Film Matters Magazine

Sonia and Miriam Albert Sobrino, also known as the ALSO Sisters, are two incredibly talented filmmakers and screenwriters. They bring their unique collaboration style to every project they pursue. This style has also resulted in success and acclaim from numerous film festivals. I was lucky enough to get the chance to ask them some questions about their work, worldview, collaboration, and perspectives on film.

HAB: Please tell me about yourselves and your films. What makes you distinctive as filmmakers? 

ALSO Sisters: Like most people, we dreamed about filmmaking as kids, but we didn’t pursue it until adulthood, after already working in another career. We come from a humble background, and the arts never felt like a viable path. So, we trained and worked as nurses in Spain and Scotland, which shaped the way we approach filmmaking: hands-on, practical, and not the sit-in-a-chair kind of directing. We value collaboration, but we’re also not afraid to get our hands dirty, both literally and creatively. 

This background made us proactive learners. We dove into camera and lighting departments early on so we could make professional-looking films with minimal resources; or scale up when the opportunity arises. That flexibility has helped us build work that functions in indie and larger productions alike. 

While our films don’t literally center on healthcare, our past lives as nurses inform them deeply. They often feature characters in transitional spaces, caught between one chapter and the next; wrestling with something emotionally or spiritually cathartic. Thematically and stylistically, our work is shaped by what we’ve witnessed in real life. And while horror is our primary genre, we also venture into nonfiction and other narrative forms when the story calls for it. At the heart of it all is a desire to explore the human experience. 

Madou Elijah Diarrassouba is a documentary filmmaker who started out as a college athlete before making the jump into the world of film. From his time as an athlete, he’s created a down-to-earth and determined work ethic that he uses to fuel his work. His documentaries tell unique and diverse stories. His recent project, Africa Told by Us, reframes the African American experience by highlighting and reconnecting to the rich cultures of several African countries. I recently had the opportunity to talk with him about his journey in the industry and his films. 

Holley Anne Brabble: Tell me about yourself, your films, and your journey to get where you are now. 

Madou Elijah Diarrassouba: My journey has been from athlete to artist. I played football at Appalachian and my first film project was while I was playing football. I did a documentary on one of my teammates, Demetrius Taylor, who then went on to play for the Lions in the NFL. We did a documentary that kind of discovered the two complex worlds that an athlete typically lives in, on and off the field. It’s called The Hidden, put together during the peak of COVID, and the film did great once we released it so that’s what I would say kind of sparked my filmmaking career. 

For many, the study of avant-garde film is an intimidating and hard-to-navigate field. When it comes to this kind of cinema, it’s easy to feel out of your depth, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t much beauty to discover and be had if one is willing to look closer. Professor Mirian Tavares is one those people who has taken a closer look. Focusing on avant-garde cinema from the 1920s-1990s, Professor Tavares has a deep understanding of this cinema as well as other topics. I was lucky enough to be able to ask her some questions about her work with film as well as her more recent publications.

Holley Anne Brabble: Please tell me about your work with avant-garde cinema.

Mirian Tavares: I began working with the historical avant-garde during my doctoral studies. My thesis was dedicated to Luis Buñuel’s early films (Un Chien Andalou, L’Age d’Or, and Las Hurdes), relating them to the Spanish avant-garde (Generation of ’27) and the French avant-garde. My thesis was later turned into a book, in which I analyze all the avant-garde movements in their relationship with cinema.