18 Oct Philadelphia Artist Spotlight: Eunice Levis

BY GABE CASTRO

The cinéSPEAK Journal publishes a monthly Philadelphia Artist Spotlight highlighting local filmmakers and moving image artists doing unique and impactful work. 

Eunice Levis is a writer and director focusing on genre-bending stories that combine her love of horror, sci-fi, thriller, and fantasy through a diasporic lens. She is a first-generation Dominican American from the Bronx, New York who has found her filmmaking community here in Philadelphia. Eunice’s latest work includes InVade, an environmental sci-fi short film. InVade, which is about an undocumented scientist and his son who try to stop an environmental disaster, won a $20,000 production grant from the Independent Public Media Foundation and made the second round of the 2020 Sundance Episodic Lab with its pilot script. The film also received the Clyde Taylor Award for Distinguished Work in African American and Africana Studies.

Another film Levis created is Ro and the Stardust, a space fantasy short film produced through the Netflix/NALIP Women of Color Short Film Incubator. Levis was one of 4 women of color chosen for the incubator. Ro and the Stardust is a heart wrenching and charming film that explores women in STEM, Afro-Latinx diaspora, family dynamics, and end-of-life decision-making. It follows a free-spirited teen and her terminally-ill grandmother who build a rocket ship they plan to launch into outer space. 

Levis’ folklore horror micro short titled Fell Ends was an extraordinary selection at NYX’s 13 Minutes of Horror Film Festival and streamed on Shudder. In addition to writing and directing, Levis teaches and cohosts Café Negro con Genre (with fellow filmmaker Les Rivera), a podcast that promotes creatives working in the genre space. 

cinéSPEAK asked Levis about her filmmaking inspiration, her impact on the Philadelphia community, and how, in turn, Philadelphia has impacted her filmmaking process.

cinéSPEAK: What inspired you to be a filmmaker?

Eunice Levis: I started my career in media as a journalist for a daily newspaper. I was assigned to film a story I was working on and quickly fell in love with the extended lifespan of visual media. 

cinéSPEAK: How has Philadelphia shaped and influenced the process and/or content of your work?

EL: I have found my production tribe in Philadelphia. The ongoing growth of the film industry and arts community in Philadelphia has been essential to my growth as an artist. Particularly during COVID. Like most industries, the film world was at a standstill. That didn’t stop our creative community. In true Philly fashion, we figured out a way to make it happen. We shot InVade during the end of quarantine. The production employed and utilized over 60 Greater Philadelphia region independent creatives and businesses to fulfill production needs.

cinéSPEAK: What impact do you hope your work will have in the Philadelphia community?

EL: I hope my work helps Philadelphia stand out as a film city–where folks can film and find creative talent. I would also love it if my work can continue to further develop Philadelphia’s creative economy.

Eunice’s films are currently making their rounds in the film festival circuit. You can catch Ro and the Stardust and InVade at the Downtown Film Festival in LA. 

*Featured Image: Image of Eunice Levis & Yolanda Nolasco on set of Ro & the Stardust. Courtesy of Eunice Levis.

Would you like to be featured in a future spotlight? Please fill out the Philadelphia Artist Spotlight form. The cinéSPEAK Journal maintains sole discretion over the publishing of any information provided via the form. Questions: journal@cinespeak.org

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Gabe Castro is a Philadelphia-based Latiné multimedia professional specializing in the horror genre. Gabe believes media can be used as a tool to bring social change and works in all she does to create impactful and inspiring media.