First-time feature filmmaker Rebeca “Beba” Huntt undertakes an unflinching exploration of her own identity in this remarkable coming-of-age documentary/cinematic memoir. Reflecting on her childhood and adolescence in New York City as the daughter of a Dominican father and Venezuelan mother, Huntt investigates the historical, societal and generational trauma she’s inherited — and ponders how those ancient wounds have shaped her, while simultaneously considering the universal truths that connect us all as humans. Throughout BEBA, Huntt searches for a way to forge her own creative path amid a landscape of intense racial and political unrest. Poetic, powerful and profound, BEBA is a courageous, deeply human self-portrait of an Afro-Latina artist hungry for knowledge and yearning for connection.
“The honesty of BEBA is what connects you to Huntt’s story. Although it is very specific and personal to her journey, it’s quite universal. The viewer can relate in some capacity to these experiences, which makes Huntt’s way of storytelling so endearing…. The throughline with these highs and lows, just like moments we all experience, is that Huntt is still here. She’s survived and has now shared her story with us like a gift.” —Jamie Broadnax, Black Girl Nerds “Huntt opens her eponymous debut BEBA — a complicated and bold self-portrait, exploring identity, internalized anti-Blackness, and generational trauma — with a declarative statement: “You are now entering my universe.” Her world, initially, is visually translated via a shaky cam walking through a twisty, moss-smeared forest. A woozy horn hypnotizes over a collage of images, with Huntt swaying to the sea, people at the beach, her hand in the sand — all shot on a gorgeous 16mm. Her spoken-word poetry, wherein she says ‘violence lives in my DNA,’ lays the groundwork for the next 79 unflinching minutes.” —Robert Daniels, Indiewire
