What kindred means

A young woman relates the microaggressions that come from being mixed race in a country that automatically assumes that anyone with Black skin is an immigrant or adopted.

Often considered a visitor in her own country, Samira speaks over a single-take shot of her in her apartment. While the piece looks simple, it was anything but; shot on film, in-person, it was tricky to get the natural light and the pacing down perfectly. It’s far more ambitious than it lets on, and the result is a beautiful film with deep colors and powerful rawness. 

Coordinating the moving parts is director Dan Braga Ulvestad, who confessed, “in hindsight, going for 35mm on a shoot something like this was a bit mental. Especially being my first time with analog.” Thanks to some clever work from the DP Franz Lustig and weather predictions from his gaffer, the team at Cobblestone managed to create a very soft and sophisticated portrait of a young woman.