If a short film is simply the portrayal of a moment in its characters' life, the choice of this particular moment by Miranda Manziano exhibits uniqueness and originality of thought. Velour opens on a note of calmness; it's morning and a woman sleeps in her pristinely white bed, wrinkled enough only to reveal the presence of its occupant. However, this sense of tranquility is disturbed, before the viewer becomes too comfortable, by the protagonist's screams into her pillow. It is important to spend time allowing this image to sink in as the perfect harbinger of what's to come - a sincere engagement with trauma and the manner in which it comes to affect the life of someone who grapples with it on a daily basis. After the emptiness and the silence of her house, Valentina is introduced to the viewer as being a senior professional in a fashion house, a woman who is quite the opposite of what they might have been led to assume so far. This juxtaposition is especially interesting for it will serve to accentuate and amplify the sentiment and series of events that are about to follow. The protagonist's struggle to overcome a traumatic experience of a sexual assault leads her to a dominatrix, Velour, introducing the audience to the premise of the film. Through the controlled interactions of its characters, the short film presents a relevant engagement with trauma, mental health, sexual violence, and progress just when things seem too bleak. While growth and recovery might not follow a linear trajectory, there is indeed something to be said about the hope and motivation to never give in, to forever keep pushing instead of succumbing to the darkness, and it is in this reminder that the film acquires all its power, foregrounding the experience of a survivor who is more than what her trauma often threatens to reduce her to, and who is perhaps finally on the path of overcoming and vanquishing the darkness within once and for all.

Velour | Short Film of the Day

The documentary film is an account of the Soul Summit that has been taking place in Brooklyn since 2002. Though the frequency of its occurrence has dwindled since its inception close to two decades ago, the statement it aims to make is loud and clear - to be a safe haven for Black and queer expression. As dance, music and spirituality get intertwined in this space where all identities are not only welcomed, but also celebrated, the narrative further takes us into first hand experiences of the Summit attendees. Additionally, it manages to be an insightful glimpse into a realm that is marked by its independence of voice and the assertion of a coloured landscape in a gentrified neighbourhood. There is also the endeavour to engage with culture appropriation, the demand for a rightful space often denied to people of colour and minorities and the ease that is intrinsic to such an event or physical area, where people are truly allowed to be who they are, away from a world of oppression of several forms. At the heart of the film, thus, also lies an implicit plea to nurture and preserve these identities, especially in a world where conversations around race, sexuality and identity are increasingly making their presence felt. However it is presented employing a tone which is not despondent or aggressive, but instead one that involves art, celebration, hope and above all, sincerity and honesty.

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