Papers > By author > Cervera Lorena

‘Pilas' is a 30-minute documentary film that explores issues related to gender inequality and women's poverty through the relationship between mothers and daughters who come from poor backgrounds in Colombia. Being a poor single mother is alarmingly common in Colombia, and in many other parts of the world. Their everyday battle remains unrecognized. Women from poor backgrounds are more likely to get pregnant at an early age, to raise their children alone, and to get low paid jobs. In most cases, their children won't be able to break this cycle. PILAS points its lens at a group of girls who refuse to accept this fate. 

This short documentary attempts to question assumptions about objectivity, acknowledges the mediation of the filmmaker in the historical world, and raises questions about politics of representation. I have known the subjects of this film - Isabela, Laura, Diana, Karen, and Erika - for five years. I first met them in 2014, and started observing and filming their everyday life at a music school. In 2016, they invited me to their homes and introduced me to their mothers. Then a deeper understanding unfolded. What began as an observational filmmaking journey slowly transformed into a participatory practice. In 2018, I showed the first cut of the film to the girls and their families. This approach doesn't always work but when it does, it turns the filmmaking experience into a collaboration in which boundaries are blurred and new relationships are forged. Through a feminist practice, I have also attempted to challenge gender inequality by prioritizing the participation of women not only in front but also behind the camera. Subjects and crew are all female. With them, a collaborative relationship has allowed to break with hierarchical structures and explore new forms to construct reality.