Juliana Tafur, Documentary Filmmaker & Owner, Orkidea Production Company



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Transcript

Rosanna Catalano  0:04 

This is The Floridaville, Get to know the people behind the Florida names you know, I'm your host Rosanna Catalano. On this episode we get to know filmmaker Juliana Tafur. She has spent her life's work telling people's stories, but her own life story is quite powerful. She's currently in the middle of a virtual film tour for her new documentary film, List(e)n.

 

We're recording remotely today rather than in our podcast recording studio. I'm in my home in Tallahassee and our guest today is Juliana Tafur who is speaking to us from her mom's home in Miami, Florida. Welcome to the show.

 

Juliana Tafur  0:52 

I love it from my mom's home. It was the only way to get you know, an hour of silence, since I do have two little ones. And we're all quarantined in the house. So this is where I'm at.

 

Rosanna Catalano  1:06 

You are a TV director, filmmaker and content creator, you run your own production company, in our new normal of social distancing. How are you coping? Because storytelling is all about connecting with people.

 

Juliana Tafur  1:19 

Hmm. Yeah, you're right, that storytelling is all about connecting with people. And, I mean, I went into this industry because I love connecting with people. So it's certainly not easy to be away from people and to not be able to have the possibility to cover those stories, at least as we were used to. I know I've seen some very creative folks just you know, beginning to do things by asking people to record themselves on their phones and and editing that and I guess as an industry, we're going to have to see where we move forward from here, right? How we can make the best of this because I don't know for how much longer we can go without producing content. So that's where I'm at right now I'm trying to figure out how to make the best out of this situation. And what's exciting about this, if you could see a silver lining in the midst of the chaos is that I've had a chance to, you know, go virtual with a film tour that I have going on which I know we're going to get into the film in a little bit, but and virtually, that gives you a lot of possibilities because I'm able to bring some of my film participants on board which before I couldn't do, as I traveled to, you know, universities and went to various organizations, I couldn't just, you know, expense everyone who I would have liked to bring on and the other option that gives me is reaching more people and then splitting them into breakout rooms and then having experts in the fields of psychology and listening Hop in to help me mediate the conversations. So, right now I'm trying to focus on what I can control and the silver lining of what that's given me as far as the virtual film tour that I'm on.

 

Rosanna Catalano  3:13 

All very exciting things, but a new normal that we all have to adjust to. I'm excited about your latest documentary film titled, List(e)n. But before we get to that, I was hoping you would take us back a bit in your life so that we can understand why you chose to get involved with the List(e)n project and how it came to be. Can you tell me where you were born? And what your home life was like growing up?

 

Juliana Tafur  3:37 

Sure. I'm Colombian. I grew up in Cali, Colombia, and I lived there till I was 15.  At 15 I moved to the U.S. and with you know, my mom, dad and younger brother, and after spending, you know, several years here, nine years here, I went to live in Brazil and now I'm back in the U.S.  But my whole life growing up, I mean, I'm the product of again, like you were saying earlier about your background, very, you know, lively childhood with a big family.  I have only two siblings, but I come from, you know, big family. My mom's side has eight children. My dad's side has eight children. So I have many aunts and uncles and many cousins. So that's the life I knew growing up. It was surrounded by lots of little cousins and older cousins and, you know, loving aunts and uncles and at 15 that changed when we moved to the U.S. We, you know, didn't have all that support anymore. But thankfully in the U.S., we did have cousins of my dad, who were able to become our new family. And that was really nice because that was all I knew. Just family support. And family love.

 

Rosanna Catalano  5:01 

Where did you attend high school?

 

Juliana Tafur  5:03 

I graduated high school in Maryland. I graduated from a high school called Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland on the outskirts of Washington D.C. And I went to Northwestern for college.

 

Rosanna Catalano  5:18 

I know you received a Coca-Cola scholarship to go to college, at Northwestern. Can you explain to our listeners what a Coca-Cola Scholar is and what that means to you?

