"There is nothing that currently exists in Miami that caters to the obscurity, the weirdness, and the innovation of short films in an age when we're always just scrolling through social," says Haiiileen, who also founded Rainbow Oasiiis, an artist-in-residence program that offers work-live space and mentorship in Allapattah. "At this festival, I would love to see some weird shit happen. It gets me excited and inspired to see other people thinking outside the box."
Visitors to the Chroma Art Film Festival can choose their adventure when it comes to experiencing the 160 films — none more than 20 minutes long — selected to represent categories like cinematic poetry and experimental documentary. Haiiileen says it'll take about four hours to view all the featured films, which will play on loops within one of several immersive theater environments.
"We invited seven local artists to individually create their theater setups, which will each contain an hour-long loop of programming. Each of the different sections will have silent disco headphones, that way, we don't have noise pollution," Haiiileen explains. "We'll have a room where we showcase all the winners from each category in an extremely multidimensional projection room setup with a 26-audio-channel experience. I don't think people will fully understand until the day of the event how enveloping the unique formatting of these immersive theater sets and installation environments are."
Allapattah art space Superblue will transform into an immersive cinema house on August 12.
Photo courtesy of Superblue Miami
"We are so excited to host the inaugural Chroma Art Film Festival, a celebration of artistic innovation and storytelling that offers a platform for both established and emerging artists to showcase their unique perspectives and artistic visions," Rodriguez says. "Our primary goal is to offer an environment that is both inspiring and nurturing, creating the perfect platform to showcase the boundless potential of art, cinema, and technology."
A month-long open call drew 500 submissions from filmmakers and artists worldwide, including "a ton from Italy, for some reason," says Haiiileen, who worked with a small jury to select which films will be shown during the festival. Filmmakers presenting include Melanie Wu, a local documentarian whose Loveboat Takeout explores themes of immigrant labor through a uniquely Miamian lens.
"Melanie's story really struck me. First of all, she's a Miami native, and her work is about a Chinese restaurant in Miami; the logistical aspects of it, her family, and her heritage," Haiiileen says. "It's a touching story, and she has promising hopes in her documental approach."
Melanie Wu's documentary Loveboat Takeout explores notions of family, heritage, and immigrant labor through a South Florida lens.
Photo courtesy of Melanie Wu
"With the birth of AI and ChatGPT launching in December, we're seeing a new age of art," she says. "The interpretation of machine learning has allowed us to really translate or create more ripples within our thought processes."
Chroma Art is the first in a series of initiatives Haiiileen and Rodriguez are launching as part of Full Spectrum, an ongoing collaboration between Rainbow Oasiiis and Superblue to hold open calls for artists to create immersive experiences.
"Shantelle and I are both from Miami, we're both from Cuban backgrounds, and we both want to continue to create a legacy in our hometown and create a plethora of opportunities for artists here," Haiiileen says.
Haiileen hopes attendees leave the day's events with an expanded sense of wonder, an excitement to return next year for Chroma's second iteration, and, most importantly, the belief that they, too, can create whatever their minds may dream up.
"A quote that I personally live by, from Pablo Picasso, says that art is a lie that helps us realize the truth. That's been the motto of my own existence, and with this festival, I hope to provide an obscure, abstract world that allows audiences to go beyond what they see."
"We've selected developing filmmakers to early career filmmakers to established artists. This range of work can only inspire others to understand that there's a world out there that you can physically create. There are no limitations to what life has provided for you," Haileen says. "Each year, the aesthetic and formatting of the festival will change, and we'll be adding more categories. This is just the beginning."
Chroma Art Film Festival. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, August 12, at Superblue, 1101 NW 23rd St., Miami; 786-697-3405; superblue.com. Tickets cost $20 to $100 via eventbrite.com.
