For two years now, primarily via the crowd-pleasing cultural bacchanal known as Art Walk, the good people behind the idea factory known as Product/81 have been providing a venue for some of the best and the brightest minds in Miami art and music. The space, located smack in the center of the Wynwood Arts District, is named Yo ♥ 305, and the platform that spurs all this action is called Fordistas. Together, the unique combination of insiders and outliers, place and timeliness, has proven to be a boon to the creative community from which it hails — and which it so proudly serves. It’s also established a constant and unprecedented bond between South Florida Ford and the community at large.
Since its inception Fordistas has featured such artists as Brian Butler, Viviana Molinares and David Tamargo, in addition to an onslaught of simpatico music-makers, including Krisp, Beatmachines and Hunters of the Alps. In each instance the merging of vivid visuals and wow sound exceeded everybody’s expectations, and every occasion became the talk of an already well-chatted-up town.
Now Fordistas has added film to its program. Like the collective’s previous efforts, the cinematic excursions will be specifically made by and for South Floridians. Since South Floridians are made up of a portion of every people on the planet though, the results will both represent and appeal to the whole wild world.
That’s one of the reasons why Fordistas chose Alexandra Vivas as the new series’ first filmmaker, and why they tasked her with filming Fusión, a new take on what it means to be a Miamian. A storyteller to the core, the Colombian-born, Venezuela-raised Vivas has spent the past 11 years looking through a lens at the denizens of The Magic City in whatever capacity she saw fitting. So for the keen-eyed gal to mark her directorial debut with a look at what makes Miami such a polyglot metropolis was nothing short of absolutely natural.
But Vivas’ interactive action with Miamians — and with the world — won’t end when the lens is shuttered and Fusión hits screens; and viewing Fusión will decidedly not be a one-sided affair. For this Thursday everyone will be able to get to both see the movie as well as to explore the city and its subjects simply by clicking on to the Fordista Films site. A select set screening will precede the online launch, and the occasion will be marked by a blowout bash featuring DJs Le Spam, Mr. Pauer and Keen One, in addition to a live performance by Afrobeta. There will be cocktails (provided by host club Bardot); there will be edibles (brought in by Gigi); and, most of all, there will be ample examples of how we mix, how we merge, and how we are Miami.
Fordista Films rolls out this Thursday November 8th at Bardot.
