Colosal

Every family has its secrets, says director Nayibe Tavares-Abel. Those of her own are intimately interwoven with the history of the Dominican Republic – and with the political violence and frustration inherent within it. Tavares-Abel is an election observer for the 2020 presidential elections in the Dominican Republic. 30 years earlier, in May 1990, her grandfather Froilán Tavares, a renowned lawyer, was appointed chair of the electoral commission – in the hope of a fair democratic process and the end to dictatorship under Juan Balaguer. However, the election was overshadowed by suspicions of electoral fraud levelled at Tavares. Archive material shows the hopes and disappointments that accompanied the elections, while a spontaneous survey on the streets of Santo Domingo reveals fundamentally different perspectives on the re-elected long-term ruler Balaguer. Colosal is the self-examination of a younger generation, autobiographical and sincere, a trans-generational family portrait caught between fear and trauma. A crash course in the history of the Dominican Republic and democracy as such. A filmic attempt to find peace, dare to do something new, get active. (Alena Martens, Fabian Tietke)

Nayibe Tavares-Abel, Dominican of Palestinian and Lebanese origin, is a documentary filmmaker, research consultant and prop master. She has worked on productions for Netflix, Nickelodeon, Lionsgate, and Paramount. Nayibe was the researcher and co-writer of En movimiento (2023), which explores the history of transportation and challenges of mobility in the Dominican Republic. Carmencita (2020), her hybrid short film that integrates 16mm silent film, stop-motion animation, and documentary footage, premiered at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival in 2020 and received an honorary mention.

Director Nayibe Tavares-Abel. Screenplay Nathalia Lafuente, Nayibe Tavares-Abel. Cinematography Kat Díaz. Editing Nathalia Lafuente. Music Gus Rodriguez. Sound Design Miguel New. Sound Marie Jimenez. Production Design Milena Volonteri. Animation Milena Volonteri. Producer Lei González. Executive Producers Leidy González, Juan A. Bisonó. Production companies Costanera Cinema (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), Media Jibara (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic). With Nayibe Tavares-Abel, Poi Tavares-Abel, Faisal Abel, Nayibe Abel (Mami), Froilán Tavares Cross, Nayibe Chabebe (Mamiellai).

Films: 2020: Carmencita (short film). 2023: En movimiento / In Movement. 2025: Colosal / Colossal.