 

Juliana Tafur  5:28 

Yeah, well, a Coca-Cola Scholar is someone who is deeply devoted to making an impact in the world. A Coca-Cola Scholar is someone who also has, you know, achieved good grades in high school. And it's a very selective group of people who get chosen to be part of the Coca-Cola Scholars family, I would say because it's a family. You know, this well Ro because you are also a Coca-Cola Scholar.  What it means to me,  it's meant a wonderful network of people who have been there for me throughout the years, who have mentored me, who have guided me, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has also supported me. Now that I'm out with my film, they've been incredibly supportive in promoting, thankfully my work and I'm very grateful that they connected with my mission. And we recently did another podcast for the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and as well as a virtual film tour screening with all the scholars. So it's just, it's meant a lot to be a Coca-Cola Scholar, and I did not imagine that that would be the case when I was you know, 17 applying to the scholarship, which I knew was prestigious, but I just didn't really realize the implications and everything that it would come to me in my life until later.

 

Rosanna Catalano  6:47 

That's wonderful. It means a lot to me, as well and I'm so glad that the Coca-Cola Scholars network has brought us together. When you went to Northwestern University, what did you study?

 

Juliana Tafur  6:59 

I studied journalism and history at Northwestern, I always knew I wanted to be a filmmaker. At that time, I thought it was going to be a journalist, but I wanted to cover the stories that I'm covering now as a filmmaker. So eventually, I realized that it wasn't filmmaking and documentary making, that I was going to be able to, you know, have a bigger impact with the content that I produced. And that's what drove me to to documentaries and but initially, the mission of, you know, being able to use journalism or you know, communications as a way to to reach people and address some of the most pressing issues of our time was always there. And then the history I wanted to learn, like the ways of life of people and not so much you know, old history but contemporary history and I've always been very curious about the way people are and behave and lives and and that gave me that great background. Also so that I could have, say a sub specialty. So I was able to graduate with, with two degrees from Northwestern. And my concentration within history was the Middle East and Africa, out of all regions, because I came from Latin America. And you know, living in the U.S., I felt like, I knew this part of the world, but I didn't know very much the Middle East or in Africa. And it was fascinating to be able to get that concentration and to actually go live in Egypt and study abroad there and learn Arabic. And I mean, that took me into documentary filmmaking actually, because I was able to work with refugees from all over Africa and learn about their stories. And that prompted me to go back and cover their stories. And by doing that, I realized that the impact was in documentary filmmaking. So a little bit of a you know, how it's all connected.

 

Rosanna Catalano  8:55 

How did you come to work with the refugees?

 

Juliana Tafur  8:58 

Well by being there, I was, I was really curious about, you know, the refugee communities there because there's a big refugee community. What's interesting is I came to the U.S. as a political asylum in 2000. To me, it was fascinating how, you know, we are similar in a way, you know, under completely different realities. And, and that really drove me to connect with them from this level of, you know, really your life is shaped by your life experiences, but also by where you are in life, right. I mean, I was lucky to come to the US. They were not so lucky to go to Egypt. And that's why I connected with them because Egypt had promised them like by law, they were promised all these rights. And in fact, when they got there, they couldn't exercise those rights. And that's what the film came to be, it was called rightful yet right less. And it talked exactly about that, about how, you know, under Egyptian law, they were actually not granted the rights they were supposed to be granted and they were practically living in limbo.

 

Rosanna Catalano  10:14 

Wow. You know, you've spent this time in Egypt. You've spent time in Peru, North Dakota, Colombia, Chicago, and other places for your work. What kind of perspective do you gain from not remaining in the same geographical location?

 

Juliana Tafur  10:32 

All the perspectives? Right? I mean, there isn't anything that gives you more perspective than traveling and seeing a different way of life and being able to connect with people that you would have never had a chance to connect with. And I can speak to, you know, living in in Brazil, after Northwestern and after working in Chicago for a while I went to live in Brazil, and I started a production Anthony there, and I was able to, you know, do a series for at first National Geographic that took me all over Latin America. And it was incredible. The places that I was able to go to and the things that I was able to cover, you know, from kind of the highlands in Bolivia and Cusco and Peru and Guatemala City, and Colombia, and just so many places, and you know, Brazil, within, you know, several different cities of Brazil. And what that gives you is, is life, right? I mean, when you understand the way that other people live, and why they believe what they believe. It really makes your life richer, you're able to emerge with a wider perspective about the world. That's why we're here, right?

