I've always loved Ballroom culture. The music, the energy, and the community itself has always been something that attracted me. So when my good friend became the father of the legendary House of Labeija, I was eager to work with them. He asked me to collaborate on a project and I started thinking about what kind of story I could tell. This idea of “home” was something that I had been thinking about for some time. The ideas of memory and the ideas of space––the spaces that we hold currently and the spaces that we've held in the past. They all led to this film.  I was also thinking about how our stories are told and who tells our stories. So it just made the most sense for the members to tell their own stories.  In my imagination I see the House of LaBeija drenched in gold and decked out in the most regal of spaces--so I chose to shoot this film in  a mansion. When I think of all the lives saved and its contributions to culture, it would make perfect sense for their house to be this rich.

I'm so honored and feel so lucky that I was able to create a safe space for the members to read such intimate and vulnerable letters to their younger selves.  Before filming the movement sequences, I had each member give me a list of music that would play as their soundtrack for the scenes. The camera can be something that's intrusive but I felt between the music and the trust we had  built with each other, they could be themselves and let me capture it. Filming each sequence was magical.

In all my work I show love to the city that has and continues to help me discover new parts of myself. It’s a safety that is hard to explain. I  hope that people can see this film and connect with that kind of freedom. 

-Fredgy Noël