This week, American director Miks Ozoliņš, who lives in America, presented his new short film “The Bubble”, which looks at the topical issue of the rights of dark-skinned people from another angle.
According to Madara Kandevica, a representative of Mika Ozoliņa, according to Skaties.lv, in the story the filmmaker draws parallels with the Soviet time and people in Latvia, where the desire for autonomy once resembled the idea of the modern movement “Black Lives Matter”.
The Bubble story takes place in Los Angeles, USA. The moment the car is stopped by a police officer, the heroes find themselves in a situation where the white person seems to be given preference: the police officer does not even pay attention to the light driver’s sharp movements, taking documents out of his pockets, he does not react to the situation. The story shows that people tend to live in self-created stereotype bubbles, creating and cultivating prejudices against others.
The Black Lives Matter movement is controversial, but when writing the story, I wanted to remind the world that there have been similar situations in our history. Now, walking along Tērbatas Street and breathing freely, rarely anyone remembers that it was once called Pētera Stučkas Street. Those who have experienced the Soviet times certainly remember the thoughts and feelings of the monuments of the then statesmen. A person tends to get used to the good quickly and forgets – once he also wanted to be heard, ”says Miks Ozoliņš.
The topic is close to me, my family and friends. I hope that the film will make the audience think and become more sensitive to each other, regardless of skin color or origin. ”
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The topic is important to Mik for several reasons. The director himself has often enjoyed the “privilege” of a fair-skinned person in moments when the police stop the car in the middle of nowhere. Mika’s daughter Aisla’s mother is African American stage artist Kim Ince.
The short film also reflects Mika’s daily conversations with friends and family. DJ Pasaka or Roberts Pērkons and the director himself have taken on the roles of the main characters of “The Bubble”, Mika’s daughter Aislijs Meja Ozoliņa also participates in the film.
The short film was created especially for the music project competition “Music Bed”, where filmmakers are invited to submit works that inspire people to look at culture or economy from a different perspective during the Covid-19 pandemic, thus helping the world to become more open to different topics. “The Bubble” can be viewed here.
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