'FLESH' is a two part mini web series that will off shoot Audre's Revenge Film Production Collective, of which was launched in 2015 by Monika Estrella Negra.
The Collective was created in order to promote visibility of black womyn, queer, trans and intersex folks of color in the sci fi and horror universe. As a dedicated horror fan, Monika decided that it would be amazing to create and hold space for the aforementioned demographic. Being the founder of Black and Brown Punk Show Collective in Chicago, IL, she thought it was important to create narratives of marginalized people in all subcultural spaces.
Film, especially horror and sci fi, has had limited visibility of QTIPOC, and has never had a particular focus on that world. Being a marginalized persyn in this society, there are significant horrors that are only experienced by us, and are just as horrifying as a Michael Myer's film. Horror and sci has also had a history of depicting social stigmas and taboos, bringing the darkest elements of our worlds and perspectives to light.
It is only natural for QTIPOC to utilize this medium to bring certain traumatic and realistic situations to the screen, and to also flip the script on genres that have overused certain concepts and character's narratives.
Writers, artists, film and video producers, stage/theatrical make up artists - all are to be included in the collective's progression towards producing feature films. We also want to highlight QTIPOC musicians in our work in order to share space with those who are also marginalized or ignored in their respective scenes.
'FLESH' is the first feature to be produced by ARF. It was written by Monika, and tells the story of Rae, a young womyn who becomes a serial killer, hunting only lighter skinned/white womyn and stealing their skins, in hopes of attaining a socially acceptable standard of 'beauty'. The film explores common issues experienced by Black womyn, such as Eurocentrism, assimilation, internalized hatred, patriarchy, etc.
The idea of creating a world that traditionally has been inhabited by white, male protagonists, is definitely a first in the horror world. It is heavily influenced by some horror classics, such as 'Maniac' and 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'. Being filmed in Chicago, IL, the dark, urban landscape provides a visual depiction of Rae's mental disintegration and the physical struggles of existing within the limitations of class, sex, race and creed.
We are raising funds that will aid in the creation of our first trailer and official press photo shoot. Following that completion, we aim to apply for grants and other financial endeavors in order to produce the first installment of the web series. Everything we have done so far has been out of our pocket, or free labor was given. It is not sustainable, and we hope we can receive the help needed in order to bring our dream to fruition.
Please help us create a world that has never been imagined before!