Our Space // Nuestro Espacio
Being an immigrant, being an advocate, and belonging in nature
Join Vámonos Outside, Protect Our Winters, and Central Oregon LandWatch for a night of short films and a Q&A with filmmakers and athletes Jr Rodriguez and Vanessa Chavarriaga.
When: October 16, 2025 at 7 pm
Where: Worthy Brewing (495 NE Bellevue Dr, Bend, OR, 97701)
The event is hosted with the support of each organiztaion, plus the Deschutes Public Library and BENDitas.
PLUS, we’ll be kicking our day with Jr and Vanessa off with a short trail run departing from the LandWatch office. Feel free to join us for coffee and a trail run! (Or just the coffee!)
ABOUT THE FILMS
Faces of Skyline Forest
Seven stories of fascinating individuals, communities, and species that all have a unique stake in the future of Skyline Forest, a vast and varied landscape between Bend and Sisters.
Soñadora
“I was born in the heart of the world. In a land of abundance and love. There, everything flows. The rivers and the páramos. The laughter of my aunts’ follows me like a drop of rain flowing into the sea.”
The film begins with a voice in Spanish, with Vanessa Chavarriaga’s original writing guiding us through the complexities of what it’s like to be stripped from one place, dropped into another, and asked to excel just to be constantly rejected. Is another world possible?
Jr and Vanessa will also share a special sneak peek of their next film, Internal Peaks!
ABOUT SOÑADORA’S FILMMAKERS
Jr Rodriguez. Photo by: Vanessa Chavarriaga
Jr Rodriguez is a first generation mestizo director, photographer and BIPOC activist. His work focuses on the intersectional relationship between nature and people with projects that empower communities to tell their own stories. He is also a founder of Mountains of Color Film Festival which celebrates black, indigenous, people of color & intersectional stories in the outdoors.
Vanessa Chavarriaga. Photo by: Jr Rodriguez
Vanessa Chavarriaga is a writer, environmental sociologist and Colombiana who focuses on the intersection of people and nature. As an immigrant and woman of color herself, she recognizes the systemic barriers that purposefully keep BIPOC out of outdoor spaces.
