There’s no better time than the present to document (cautiously) how the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting communities of color, and there’s no one better suited to do so then us. Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa is urging us to join her in documenting “this urgent moment in which the #COVID19 pandemic brings to surface our deepest structural problems and the inequality that defines our societies.”
Costa, who most recently earned an Oscar nomination for her explosive political documentary The Edge of Democracy, took to Twitter to ask her followers to document their day-to-day life, including “what’s going on with your family, your community, your neighborhood and your city,” and submit their work. Costa plans to compile all footage and create a “mosaic with different views of the world, to try to make sense of this pandemic.”
There’s a few more steps to follow once you submit your video, such as offering personal information and agreement for licensing. And know that Costa is not asking anyone to leave their homes, “But, if you really have to leave, please film.” All of the information is available on Costa’s thread so be sure to check it out if you want to help.
Titled Dystopia, Costa’s new project looks to follow her interest in capturing real-life through the lens of nonfiction filmmaking. Whether taking her own life story as in Elena (2012) or Brazil’s tumultuous political moment as in The Edge of Democracy, the Brazilian documentarian is well-armed to take on the dizzying present we all find ourselves living.