 

Rosanna Catalano  11:53 

Absolutely.  After working for several entities, you founded your own production company. For those of us unfamiliar with your industry, can you explain to us what a production company does?

 

Juliana Tafur  12:05 

Sure, a production company can, you know do many things as far as series films commercials, I have focused on, you know, documentaries that's been kind of my specialty, nonfiction, and storytelling. I'm a content director. So I focus on how to, you know, put together the best possible story and the best possible characters to drive a narrative and to share a compelling story and ultimately, drive an important message right, and my production company or production companies in general, specialize in, you know, doing content, sometimes for networks directly, sometimes for individuals who have an idea and want to get it out in the world and or campaign. And that's what I've been focusing on mostly now. It's, you know, yes, the possibility of, you know, doing my own film was incredible. And I was able to go out and do it with my production company and under my production company, in partnership with another company that I created to be able to do it. That is now filmmakers collective that I wish to, you know, grow and kind of the years to come as well so that I can help other producers and directors with ideas of impact get out in the world. And then under my production company, I also consult for discovery networks. I've been, you know, on the Discovery network side as a supervising producer and I now act as content consultant. So I do that under my company as well. I can oversee series and I oversee the contents of series of producers doing this series for discovery so very much involved in the editorial side of things. And kind of from development of a story all the way to its completion and kind of all the stages and reviews that that requires in the middle. And in addition, I recently did a campaign which was connected to Women's History Month, which I actually did it for a commissioner of Miami-Dade. Her name is Daniella Levine Cava. You may know her and she's been in politics for a while and Daniela commissioned, you know, a series of shorts where we profiled exemplary women who are in different fields and are really just pioneers and the outcome of that is a five out of five minutes or four to five minute shorts of that we're now trying to figure out where we're going to place them because we had a exhibit planned at the library at the main library in downtown Miami and obviously that changed because of Coronavirus, but that's also part of what we do we, you know, are now vested in putting out content that has impact in all of its forms, whether it's a film, or a short web series, or whether it's, you know, independent productions or networks.

 

COMMERCIAL  15:25 

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Rosanna Catalano  15:44 

Your production company has a unique name can you tell us about it?

 

Juliana Tafur  15:49 

Yeah, it's called Orkidea films or Acadia films came into being in 2009 when I was going to move from Chicago where I was working and documentaries to Brazil. And I wanted a name that could be used across languages especially because I was going to Brazil and so I needed it to work in Portuguese and then I wanted it to work in Spanish also because I knew I was going to be traveling in the Americas and obviously I wanted it to work in English and it was a name that could be pronounced the same kind of Arcadia across all three languages and, and the initial inspiration for it is orchid is Colombia's national flower and I love orchids or cadia with a qu is the name of the flower in Spanish. So I changed that to the K so that it would work and that's how our kiddo was born. And I do like to play with with words and have names that are a little bit unusual too, so that people remember them.

 

Rosanna Catalano  16:53 

Great name. How did you make the decision to start your own production company?

 

Juliana Tafur  17:00 

Well, I was working in Chicago and I have done multiple projects for discovery history and Amy. And my now husband, Ben fiance, at the time, had lived in Brazil for several years before we met at Northwestern. And he was eager to go back to Brazil. And by coincidence, my sister was also living there. So, and we were, you know, in our 20s, while I was in my 20s, and we said, You know what, let's do it. Why don't wait, and we went to Brazil. And that's how the production company was born, it was born out of a need to reinvent myself and to go out to a new country and start something you know, slowly but surely, you know, one production led to another and I was very grateful to be doing things for NatGeo for a series called taboo across four seasons, nine stories. And then from there on, I went to work for Discovery on three series where I acted as executive producer and content director and got a chance to, you know, learn a lot and do a lot and, and that eventually, you know, prompted me to, like when I moved to Miami, we made a life decision to come back and discovery was here. So it was very convenient because I ended up working directly for them.

 

Rosanna Catalano  18:26 

Last week, I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in a special screening of your documentary movie, List(e)n, and really enjoyed the experience. Can you share with our listeners, what your film is about?

