The Majestic 7, Arsenal Yards 81 Arsenal Yards Blvd Tenant 100
Watertown, MA 02472 Get Tickets
Session 21 - Monday April 18, 2022
2:30pm - 4:30pm
More Than Mas' 32 min
Every summer, millions of Caribbean people in North America get together in huge carnival celebrations marking freedom, creative expression, and tradition. Festively-costumed dancers move and jump to the percussive sounds of soca on carnival day. But it's groups of visionaries, organizers, craftspeople, and DJs - working for months in their mas' camps - who make the carnival displays happen. More Than Mas' takes you back to the weeks before Boston's Caribbean Carnival. This is when costume designer Rudy and his group prepare for the King & Queen showcase, one of the events leading up to carnival day. Sequined mannequins and fantastical shapes stand in the backdrop of Rudy's makeshift workshop. In contrast to the spirited jubilation of carnival, mas' camp work is sometimes weary and often repetitive. The documentary moves through the different parts of costume-making, introducing characters in Rudy's band who play vital roles in the whole process of "making mas'." Band members Rudy, Iona, Junior, and Shawn explain what motivates them to do this work year after year. We come to understand that it's about more than carnival, more than mas'. Fusing creativity, pleasure, and craftsmanship, along with arduous and tedious work, Rudy and members of his band labor to build community, maintain traditions, and garner respect.
Producer: Rosalyn Negrón