DIENA (2024)
In Central Africa, a young domestic worker waits for God to intervene.
STATUS
Complete
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Rooftop Films Summer Series
Petaluma Film Festival
Bend Film Festival
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
In February 2024, I was invited to lead a three-week multimedia intensive at the Nyundo School of the Arts and Music in Rwanda. I lived in the capital city of Kigali with a multi-generational family and Diena, their live-in Umwari, or “house helper”. I arrived at night, and saw Diena standing in the outdoor kitchen, her arms folded, cast in silhouette. It was one of the most striking images I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t shake it. Diena was reserved, but each day I got to know her a little better, and understand the relationship between her and her employers.
I am not an activist. I did not set out to make a film about domestic labor. I came to Rwanda as a filmmaker and educator. But as I spent time with Diena, it became clear that her story transcended borders, politics, and circumstance. It spoke to something more universal: imbalances of power, invisible labor, and resilience.
All parties, including Diena’s employers, agreed to participate in the film, and Diena herself retained final cut. To ensure her comfort and agency throughout the process, I worked with two Rwandan producers who served as translators and mediators. Diena was not asked to sign a release form until she viewed the film, and I was prepared to shelve the project entirely if she was uncomfortable with any part of it. In addition, we signed a profit-sharing agreement ensuring that she receives any profits the film may generate.
Some films you work really hard for. Others seem to arrive, fully-formed, without even knowing it. Diena was the latter. It was an unexpected, spontaneous convergence of trust, access, and vulnerability. And in that rare moment of openness, something beautiful happened. I’m proud of the film, and the way in which it was made. I’m grateful to Diena for allowing it, and now—in her name—may it help to advance workers’ rights and protections around the globe.
