Flores del Otro Patio

In the Colombian Caribbean, a group of queer activists practice a militancy that challenges heteropatriarchal norms while engaging in other causes to collectively fight against the various social injustices that plague the region. When the management of the country's largest coal mine announces a press conference to promote the development of mining, the group prepares to carry out a denunciatory performative action that is resolutely queer.

Masked activists embellished in sequins, glitter and jewels join forces to protest against the coal mining company, and its failures to protect the environment and citizens. 

A spectacle in itself, the disruption of a press conference calls attention to the performative nature of public declarations of so-called progress as claimed by officials, while they ignore the very real results of the violence and pain caused by their actions. 

How can joy and desire co-exist amongst destruction? A space of freedom for queer expression, the club might also become a radical space for transformation and action. The activists utilise this space to encourage partygoers to join the protests, proclaiming that “the Ranchería River has its own rights!”, and is not to be found at the mercy of the coal mine.

Tensions rise in the wake of the group's actions, and anxieties begin to form. Courage might be found behind an adorned mask and in the company of others.

Natasha Thembiso Ruwona

Director filmography: The Jarariju Sisters (2018), El Cuento de Antonia (2016)