Private Project

The Bee - A Reflection on Women, Land, and Occupation.

This documentary follows a feminist group of women beekeepers living on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Twenty years have passed since the US Navy stopped using Vieques as a bombing range. Still, the locals continue to live through the legacy of a military that savagely displaced the population and affected the use of their land. Through an ethnographic approach, we accompany the women of the “Colmena Cimarrona” (Maroon Beehive) during one week of their work as they aim to revitalize the land via agriculture and beekeeping.

  • Nelson Varas-Díaz
    Director
  • Sheilla R. Madera
    Executive Producers
  • Mark Padilla
    Executive Producers
  • Daniel Nevárez Araújo
    Associate Producers
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    La Abeja - Una Reflexión Sobre Mujeres, Tierra, y Ocupación
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    29 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    4,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Puerto Rico
  • Country of Filming:
    Puerto Rico
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35-1
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Nelson Varas-Díaz

Dr. Nelson Varas-Díaz is a professor of social-community psychology at Florida International University’s Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies. He directed the award winning documentaries "Collapse," "The Ear," and "Acts of Resistance: Heavy Metal Music in Latin America." Together, his films have garnered 95 sets of laurels in international film festivals.

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