We All We Got

A SHORT DOCUMENTARY BY CARLOS JAVIER ORTIZ

We All We Got

2014 | 00:8:58 | United States | English | B&W

We All We Got captures the poetic language of the streets: police helicopters flying over the city, music popping out of cars, people talking shit on the street corners, ambulances on the run, and preachers hollering for the violence to stop after another young man is senselessly gunned down in the streets of Chicago.

In the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the country’s recent focus on youth violence, police brutality, poverty and marginalized communities, We All We Got is an elegy of urban America. The film is an intimate portrait of people affected by violence: including community activists, kids, and cops. It navigates the tragedy and persistence of families impacted by violence. , the perseverance of affected families, and the outpouring support of local leaders and residents who highlight these social issues in Chicago.

AWARDS / NOMINATIONS

Best Documentary Short Crested Butte Film Festival

Tribeca Film Festival Nominee Jury Award Best Documentary Short

COLLECTIONS

The Museum of Contemporary Photography

CAST AND CREW
Director Carlos Javier Ortiz
Written Carlos Javier Ortiz and Tina K. Sacks
Edited by Carlos Javier Ortiz
Music Chris Zabriskie
Producer Carlos Javier Ortiz
Executive Producer Tina K. Sacks
Cinematography Carlos Javier Ortiz
Audio Carlos Javier Ortiz and Elyse Blennerhassett

From The Director

We All We Got started as a photography project in which I spent eight years photographing the consequences of youth violence in Chicago. After buying a digital camera, which allowed me to film, I started exploring the medium

of filmmaking. As I got deeper into the project, I recorded first-person narratives on the street without interrupting the conversations or events that took place in front of me. My cameras ran freely and captured the sounds and histories of people. From the Southside to the Westside, I captured the folks whose stories are typically ignored; left to pass through time as though their hopes and dreams never existed.