In this Community Spotlight, we celebrate the incredible journey of Dawn Jones Redstone—a queer Mexican American filmmaker, storyteller, and advocate based in Portland. From union carpenter to award-winning director, Dawn’s path is a testament to perseverance and creativity. Through her groundbreaking work, like the feature film Mother of Color, and her commitment to mentorship and equity in the film industry, Dawn is amplifying underrepresented voices and inspiring change. Dive into her story to learn how she’s shaping the future of film and community with passion and purpose.
Personal Background
Can you tell us a bit about your background and what brought you to Portland?
I’m from Texas and moved out here after graduating from UT Austin. Since then I’ve worked as a union carpenter, a training manager at a non-profit that helps women prepare for careers in construction, and then eventually, I started my own video production company. Now I work as a filmmaker, a director at large, and a Creative Director at Funnelbox. Somewhere in there, I also spent two and a half years serving in the Peace Corps in Panama. Each of these experiences has shaped how I tell stories and connect with the world.
How did you first become involved in your current field or community?
I was always a cinephile, but at some point I realized I didn’t have to just watch stories,—I could create my own. When I got into my first festival, it became really clear to me that this was something I wanted to dedicate myself to fully.
Achievements and Contributions
What are some of your proudest achievements or milestones?
It’s so hard to make films—I’m really proud of everything I’ve made, as I continue to learn and evolve. One of my proudest achievements is completing my first feature film, Mother of Color, in 2021 during the pandemic. It’s about a single mom played by Ana del Rocío who begins receiving messages from her ancestors while struggling to make it to a job interview. It was a multi-year labor of love—the hardest thing I’ve ever done—but when it came out and we connected with out audience, it was also one of the most rewarding. I’m especially proud of the incredible, diverse team we assembled to bring it to life. You can learn more about at motherofcolorfilm.com
How has your identity influenced your work and contributions to the community?
As a queer Mexican American cis-woman, it’s important to me to make my identity visible to others who are equally underrepresented, especially in an industry that still has so far to go in terms of inclusion. I’m interested in taking up space! Beyond representation, mentorship and sharing knowledge with my community is a priority for me. And when hiring, I always choose potential over experience to hold the door open a little wider for those coming behind me because I understand how implicit bias limits opportunity for too many.
Challenges and Overcoming Them
What challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them?
Oh, I’ve had lots of challenges, but maybe here I’ll talk about one connected to identity. Like many queer people who may have grown up in a void of queer representation, I faced the challenge of navigating my identity without visible role models or a sense of belonging. I had to learn to embrace who I am, often challenging social/cultural expectations and internalized doubts, to live authentically.
This ongoing practice of self-acceptance has profoundly shaped every part of my life. It influences how I approach my work as an artist, how I build and participate in community, and how I connect within all of my relationships. And it definitely helps me overcome many other challenges because it always comes back to listening closely to who I am and what I need.
What advice would you give to others facing similar challenges?
My advice is to learn to fully embrace and have compassion for yourself: your identity, your emotions, your passions and even your vulnerabilities. The outside world will always be there with its demands, but true freedom comes from a place where you can say look inside and say, “This is who I am and this is what I want.” Self-acceptance is the foundation for everything else.
Community Involvement
How do you stay connected with the local LGBTQ+ community?
I have a small group of queer friends that I don’t see often enough. Honestly, I feel a bit under-lesbianed at the moment. That’s one reason I’m excited about LCC and hanging with ALL the lesbians!
Are there any specific causes or organizations you are passionate about supporting?
A lot of my volunteerism has been around bringing greater equity to the film and media industry. I’m connected to several organizations that align with this work like Film Fatales, Catalyst Film Collective, OMPA, and more. This year I was a mentor for Women in Film’s Educate/Incubate program and most recently, I joined the board of Portland Panorama, Portland’s newest film festival. Post election, I signed up to offer video support for a local organization, Portland for All. I’m a huge fan and supporter of Girls Build, a non-profit that inspires confidence in girls through the world of construction and building.
Inspiration and Impact
Who or what inspires you the most in your personal and professional life?
Right now? I’m inspired by the City of Portland. In the midst of tough political times, Portland is a beacon of what’s possible. Our healthcare initiatives, our sanctuary policies, and the recent reform of our political system has led to some incredible voices on our new City Council. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I’m inspired by the vision. It’s similar to Lesbian Culture Club, right? Carrie and team are building something new and meaningful that I want to be a part of.
How do you hope to impact the community through your work and actions?
I’m part of these organizations because I see the value in collective power, but my art is probably the space where I have the potential for the biggest impact because a lot of people can watch a film. I’m very much interested in telling stories that contribute to society whether it’s through creating awareness or helping us reflect on and better navigate the world.
Future Goals and Aspirations
What are your future goals, both personally and professionally?
