocalypse and maroon in the bottom of the ocean. An amorphous becoming and unbecoming takes place as they meet each other in the opaque depths.

Film, 4 minutes, single-channel installation, stereo sound, 16mm-to-digital.

To support the project and watch the film please contact helenmanifests@gmail.com. 


Irresistible 
(In development)



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. 

          


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. 








Made with love,
In Community