Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren E. Zubia Calsada.
Lauren, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a filmmaker born and raised in LA. My story begins with my family. I come from love, from strong women, from multi-generational homes. I come from spicy food, comforting soups, and communal kitchens. Everywhere I go, I bring a bit of them with me. In the past five years, my artistic practice has evolved just like my family.
After graduating from UC Davis, I decided to explore more of my Mexican roots and moved to Mexico City. I went from big Chicano family parties in my back yard to queer house parties in Mexico City. I worked in a communal kitchen, had photo shoots with my roomies, attended radical feminist talks and filmed quinceañeras in small towns.
I loved how free queerness is and how innately community works. I found myself meeting people, traveling, exploring, hitchhiking and living across Mexico, Costa Rica, and Argentina. I always documented, took photos, made experimental videos and collaborated with musicians, I learned how to celebrate someone’s gift by recording them to share and remember.
After moving back to LA, I broadened my professional field, co-founded a collective called Flamboient that champions worked from qtpoc and womxn artists and filmed my first budgeted short documentary series called House of Mamis.
Today, March 28, 2019, House of Mamis, a project I co-directed and edited is being celebrated at the GLAAD awards. House of Mamis is a series about a queer voguing family in Mexico City. It not only redefines queerness and vogue but it also redefines a traditional documentary series.
I hope to continue these efforts of sharing stories, breaking boundaries and creating space for queer chicanx woman in Hollywood. This is just the beginning, it begins with a family.
Has it been a smooth road?
There will always be bumps in the road. This is why I sulk in the smoothness while it is there. I am very new to the industry, however, I have already experienced negativity, distrustfulness, and unprofessionalism from the boys club of Hollywood and media. I have been excluded from meetings, manipulated into signing contracts and felt out of place.
There are some things I cannot say because of legal reasons. However, the biggest let down was the layoffs of a queer publication due to queer writer speaking up against homophobia. I was affected by the layoffs and felt like it was starting over. Other bumps in the road are as natural as life. I have experienced extreme heartache from death and illness.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Flamboient Collective – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Flamboient is a young project with a lot of potential and abundance of talented artists to showcase. We hope to become a production house, making films of all genres from storytellers that are not seen on mainstream media yet.
Each budgeted film project can be seen as a small business. I work with a team of collaborators. Our business model is an upside down pyramid, giving power to the majority. When artists are appreciated and paid sufficiently and work passionately, amazing work can be done.
I specialize in conducting interviews and experimental performance for video. This requires personable relationships with my subjects, time, food, energy and thoughtfulness. Then comes the technical part; blocking, camera work and retakes, if any.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and the least?
I love the mountains, beaches, alleyways, resilient street art, and street food.
I dislike the congestion, racist and classist design of the city.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: _flamboient and lolaboi_
Image Credit:
Ocean Vashti Jude, Alex Schmider
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
