Project Spotlight: 'Motherland', How One Creator Captures Her Culture

Ariana Martinez is a first-generation hispanic filmmaker and student with her lens focused on representing women of color. Growing up in an Ecuadorian/Cuban household, Ariana’s art and media creations have always had her culture at the root. She’s deeply inspired by her mom who immigrated to the US in her 20s and through sacrifice, started a new chapter in her life. Ariana also has a film youtube channel for analysis and criticism, with one of her most notable pieces being a 34-minute video about women's anger and its depiction in prominent works of film & TV. We’re thrilled to be spotlighting Motherland, a short documentary that acts as a love letter to Ariana’s mom, to her culture, and to where her roots are. It’s a low-fi look into her family trip home to Ecuador. You’ll watch it and feel like you’re sitting next to her as she travels and experiences the country. We’re excited to share this project, keep reading to learn more about Ariana!

Why was this documentary important for you to create?
I have always felt closer to my Ecuadorian culture than my Cuban culture, as I have had the privilege to visit Ecuador many times since I was young and I speak Spanish with an Ecuadorian accent. I thought it would be nice to honor my mom and her home country that she always relishes telling me about by making a short film recorded over my 2-week vacation.

What has been your family’s reaction to this piece?
My family was very encouraging and excited about the piece. My mom shared it on Facebook and her Ecuadorian family and friends enjoyed how genuine and heartfelt the depiction of their country was.


What was it like filming this alongside your mom?
I've always picked my mom's brain and indulged in her nostalgia and sentiments, so being able to capture that artistically was very special. I want to make something much longer dedicated to my mother's life because she is without a doubt the strongest woman I know, and I want to honor her past, present, and future as much as I can.


What themes do you see recurring in your art?
If I'm being totally honest, I feel like this is something I'm still exploring. I've known for a long time that I want to explore the general theme of womanhood, but I really want to find something a bit more specific to my own voice. Other recurring themes are female relationships and existentialism. I really love examining and depicting the different dynamics among women and the general cynicism of life and death.

How does your creative filmmaking fit into your YouTube channel content? Do they ever influence each other?
I am heavily inspired by how womanhood is both felt and represented on-screen, so I tend to explore that in my filmmaking and YouTube videos. They have influenced each other; I was working on a script last year that explored female anger and I became so interested in the topic and psychology of it that I made a 34-minute video about women's anger and its depiction in film & TV.


When and why did you start making YouTube videos?
I started making videos casually about three years ago, but it wasn't very serious and I would only upload a video every now and then. It was when quarantine started in April of 2020 that I started making videos more consistently with the intention of growing a channel dedicated to film criticism.


What creators inspire you and your filmmaking? 
Guillermo Del Toro and Sally Potter are two filmmakers whose work inspires me. I really admire their artistic style and how they explore feminine roles and relationships.

Any advice for other female and nonbinary filmmakers?
Seize every opportunity and give yourself time to rest. Creating is laborious and sometimes borderline torture, so being able to balance your eagerness and work ethic with time to recharge is important. You can't expect yourself to be a creative machine 24/7. There are days, weeks, months where I physically can't sit down and work on a script. It feels too heavy to even sink into because once I start working I'm completely buried. It kills me to not be able to tap into my eagerness and passion 100% of the time. Those who feel the same shouldn't base their creative value on productivity. Focus on that passion and when it's ready to be put to work, whenever that may be, ignite it.

Follow Ariana on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/arianamartinezx/