Interview with Roberta Ramos, 4 years as a volunteer

Roberta showing the DLAFF Jury Award in 2008

Whether you're a new member or a seasoned volunteer, it's sometimes easy to forget just how important your role is to DLA.  We rely on hundreds of volunteers to continue with or good work.  So we spoke to Roberta Ramos, former head of DLA Film festival Production, about her 4 years with DLA and what she's gained from her experience.

No stranger to volunteering, PhD student Roberta from Brazil, worked with organisations such as Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth before joining Discovering Latin America in 2006.  ‘I was doing my masters degree and Mauricio Davila was also studying with me', she explains of her chance meeting in with DLA co-founder and President.  ‘We became friends and he invited me and other people from the course to help him during the film festival'.

On her 4 years with the DLA Film festival and 3 years as the head of Production, Roberta says she has seen the team grow into an integral part of the Film department, learning what it takes to organise a Festival and about films themselves. ‘Today I have skills that I did not have before as production is something that I do not do outside DLAFF' she says. This is knowledge that I value a lot'.

Currently studying for a PhD researching environmental politics in the Brazilian Amazon, Roberta's time with DLA is now limited but she says  I have met people who have become great friends and today these people share important moments of my life'.

Some of her favourite DLA memories? The opening night of the film festival of course! ‘ I always feel very touched during the opening when all volunteers go to the front of the cinema screen to show to the public that this festival was done by us. This is when I think "We have done it"'.

‘Being a volunteer is an important decision. When you are with DLA you will be learning about Latin America, about charity, about cinema, music, dance and arts. So enjoy this experience in every aspect!' Roberta added. ‘Whatever you do with DLA, do it with passion and with the belief that you are part of something great!'

Interested in voluntaring with the Film Festival? Contact Stephanie on Stephanie@discoveringlatinamerica.org