Respira, There is More To Do

Originally made for in Brownsville, TX for the ACTIVATING VACANCY ARTS INCUBATOR 24 HOUR FILM RACE: DAY IN THE LIFE.

With the the question posed to participants as a starting point, "What is the most interesting to you about Brownsville? Is it a person or place? How can you tell their story?" With a limited amount of time I set out to do what I know best, which is to get on the bus and go. I wanted to answer the question by capturing the tediousness of public transportation in order to simply survive in a city that not always addresses the needs and wants of everyone. The growth of Brownsville is good and bad. It creates a false sense of inclusivity, under the pretense that such economic growth is for the good of all, while failing to address the needs of people who have more pressing matters to take care of (liking having food or a roof over their head, or navigating a country that imposes barriers to undocumented individuals) than getting excited about a new H&M, Applebees or who will be headlining the Jazz Festival downtown. I wanted to challenge the viewer by bringing them on a journey that allows them to explore their own thoughts on progress in the time it takes for someone to catch a bus and go.

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Selected Audio from: "Poverty In Rural America" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (1965)
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Music adapted by Jose Colon-Uvalles, from "Roland JP8000 SEQUENCE.mp3" by gmegas on Freesound.org, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License.