Colosal

Colossal

Forum 2025

Every family has its secrets, says director Nayibe Tavares-Abel. Those of her own are intimately interwoven with the history of the Dominican Republic – and with the political violence and frustration inherent within it. Tavares-Abel is an election observer for the 2020 presidential elections in the Dominican Republic. 30 years earlier, in May 1990, her grandfather Froilán Tavares, a renowned lawyer, was appointed chair of the electoral commission – in the hope of a fair democratic process and the end to dictatorship under Joaquín Balaguer. However, the election was overshadowed by suspicions of electoral fraud levelled at Tavares. Archive material shows the hopes and disappointments that accompanied the elections, while a spontaneous survey on the streets of Santo Domingo reveals fundamentally different perspectives on the re-elected long-term ruler Balaguer. Colosal is the self-examination of a younger generation, autobiographical and sincere, a trans-generational family portrait caught between fear and trauma. A crash course in the history of the Dominican Republic and democracy as such. A filmic attempt to find peace, dare to do something new, get active.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by Nayibe Tavares-Abel (Director)
with Nayibe Tavares-Abel, Poi Tavares-Abel, Faisal Abel, Nayibe Abel (Mami), Froilán Tavares Cross, Nayibe Chabebe (Mamiellai) Dominican Republic 2025 Spanish, English 76' Colour & Black/White World premiere | Debut film | Documentary form

With

Nayibe Tavares-Abel
Poi Tavares-Abel
Faisal Abel
Nayibe Abel (Mami)
Froilán Tavares Cross
Nayibe Chabebe (Mamiellai)

Crew

Director	Nayibe Tavares-Abel
Cinematography	Kat Díaz
Editing	Nathalia Lafuente
Sound Design	Miguel New
Production Design	Milena Volonteri
Producer	Lei González

Produced by

Costanera Cinema

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Media Jibara

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Nayibe Tavares-Abel

Nayibe Tavares-Abel, Dominican of Palestinian and Lebanese origin, is a documentary filmmaker, research consultant and prop master. She has worked on productions for Netflix, Nickelodeon, Lionsgate, and Paramount. Nayibe was the researcher and co-writer of En movimiento (2023), which explores the history of transportation and challenges of mobility in the Dominican Republic. Carmencita (2020), her hybrid short film that integrates 16mm silent film, stop-motion animation, and documentary footage, premiered at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival in 2020 and received an honorary mention.

Filmography

2020 Carmencita; short film 2023 En movimiento (In Movement) 2025 Colosal (Colossal)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025