Florencia Manovil
Filmmaker Florencia Manóvil’s critically-acclaimed Oakland web series, Dyke Central, defines her commitment to representing LGBTQ identities in a nuanced way. With an intersectional feminist approach and an eye toward social justice and environmentalism, Manóvil’s queer gaze is multifaceted; she brings the perspective of a Buenos Aires-raised transplant to the historically gay and proud Bay Area — and it’s responding to her work with grateful recognition. (East Bay Express readers voted her Best Filmmaker of the East Bay, a testament to the web series’ resonance.) The Emerson Film Studies graduate is also a mother. She’s cast her daughter, Kayen, in her second feature, Bridges, which centers queer women who rely on esoteric practices to survive and thrive in a patriarchal world. “The most rewarding aspect of my work is when someone comes up to me after a screening, or at a party, or sends a heartfelt message through the internet, letting me know how much they relate to the content I made, or that it made them think about something in a new way, or even asking me questions about the characters like they’re real people that they care deeply about,” she says. “Those are really affirming moments. In those moments it all makes sense — the sacrifices, the stress, the total solitude and madness of living inside of a screenplay for months on end and then having to cajole the world into giving you the resources to bring that to life.” —LK
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