Love as Revolution

202511 minutesShort Film, Experimental Documentary
Role:Director, Editor, Producer

Synopsis

An intimate exploration of how love functions as a radical act of resistance within social justice movements. The film weaves together mural narratives and community organizing to examine love as both a healing practice and revolutionary force.

The final minutes of this film, where I speak about "letting the dead go home to learn what it means to love again," serve as Khadra's opening sequence, triggering the deeper ancestral exploration of the documentary that follows. Screened strategically before The Encampments movie locally, in solidarity with Palestinian, Black, Indigenous, & Jewish Liberation movements.

Themes Explored

Social JusticeLove as ResistanceCommunity OrganizingHealing PracticesSolidarity

Screenings

Schwartz Performing Center

May 8, 2025
50+ attendanceUniversity premiere screening

Cinemapolis Theater, Ithaca NY

May 22, 2025
200+ attendanceCommunity screening with panel discussion

Community School of Music & Arts

July 10, 2025
100+ attendanceUpcoming screening with Q&A

Director's Statement

This film emerged from my own journey of understanding love not as a passive emotion, but as an active choice to resist systems of oppression. Through intimate conversations with organizers and activists, I discovered that love—for community, for justice, for our ancestors—becomes the fuel that sustains movements when everything else feels impossible, and that murals can become a medium to project and manifest this radical future we imagine.

Production Notes

Shot over 8 months across multiple communities, this film prioritized consent and collaboration at every stage. Participants maintained editorial control over their segments, ensuring their stories remained authentic to their experiences.

Supported By

The Cornell Society for the Humanities AwardThe Rural Humanities Seminar Award

Interview Highlight

"'Love as Liberation' is crucial because it's only through love that you can truly free people or experience freedom. And I believe that the mural artists that paint or create things on walls are doing the exact same thing. They are moving through time and space and learning more about themselves and putting something beautiful that's reflective of themselves on a canvas. To me, that is love in action, which leads to liberation - for the artist and for the people in the space."

Megan Omohundro, Executive Director of the Community School of music & Arts

From Film to Mural

The themes explored in this documentary found physical expression in a community-funded mural project at the Community School of Music & Arts - produced by the same director, Māyā Murry. In a way, the mural and documentary are the same brainchild, both titled 'Love as Revolution.' This large-scale collaborative artwork brings the revolutionary power of love into public space, creating a lasting visual reminder of our collective capacity for radical healing and transformation.

Part of a Larger Story

This film serves as the emotional and conceptual bridge to my upcoming work "Khadra," where the exploration of love and ancestral healing continues through the lens of Palestinian diaspora and magical realism.

Explore Khadra