 

Juliana Tafur  18:38 

Sure, listen brings together people who are on opposite ends of the spectrum on the topics of immigration, abortion and guns, but it does so with the intent of having them connect at a human level and transcend differences. So you know, in a time in history where we do a lot of yelling, and we're we're taught that, you know, to speak our minds, we don't do a lot of listening. And what that has done is that it's brewed hatred. And it's, you know, further emphasized our divides. So I wanted to do something about this. And I set out to find the best participants who could take us through their stories, deeply personal stories that were connected to the issues, and in what became a social experiment, have them try to connect at a human level, although I didn't know that that was going to be possible. Thankfully, it was possible and two out of the three cases, and I was able to have the film that I had envisioned,

 

Rosanna Catalano  19:43 

How did you determine who would be featured in your movie?

 

Juliana Tafur  19:47 

I did a lot of interviews. The process of casting for the film took about two months. I was I reached out originally to multiple organizations that were connected to the issues. And from there, I interviewed multiple people and one person led me to the other until I finally found kind of the six participants that would make my three sets across these issues. I was looking for people who were open to at least having a conversation. I didn't tell them that, you know, they had to go out of the experience transformed, because none of them would have done it. But at least I was looking for people who weren't so angry that they couldn't listen that they couldn't sit to talk. I think that was my prerequisites and finding them and then deeply, deeply personal stories. So I have a survivor from you know, the Parkland, Florida school shooting. I have on the other side, someone who is an owner of an online portal for selling and trading firearms. On the immigration side. I have an immigrant who's from Syrian descent came to the U.S. legally and an undocumented immigrant who has temporary protective status till this day in the U.S., who's you know a "dreamer. " She's also an attorney in the state of Florida. Until this day, she is just on TPS status or till this day she's still just with TPS status. On the abortion or pro-life, pro-choice side, I have, you know, two ladies who both underwent abortions, one regretted it and the other one didn't. And they each have their reasons for believing what they believe so, so it's really just wonderful to have kind of these varied personalities with different perspectives come together and see what happens when they get to truly hear each other out and get to know one another and connect from the humanity that they share.

 

Rosanna Catalano  21:53 

You discuss some very touchy emotional subjects in your movie as you've stated abortion guns Immigration? How did you determine that these were going to be the topics that you were going to focus on? I guess I'm what I'm trying to say is did the topics come first and the participants come later or vice versa.

 

Juliana Tafur  22:16 

I had these three topics among the list of four topics that I was willing to kind of explore and cast for. And whichever three topics filled out first, like the three topics that I found the participants that were perfect for the experience, for first, were the ones that weren't going to go, we were going to go with rights that we were going to film. The other issue that I was considering I was considering the possibility of doing someone you know, who's a supporter of LGBTQ rights and someone who just doesn't understand that and I was considering that option as well since that has, you know, very deeply personal stories and these three things came together, immigration, abortion and guns came together before that one came together. So when that happened, I said, okay, we're ready to get out and record.

 

Rosanna Catalano  23:10 

The name of your movie, List(e)n has parentheses around the "E." Can you tell us what that means?

 

Juliana Tafur  23:15 

Yeah, it doesn't really mean anything graphically, I did it because I wanted the E to come at the end of because my my whole title kind of flips in the intro. And I wanted the E to come at the end and to be emphasized, so if anything, it's a way to emphasize the importance of listening. What's interesting is that it sparks conversation, because people don't really like, can't figure it out. So it's a question I get all the time and it's nice because people don't forget it. And it also sets me apart from other "Listens" out there because there are other "Listens" out there.

 

Rosanna Catalano  23:55 

Without giving too much away about your movie. Can you share with us a moment from your film that caused you, yourself to be surprised?

