Script To Screen: The Lion and The Lioness - A La Rabida Story

Overview

Lexis grew up in Chicago. She loves writing poetry and grooving to 90s R+B. She doesn't care that it signals her age, she just loves the sound. Heading home from work on a PACE bus, she giggles with delight when telling us about her daughter Layoni. (LAY-ON-EE) The lioness. When searching for a name for her first baby, Lexis prayed. When she looked it up the name that came to her and saw it meant "lioness," in Hebrew, she knew that was it. So when Layoni was born at 26 weeks - she'd need that lion spirit to help her survive. Layoni could fit in the palm of your hand. At 26 weeks only 8 out of 10 babies survive. Of those that survive 1 in 10 will have lifelong challenges.

Before coming to La Rabida, Lexis felt that doctors at other hospitals had a bleak outlook for her lioness. She wanted to find a place that valued her life force. That saw her possibilities. The baby that was only supposed to live for three months is now 3 years old. At La Rabida, she thrives! Lexis says she literally glows. She loves her programs and gets stronger every day. It is a painfully slow process but the family is up to the task. She likes that the doctors here treat them like family and are realistic but full of hope. That hope is what's made the difference in her life.

The lioness is currently in speech therapy programs learning to roar. She is in physical therapy learning to walk and stand - getting those core muscles strong. Together they are working with the care team to get Layoni strong enough to transition home. For now, she is a passenger aboard the ship. Learning and growing every day. That life would not be possible without La Rabida. We should all be so lucky to have a parent that fights for us, sees our possibilities and helps us thrive - no matter how we start and Lexis is exactly that: The lion to her lioness.

Watch the film here:

On the South Side of Chicago, there is a place tucked away on the lakeshore doing magical work. I had the distinct honor of creating films for La Rabida in 2024. In my 20 years of working in this city with community groups and non-profits I have many favorite experiences but none prepared me for that work we'd embark on over 6 months at La Rabida's Children's hospital. For those of us who grew up on the South Side and likely needed help accessing quality medical care that didn't bankrupt our families, we know the magic that is La Rabida. They take in some of the toughest cases requiring longtime care for kids who have been extraordinarily unlucky. I visited a childhood friend who received treatment for a car crash injury. So when the RFP came across my desk - I really really wanted to collaborate with them.

BEHIND THE SCENES

We started the process in June of 2024 and completed it in November of 2024. In my early meetings with their team, we talked about the magic of the hospital and how once someone learns about their work - it is really easy for them to stay involved. It is that powerful - but they don't receive the same attention of other big name institutions located in more affluent areas of Chicago. The South-Side has long been ignored in the healthcare industry. When I was a kid, we always went to the suburbs for care because the South-Side facilities were not the same.

I am currently reading a book written by an artist I adore. It's called "Don't Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt it." If you don't know Tonika Lewis Johnson - you should. Her folded map project articulates experiences I had growing up in poignant and elegant ways. I've learned so much from her films, installations, books and art. It helped me unpack my own narrative about growing up in Chicago and witnessing it's inequities. The stories that we tell about places, spaces and people matter. It's part of the reason I am so passionate about my work. I too hear the narratives about the South Side that I grew up in and the West Side that I now live in. "Don't go,  you'll get shot." "Don't go, that's a bad neighborhood." I also saw how the non-profit space perpetuated these harmful narratives by sending cameras out to collect tears and poverty porn for fundraising from these neighborhoods without investing the time to get to know each person on a human level. My work seeks to correct those narratives in the spaces that need it most. The book explains how decades of redlining practices and oppressive policies create these harmful narratives but unlike other think pieces I've read about Chicago's segregation practices - this book infuses the human stories that I have felt are always missing when we talk about these places. Order it from a small book store, so many of them are closing this year.

I took that passion into my work with La Rabida. I wanted the world to know about this magical place. I wanted them to feel it's warmth and joy filled approach to what would be very scary situations for families. We started the process with copious amounts of interviews to kick off the process, followed by script writing and approvals, a flexible production that required planning to support access for our families unique needs and I spent every second I had in the editing room making sure we hit our deadlines.

I spent a lot of time talking with the team about what is important to see and what is important to say about Lexis and Layoni. With any case of medical trauma, I spend extra time discussing what details are actually important for an audience to understand the seriousness of a situation. Layoni will grow up and see this film. I wanted adult Layoni to be proud of it and not feel exposed. The Lion and The Lioness is very intentional. We only see the family at the hospital and the lakefront. We only see them in beautiful warm sunlight. We talk about challenges as just that - challenges. We don’t disclose too many medical details or personal details of Lexis’s life. We let the images of Layoni speak volumes and we let Lexis talk about her daughter the way she wants the world to see her: With boundless opportunities. Lexis speaks of her daughter with agency and joy. Her faith, her joy and her tireless commitment a lesson in how we should all treat each other. She called her a lioness. So that’s what I anchored the story on. During production we had the opportunity to capture a huge milestone for Layoni. She has only been outside once in her life and only to transfer her from doctor to doctor. We had a golden opportunity with the perfect weather conditions and air quality to attempt to take her outside. So on a warm October afternoon, staff and doctors prepared Layoni to go outside. There was not a dry eye on our team that afternoon as Layoni enjoyed the lake breeze and sunshine. It was the longest Layoni and Lexis have ever been outside together. It is quite possibly my favorite afternoon I’ve ever spent in Chicago. Reminding me that life is extraordinarily precious and our bodies can do amazing things.

There are four films. Each with a unique subject and goal. I am over the moon about the results and so proud of the work. I spent a lot of time off set doing the emotional work necessary to be able to be present with families. My writing sessions often filled with happy tears. I directed our filmmaking team to work through the upset of being in a hospital. We worked really hard to get vibrant and intimate results. I never let the team point a camera in the room detached from the experience. I coached them to join people, sit with them, talk to them, make them laugh. I wanted all the footage to be mutual and connected with its subjects. When we’d have to pause for a medical issue or rework a set up for access needs - I made sure our team was clear on the mission and stayed flexible. I even had us wear clown noses to break the ice with the kids. I was so moved by this family and how they talk about each other. I was moved by the staff at La Rabida and how they greet every challenge with softness and connection. I hope that jumps off the screen.

The process of making films is extensive. That collaboration is what keeps me coming back to create work year over year. It takes so much love to produce just 5 minutes on screen. It is so easy in our current climate to breeze through media and not respect the work it takes to create it. The instant dopamine drip of social media give the illusion that it is simple. But the art of filmmaking is in a million choices that add up to a final product. Everything influences the outcome. As smart audiences we know when something doesn’t work, we can feel it. This project alone is over 500 man hours when you add them all up across the large team of people that worked on it. All that for 15 minutes of content. It really does feel like magic - but it’s not. It’s hard work, dedication and intention. If you’ve made it this far - thank you. I often feel like I am screaming about my art into the void. Cross your fingers and toes for me - I am submitting this one for a Midwest Emmy. After 20 years of making documentaries in Chicago, I can finally submit non-broadcast brand work and I am hoping for the best.

WATCH THE OTHER FILMS:

Many thanks to the team at fig media for the collaboration opportunity. Producer: Brent Rolland. Exc. Producers James Gustin, Michele Gustin. Dp: Brian Carey and Codi Palm.