Right now I am focused on revising my next feature film script and scheming to get it made. It’s a queer, sci fi dramedy about the struggle to stay emotionally connected to ourselves and to each other in what feels like a dark world right now. Stay tuned!
How do you see the community evolving, and what role do you hope to play in that evolution?
These are strange times. I see how the queer community has more visibility, but I also see how we are facing the threat of attack, politically. I worry for all of us, but I am particularly concerned about our trans family.
As a filmmaker, I intend to help raise our visibility further. As a member of LCC, I want to help us continue to connect both for our own joy and collective power.
Fun and Personal Interests
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Most of my free time is taken up by my family and filmmaking projects, but I do love to garden, go to the movies, and ride my bike!
Can you share a fun fact or something people might not know about you?
This fall, I stumbled upon the original white work shirt with my name patch from when I first moved to Portland and worked as a parking lot attendant downtown. It feels like a lifetime ago! Somehow, I squeezed into it and wore it as an impromptu Halloween costume!
LGBTQ+ Representation
As a lesbian filmmaker, how do you approach queer representation in your films and TV projects?
I’m interested in having queer actors play queer characters when possible because that representation matters. And while the era of early queer films that helped create understanding around the struggle to come out was vital, we’re past that now. I want queer films that depict us as fully realized people, living diverse and complex lives beyond just our identities. Queerness is inevitably woven into a character’s story, but it’s not the only story. We deserve so much more.
Are there any specific themes or narratives you are particularly passionate about exploring?
My new script is a sci fi dramedy about a woman who agrees to participate in an experimental study involving household appliances in order to restore her ability to feel again. I’ve been kind of obsessed with emotional expression in my work (see my talk on Creative Mornings) and I’ve got a lot to say about humanity’s need to stay emotionally vibrant.
Intersectionality
How do you navigate the intersection of being an Indigenous Mexican woman and a lesbian in the male-dominated film industry?
I primarily identify as Mexican American because despite my DNA, I have little cultural ties to my indigenous heritage. Many Mexican or Mexican Americans experience this disconnect as a lasting effect of colonization and I’m on a personal journey to reverse it.
I’m also mindful of not taking up too much space from those who are culturally Indigenous and face even greater systemic barriers in our society. Their voices need to be centered and amplified.
In navigating the film industry, I have faced barriers, but those challenges propel me forward. I’m not waiting around for someone to hire me or hand me an opportunity—I’m creating my own. That drive has made me a better filmmaker and storyteller. Being self-taught has taught me to embrace learning as I go and that resourcefulness has made me a better filmmaker and storyteller.
Also, I have found my people. We support and encourage each other as we work on getting our projects made.
Storytelling Techniques
In your films or TV shows, you often weave in elements of your culture and heritage.
How do you balance telling personal, cultural stories while making them relatable to a broader audience?
That’s the trick, right. The more specific the story, the more universal it becomes. It’s counterintuitive, but stories grounded in authenticity with all the personal details, but we recognize the humanity in what feels like a “real” story because of those specifics.
But also, it’s funny how we frame it. A “cultural” story just means a story that’s not centered on whiteness, right? Every story is cultural—but mainstream cultures don’t get labeled that way. My goal is to tell stories that reflect my experience and my community, trusting that if I get it right, a broader audience will be invited in, but I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t make films for everybody. I make the art that I want to see in the world.
Representation in Hollywood
Do you think Hollywood has made progress in terms of LGBTQ+ and Latinx representation?
In terms of queer representation, Hollywood has not made much progress beyond a handful of tokens or passing supporting characters. Latinx representation is way below proportion to the population. Yes, there is more representation for marginalized voices in indie films and on streaming platforms, but that’s not Hollywood. The major studios are stuck. What’s messed up about it is that Hollywood is just guessing what people want and there are a million examples that prove they are wrong, but still, they keep rehashing the same stories and shutting down broader inclusion in favor of playing it safe. It’s only going to get worse as Hollywood is still contracting post pandemic and strikes.
Where do you think it still needs to improve?
A lot. We also know that when women are making these hiring decisions, we do things differently. We tend to be more inclusive and collaborative so changing up who is working behind the camera is a great start.
There’s a lot to say, but you know what I’d really love to see? More representations of queer families with kids. It’s such a rarity and it’s extremely important to see our lives reflected, normalized and celebrated.
What’s your favorite part of being a filmmaker?
Being a filmmaker means inviting people into your gaze. It’s about sharing the way you see the world, what moves you, what challenges you, what makes you laugh or cry. It’s a beautiful, grueling process that is ultimately about creating that shared experience of watching and reflecting, together. I love that, but also, that sense of working in a team to do something difficult never gets old.
Where can people find more about your work or connect with you?
@dawnjonesredstone on Instagram