by Kimberly Schaye

Pati Cruz Martínez ’12 arrived at Vassar intending to study the languages and literatures of different countries. Shortly after, two things happened that would alter the course of their life: Their father was diagnosed with schizophrenia back home in Puerto Rico; and, says Cruz Martínez, “I discovered the language of film.” Both of these events are now coming together in a documentary project Cruz Martínez will embark upon as the latest recipient of the Rose Fellowship.

Cruz Martínez’s documentary is called Pa, which is both a shortened version of Papá (Dad) and of their own first name. Their relationship and the external forces that have challenged it over the 15 years since the diagnosis are the heart of the film. “It’s a journey and exploration of what life has been like—not just dealing with disorder in our family, but also living in Puerto Rico, choosing to stay here, what that means, and how things are here,” explains Cruz Martínez, who lives in Bayamón, just outside of San Juan. “For example, right now, in all of San Juan, there hasn’t been any water for a month. Things like this happen all the time, and we’re just trying to survive it.”

Though Cruz Martínez has been thinking about making this film for a decade, they knew it would be impossible without devoting themselves wholly to it—which hasn’t been possible due to the necessity of earning a living.

“I had my eye on the [Rose] fellowship for a while, and I thought it was a great opportunity to have a year of not worrying about where the money for rent came from, or not worrying about sustaining my life, and I think that just opens up a lot of space for sitting down and working,” they say. “Right now, I feel like I’m carving a little bit of my every day to dedicate to my art, and with this fellowship, I could carve out an entire year and just dedicate it to this piece of work, which requires a lot of me.”

Cruz Martínez just debuted their first documentary feature, Nació Simón, at a local film festival. The film, which Cruz Martínez worked on over the course of six years, tells the story of a trans, nonbinary mother of two who performs as a drag king in San Juan. “I was working at a restaurant because I had to make ends meet, and I ended up working with the protagonist and also the cinematographer of the film,” Cruz Martínez explains. “I also went to one of their drag king shows, and I had never seen anything like it.” The film, they say, is “a very intimate portrait of their work, of their life.” At the same time, says Cruz Martínez, “it also fell into my own journey as a trans, non-binary person. I feel like a lot of my filmmaking happens alongside my own personal processes in my life.”

Nació Simón was released on the heels of Casa Laurel, their short documentary about a local karaoke hangout frequented by Puerto Rican elders who have resisted becoming casualties of the neighborhood’s gentrification. This film aired on PBS as part of the series Homegrown: A Part Of/Apart From, featuring the work of filmmakers from U.S. territories. “I used to live around there, and for a few years, I wanted to make a portrait of them,” Cruz Martínez says of the elderly singers. “How they’re resisting in their own way by being there, and the joy of their resistance.”

Right now, Cruz Martínez is looking forward to coming back to the Northeast in September for a one-month residency at MASS MoCA, the contemporary art museum in North Adams, Massachusetts. There, they plan to focus on editing some short, experimental films they’ve been working on before they immerse themself in Pa. “I feel like with Pa and these short pieces, I want to delve into a more experimental approach,” Cruz Martínez says. “l want to explore different ways of telling that I haven’t explored before.”