 

Juliana Tafur  24:03 

Well, Hmm, I would say I'm not really surprised by anything these days, to be honest, but I went out not knowing what was gonna happen with my participants because they're real people with real life experiences. I didn't dissipate for at least one of the experiences not to go as the others. So that didn't really surprise me. I think what surprised me the most yes without giving too much away was like the connection that was forged in the pro-life, pro-choice set and how they were able to kind of be there for each other from the pain that they had both experienced and connect deeply. When they stopped judging and when they started just hearing and being there for each other. I had wanted for that to happen, but I had not expected to happen. I mean, yes, it was my vision. But when it happened the way it did, I think I was shocked, especially because they were very hesitant and resistant. So it's beautiful when they do when they do come to terms, and it really has been kind of one of the highlights of my career. And every time I watch it, and I see that deep connection, and so it really inspires me, and I hope it inspires others as well. But this is indeed possible that we can connect despite our differences, right because we weren't setting out to change their perceptions on these issues. I just wanted them to put the hatred and pull around. aside and be able to connect. And it happened. It was amazing moment in the movie,

 

Rosanna Catalano  26:08 

Directors usually have a clear sense of how they want the story in the movie to be told. You know, a director sees the movie in her head and that vision determines everything else from the tone and style to how the footage is gathered. How does directing change when it is in this format, a non-fictional movie intended to document reality?

 

Juliana Tafur  26:33 

It changes in that you have to go with the flow. You have to know when to intervene. When to let the story play out in front of you. You also have to know what to do at a moment's notice if you know you get rained out. And that actually happened to me in in making the film we I was setting out I don't recall with which set of participants we were setting out to go to a park to have, you know, deeply personal encounter, and we were rained out. And when that happened, I very quickly turned to something that I had been wanting to do in the film that I hadn't really planned for, for that set of participants that day, which was taking them to an art shop where they could do their own paintings and reflect through painting, what they had experienced or why they felt so deeply about the issue. And I was able to pivot find an art job that was open that took us in like right there and then and did it and it works so well with my first set of participants that I ended up taking the second set of participants back to the same shop and doing the same experience. So I included it as part of say, you know the format, and I'm happy I did because through art, they were able to break the eyes and begin to connect.

 

Rosanna Catalano  28:00 

What advice do you have for listeners interested in getting into the documentary film world? What are some of the steps they should take?

 

Juliana Tafur  28:08 

That's an interesting question. I don't think there's a, you know, direct route anywhere with filmmaking, and I don't know if that's the case with other industries, there's just so many ways to roam. Let's see, I would say for people interested in going into documentary filmmaking. First, they need to know that it's a career that you follow if you're truly passionate about what you're doing and what you're covering, because it requires an immense amount of perseverance, all the way from either finding financing for your film and seeing it through production and making sure that your vision holds true and then Through the edits, making sure that what you set out to accomplish, you're actually accomplishing and that you're also being fair to the participants with what you promised and having a final product that goes out to the world. And then you need to market and then you need to, you know, go to festivals with and then you need to do a film tour for and find distribution. And it's a lengthy process that has so much work when it comes to documentary filmmaking. If you want to go into documentaries in the network side, you can always obviously approach a network and, and try to work network side which is something that I've also done. So for me, it's been kind of a happy marriage, to be able to make both things and to have one foot on the network world and one foot on the independent world. I think that's given me options. And I was able to produce a listen and edit listen and go out with listen. While I was still, you know, consultants for discovery, I would say part-time. So yeah,  a lot of steps.

 

Rosanna Catalano  30:21 

We all know money makes the world go round. Can you explain to us how you raise funds to make films and kind of lift the curtain a bit on that process?

 

Juliana Tafur  30:30 

Sure. It's not easy. Oh my god. So for List(e)n, I was going to networks and I was trying to sell it as as a serious idea. And I realized that I didn't want the content to be affected like I wanted to be able to tell the story of the coming together. I didn't want to do another sensational story of people fighting. I was completely post to that, right? I wasn't going to be like a medium to that, or for that to happen. So I realized quickly that I have to do it independently to be able to tell the story that I wanted to tell how I wanted to tell it. I began, you know, saying to myself to my husband to anyone, I could say that I needed an investor, I was like, I need an investor, I need an investor, need an investor to make this happen. And the investor came, like, I can't explain it. It's more than that. It was the forces of nature aligning with my project and with the mission. Thankfully, you know, I was able to share the project with someone who was deeply interested and who identified deeply with it and who saw the importance of it and he came on board.  We created you know, Story Powerhouse, which is the incubator company that I was telling you about, for the creation of films with impact with that mission and List(e)n is the first of several projects that I hope to do under Story Powerhouse that, you know, bring light to some of the most pressing issues of our time to make us all, you know, see things from a different light. I think that's my mission, right, opening, you know people's hearts and minds to some of these issues and challenging the status quo a little bit.

