El Bastón — trailer
Filmmaker Nemo Allen Maldonado travels to war-torn Cauca, Colombia, to witness the struggle of the Indigenous Nasa — and finish his recently deceased mother’s incomplete documentary.
We meet the Guardia Indígena, armed only with the titular batons, who defend their community amidst the world’s longest running civil war. We follow Nemo as he reconciles his grief and, in the face of complex danger, realizes why his mother risked her life all those years ago.
15 min.
Directed, produced, shot, & edited by Nemo Allen.
El Bastón played at SXSW, DOC NYC, and SIFF.
The film also won a Student Award from the National Board of Review, and was shortlisted for a Student BAFTA.
A Lamu Coal Plant — in production
In the summer of 2019, Kenya's Supreme Court halted plans to construct the country’s first-ever coal plant. Located near the 14th century settlement of Lamu, Kenya’s oldest continually inhabited town and a World Heritage Site, the proposed plant has been met with fierce opposition from local activist groups. They fear the coal-fired plant will bring the end of Lamu by devastating the marine ecosystem on which the community depends.
Chim | Bird — in production
Chim | Bird explores an unusual way humans cling desperately to nature amongst the ever-enclosing urban environment of Hanoi. In the last decade, the once-buried subculture of songbird competitions has exploded in popularity. Men all over the city gather at bird cafés, set their birds in the sun, and watch them for hours, judging whose bird has the sweetest voice. Raising these birds require meticulous care and dedication, even love.
Fanciful as it all sounds, the practice comes at a price. These creatures are, after all, caged prisoners, unable to fly. Is holding one’s love captive love at all? Have we caged ourselves in cement?
Behind a Good Song
How will musicians survive in the age of streaming?
Behind a Good Song, winner of Best Musical Short at the 2017 NYC Chain Film festival, follows Signature Sounds, an independent, self-described “blue collar” Massachusetts record label as they strike for silver, and occasionally lift their artists to gold, only to be left behind.
28 min.
Co-directed, produced, filmed, & edited with Oskar Peacock
Please contact nemoallen@gmail.com for password if you wish to view!