Sonya Rosario

"A girl, a van, a traveling Sofa and a highway linking all of us at every turn"

the Sofa Diaries

I, travel with a vintage Sofa inside my Chevy van, this sofa belonged to my mother, Gloria. I interview, film and photograph women who share their stories about the women who impacted their lives. This Sofa, belonged to my mother, whose life was often a quilt of mystery and enchantment. Her passion for women's rights led me to make a difference by utilizing my skills and talents as an Activist and Filmmaker for the benefit of my community. "I am my mothers daughter," sharing with her, my commitment to community; from our travels and living in San Antonio, to the roller coaster streets of San Francisco, and the gondolas of Italy, to the Don Quixote windmills of Holland; to a cluster of mystical islands in the North Atlantic ocean called, the Azores and my Russia Quinceanera. As a child, I stuttered severely and I lived my young life in silence and under the protection of a lioness mother. Because of her, I use my camera to capture the impact of some the most powerful women in Idaho and the Northwest; as a restless and curious filmmaker, I seek out the storyteller with great passion, praying that her story is celebrated before she leaves us; I travel the twists and turns throughout the Northwest with my vintage sofa as my companion and my mothers words imprinted in my memory, "Sister, never look away."

I believe as a filmmaker it's important to create film that reflects the human heart and spirit while also creating a safe place for the storyteller, giving them every opportunity to remember their commitment to those who can no longer speak on their own behalf. I've been honored and privileged to have cried, debated and laughed with some of the most incredible women in this country; their wonderful life teachings have impacted my thinking and actions. We must challenge our own perceptions and stereotypes that dominate our myths about each other, and that by merely hearing something familiar, we are all reminded that we are not so very different from one another.

For my mother, Gloria (1933-2010) who told me that "GIRLS can be Super Hero's too!"