Our lives in transit

Our Lives in Transit, is a 30-minute documentary showing life in the Dominican Republic in the aftermath of a controversial law that leaves over 200,000 people doubting their own identity.

Rosa Iris is a young and determined lawyer; we experience a year in her life as she fights for the rights of her community.

There is a huge threat over her and others in her position. She is no longer allowed to call the country she was born in, home. ID documents are being confiscated, buses are picking up anyone without proof of who they are and deportations have started.

Despite living in the Dominican Republic all their lives, Dominicans of Haitian Descent face daily discrimination, sometimes violent. Because their parents or grandparents were born in next door Haiti, but mainly because they are black.

This story of migration and nationality, rejection and belonging resonates with people all over the world. Identity and integration have never been so relevant, as we face a global crisis over who has the right to live where, how communities form and who we are.

  • Sofia Olins
    Director
  • Ann Hernandez
    Producer
  • Isi Gonzalez
    Editor
  • Victor Garcia
    Direction of photography
  • Dominique Telemaque
    Direction of photography
  • DR Drones
    Aerial Camera
  • Irvin Leonardo Deschamps Rosario
    Sound recordist
  • Juan Peralta
    Sound recordist
  • Ronald Rouch
    Sound recordist
  • Ernesto Paredano
    Voice over sound facilities
  • Laura Quintana Soms
    First production assistant
  • Zulema Cadenas
    Production assistants
  • Paula Nieto
    Production assistants
  • Eleanor Gomes
    Assistants
  • Marcelo Hinojosa
    Assistants
  • Chiara Bertele
    Assistants
  • Mireia Recasens
    Assistants
  • Maria Luisa Ferro
    Assistants
  • Lucia Lopez
    Assistants
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Vidas en tránsito
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Human Rights, Dominican Republic, Latin America, Afro-descendants, statelessness, Minority rights
  • Runtime:
    31 minutes 3 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 31, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Dominican Republic
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Premiere screening, Q&A and music performance for documentary “Our lives in transit”
    London
    United Kingdom
    March 31, 2016
    United Kingdom premiere
  • ‘Our Lives in Transit’ – Film screening and Q&A in Madrid
    Madrid
    Spain
    April 5, 2016
    Spain premiere
Director Biography - Sofia Olins

Sofia worked in fiction film, TV and advertising for almost 15 years as an Assistant Director. She moved into documentary 10 years ago, completing a Masters at Goldsmiths in 2008. Her interest is in documentaries that use humour and beauty to create engagement in social issues. She strives to represent in a way that avoids victimisation and celebrates universal human traits. She has taught at the NFTS, founded Cinderella Productions, where she wrote/directed three theatre plays and was given a “Leader for London” award at Houses of Parliament.

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