 

Rosanna Catalano  32:29 

If someone wanted to see your movie, List(e)n, what should they do?

 

Juliana Tafur  32:33 

Well, I am on this virtual film tour, which I'm really excited about because, as I said earlier, it allows me to share the power of listening, showcase the film, and then have people go through experiences where they get to assess their curiosity, the courage that it takes to listen and whether they're willing to do it, and the benefits that come out of that, as well as assess empathy as a whole and what empathy has brought to their lives and if there have been moments where people have been able to connect with them from a deep place of I understand where you're coming from, right? So people can go to listencourageously.com or listencourageously.org. I have both domains. That's what we're on. That's the mission to take this to as many institutions and organizations as we can and an even corporate there may be some companies that can benefit from this as well especially in the kind of leadership circles and and governments as well. Right? So as we train staff and realize the importance of, of coming together of being more impartial Being more impartial, right?

 

Rosanna Catalano  34:01 

Absolutely. We like to end our show with a little fun by asking all our guests the same seven questions. What would people be surprised to know about you?

 

Juliana Tafur  34:17 

I don't know. I mean, maybe they'd be surprised to know that what I shared earlier, which I don't share very much that. No, I came to the U.S. as a political asylee when I was 15 years old. People don't know that about me.

 

Rosanna Catalano  34:35 

I didn't know that about you.  When you have guests in town, where's your favorite place to take them?

 

Juliana Tafur  34:44 

I would say since I'm live in Miami, I'd love to take people to Pine Crest Gardens. It's a park that's close to my house and it's just beautiful. It has little, you know, paths of all over and green and fish.  It is a place where I go to connect with nature and they often have activities on the weekends as well. And it's great for kids. They have a playground and a petting zoo. And it's just, it's got it all.

 

Rosanna Catalano  35:18 

What is the name of a book you recently read that you could not put down or the name of a show you enjoyed binge watching?

 

Juliana Tafur  35:28 

Oh Ro.  I have to think about this one. Ah, ah.Okay. So that would have to be a book. And it's a book called a New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.

 

Rosanna Catalano  35:43 

Among your close family and friends. What are you best known for?

 

Juliana Tafur  35:48 

Do you want a funny answer?

 

Rosanna Catalano  35:52 

I'll take whatever you got.

 

Juliana Tafur  35:55 

What am I known for?

 

Oh, what am I known for. This is so funny. This is a funny question because, I mean, can you really answer how others see you? Like, you should be asking this to my best friend, what am I best known for? I mean, it's not like I have a signature dish that I make, I would say, I mean, hoping that people think that but I would say that, you know, I'm, I'm known for, you know, being that friend that's constantly, you know, looking into kind of meditation retreats and yoga retreats and exploring with, you know, all types of New Age music and I think i think that's what they would know me as, but definitely you would have to ask them.

 

Rosanna Catalano  36:54 

Sure, I think I'm best known for being loud.  If you have a nickname, who gave it to you?

 

Juliana Tafur  37:04 

My mom gave me a nickname when I was little, and that's "Nana."

 

Rosanna Catalano  37:10 

If you knew you could not fail, what would you attempt?

 

Juliana Tafur  37:14 

I would attempt what I'm doing now. I would attempt to continue the mission of doing documentaries and films that spark change. So I am very grateful that I am where I am now. And it's required a lot of listening on my part and a lot of work and trust. It's It's not easy to follow our passions.

 

Rosanna Catalano  37:35 

What are the top three things you love about living in Florida?

 

Juliana Tafur  37:40 

The weather, the beach, and the people.

 

Rosanna Catalano  37:45 

Juliana, it's been an absolute pleasure speaking with you today.

 

Juliana Tafur  37:50 

Likewise, Ro, thank you so much for this. I really enjoyed it.  Thank you, fellow Coke Scholar.

 

Rosanna Catalano  38:02 

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