Today we’d like to introduce you to Tania Romero.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I was born and raised in Nicaragua, and I am an award-winning documentary filmmaker, published writer/poet, and digital media instructor. My family came to the US when I was 9 and lived in Albuquerque, NM. I went to Bryn Mawr College for my undergraduate degree. Still, then I moved to Texas for my Master in media studies at the University of Texas in Austin, and I continue to passionately work as a director, cinematographer, producer, and editor. I directed the documentary “Helmets from Heath” (2013), honoring the life of Heath Eiland, who tragically passed away after a tragic skateboarding accident. The film won Judge’s Choice at Faces of Austin. One of my passions is to recognize women’s work in our society and project them on screen. My short documentary about many women filmmakers in Nicaragua titled “Even with their nails: Women Filmmakers of Nicaragua” (2016) was an official selection at various international festivals, including the 69th Cannes Short Film Corner, Habana Film Festival (Cuba), and won an Icaro Award for Best Documentary Short at the Icaro Film Festival in Guatemala and Best International Short Documentary at the Official Latino Film Festival. I also love narrative form and aim to cast diverse ethnicities. My short “Hakla (Stammer)” (2017), starring a local young talent dancer Prayas Vats, won the TAMI award for Best Hecho En Tejas at Cine Las Americas Film Festival. This past year, I co-produced the award-winning short documentary “San Marcos River Project” (2020) about the conservation efforts to maintain the San Marcos river in Texas, streamed on PBS Austin. Another one of my passions is as a media educator. I am a nationally Board Certified teacher in Audio Video Production. I worked as an Adjunct Digital Media Professor at the Art Institute of Austin, South College, and Cape Cod Community College. I have led leading Documentary Film workshops at Motion Media Arts Center in Austin, Texas. I also remotely co-teach a Post-Production Training course to filmmakers in LA and NY for Warner Media/HBO. As a bilingual writer, I have published in several journals, including Sin Fronteras, Somos En Escrito, Art Cultural (Brazil), Label Me Latino/a, and the Rio Grande Review. My book of prose titled #MeToo and Poems That Survived (Flor y Canto Press) is a testament to the healing process through participatory ‘artivism.’ It aims to inspire other survivors of violence. I am a world traveler, and multilingual artist, on a mission to empower the voices of BIPOC communities with my work.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
There have been many obstacles throughout my life. First, as a second language learner, I struggled to learn English and accept my Nicaraguan immigrant identity growing up. Politically and culturally, Nicaragua and the U.S. have always been at odds, so I had to reconcile with living in a country that, at certain points in history, had oppressed my people, all the while taking advantage of the educational opportunities I was provided. My parents, both educators, worked various jobs to provide me with the best educational opportunities, and I understood the great sacrifice they made moving to this country. But growing up in that place of political and ideological ambiguity wasn’t easy. As a result, it influenced/informed my work as a storyteller and the topics within social justice that I choose to work on as a documentary filmmaker. Filmmaking is a practice that intervenes, interjects, and empowers others.
As a woman in the film industry, there are always struggles, and they often have to do with access. My technical knowledge is entirely self-taught because I knew I had to create opportunities to stay in this profession. I am passionate about cinema and always motivated to learn and leap into new projects. Women only sometimes get invited to participate in the more ‘technical’ and male-dominated spaces on set. So I push myself to stay current with new techniques, build a community of artists around me, and remain engaged in academic discourses because visibility will slowly change our notions about who is welcome to lead behind the lens. This also drives me to continue being an educator. I know that being a woman of color who is also a filmmaker changes students’ perspectives about who has access to this craft. So I am very committed to my role as a media production and media studies professor to promote social justice and inspire others to get involved in their communities.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I call myself a “Juana of many trades and master of my destiny” – I am a filmmaker, writer, and educator. I have a passion for cooking, dancing, languages, and world cultures. My work as a filmmaker aims to provide a space for underrepresented voices, stories, and perspectives. That is why my documentary work prioritizes the work of women artists, refugees, and immigrants’ stories, the environment, or issues that pertain to women’s lives. I am also a media educator, which I believe is a craft in itself – I am honored to have been involved in the lives of many students throughout my career and to facilitate their journey as they try to find their own place in the world, and what they want to say with their own various creative modes of production. I am most proud of the fact that I get to choose the kind of stories and people I work with in this industry and that I gravitate toward stories that will add to the concern of BIPOC communities. Because when I look back at the body of work I have produced, I want to make sure it stands for something and has made the world better.
So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
I am always open to collaboration – it often motivates me to continue in this industry. Working on new projects, brainstorming ideas, resolving problems collectively, and finding ways to help others in our community are exciting. So anyone who would like to reach out can do so at blinkproductionfilms@gmailc.om.
Image Credits
Paula Moore, Zahra Tapal, Tania Romero, and Sushma Khadepaun
