Director's Works
We Just Wanna Live Aundre Larrow
Aundre Larrow is a Jamaican-born photographer based in Brooklyn, NY. Beyond these frankly reductive labels, at his core, Aundre seeks to understand people. From his work as an Adobe Creative Resident exploring stories across the country to working on the set of W. Kamau Bell’s United Shades, Aundre seeks to see the fundamental truth in each human being, regardless of background, culture, or upbringing. The primary question he asks in his work is, “What is the shortest distance from me to you?” When Aundre received a Minolta from his high school drama teacher at 15, it wasn’t as much a discovery as it was a completion, an additional sense with which to navigate the world. He truly believes that all people are worth knowing. That pursuit has taken him to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to capture the Gwich'in people, to his home state of Florida to document the stories of formerly incarcerated folks fighting for their right to vote and to WeWoka, Oklahoma to photograph the largest Black-owned farm in America. His work is an honest portrayal of social issues through the eyes of his subjects who he views as collaborators and not just people to fill his frame with.
We fantasize so much about reliving our lives. About moments where we could’ve been smarter, smoother or sharper - but I think we completely miss the point of our adolescence. In this transitional phase, we’re trying to build experiences and are moving at a furious pace to do so. The curiosity of these kids - their joy is palpable in this film. And that’s worth protecting…obviously from violence, but also from poverty, lack of access and our faulty memories. Let’s just let the kids live. And live free.