LAURA'S
HOLLAND
A new film by MONICA COHEN
At the height of her career, a Spanish flamenco dancer living in America faces the unimaginable, and as her world collapses, she turns to her art to survive.
TRAILER
ABOUT
Our film follows Laura, a flamenco dancer and mother living in Boston, MA. as she finds ways to heal profound pain and trauma through powerful and transformative performances.
After moving to the United States from Spain, three different crises led Laura to radically change her life and find joy in the unexpected. First, a 180-degree career shift triggered by severe work burnout and the racial discrimination she experienced at work; second, the isolation of 2020, when she gave birth to her first child, Hugo, in the midst of a global pandemic; and finally, the devastating brain injury her newborn daughter, Sol, suffered at birth—an event that shattered her world and transformed her forever.
In that context this film centers on a few questions: How can a person find meaning, heal, and live fully after profound trauma? How does one find refuge in artistic expression and heal what for others could mean a long life of profound trauma and pain? How does one balance the demands of being an artist and a mother to a special needs child? How can art become both refuge and revolution — a way to transform pain into purpose and inspire a more equitable world for caregivers and people with disabilities?
DIRECTORS'
STATEMENTS
MONICA COHEN
Co-Director/Producer
Ten years ago, I became a mother to my daughter Simona. My husband and I were two artists living in New York. We could never anticipate how profoundly parenthood would reshape our lives. Suddenly, we were no longer the center of our own stories—our children were. Our bodies, time, and choices were no longer ours alone. The isolation of being immigrants combined with the precarity of freelancing pushed us to move to Boston, where my husband secured a full-time position at Berklee College of Music. While this brought financial stability, it also divided our professional paths in ways we never imagined. Our production company had been a shared endeavor; now our roles conformed to gender norms we never thought we'd accept.
I met Laura shortly after giving birth to my second child, Antonio. My son and Laura's daughter Sol are the same age, with one profound difference: Sol suffered a severe brain injury at birth. Despite this, Laura and I discovered deep commonalities as mothers, caregivers, and immigrants. I saw myself in her struggles—the story I'd been wanting to tell since becoming a mother in 2015. Laura trusted me because she knew I understood, and like her, I felt the urgency to demand better from the systems we depend on.
LAURA'S HOLLAND is a personal act of resistance—amplifying the struggles of countless caregivers and demanding a world where caregiving is prioritized and valued. This film is not just a portrait of one woman's experience, but a call to action. It challenges us to redefine normalcy, embrace life's unexpected detours, and fight for a society that truly includes and supports everyone. In Laura's journey, we see the possibility of a new way forward—one marked by resilience, creativity, and radical empathy.
LAURA SANCHEZ
Co-Director/Subject
As a full-time artist and mother of two—including a daughter with significant medical complexities—I navigate motherhood as an immigrant without extended family support. My creative practice is one of the few spaces I can claim as my own, and motherhood has transformed my identity from artist to art activist. Making space to create outside my caregiver duties is an act of empowerment—a way to make visible what so often feels invisible. I find inspiration in the mundane details of my life: a walk to the playground, a hospital stay, a micro-aggression, someone commenting that my daughter isn't "normal," a conversation with another caregiver. In the studio, I transform these real moments—both positive and negative—into movement, developing the work in sections and testing it with different audiences, allowing it to evolve organically.
Our film LAURA'S HOLLAND invites audiences into the private moments that fuel my artistic practice—the everyday realities they would never otherwise witness. My performances can only express what emerges from these experiences; the film reveals the lived moments themselves: the hospital visits, therapy sessions, dance classes, school pick-ups, and small joys that shape
my work and my family's life. By making visible what
caregivers experience behind closed doors, this film
becomes more than my personal story—it's a call
to action demanding that caregiving be valued,
supported, and seen, giving voice to
countless families navigating similar
journeys.
TEAM
Our team is a network of radical thinkers and creators, caregivers and hopeful souls that believe this world can be a better place if everyone is truly included.
MONICA COHEN
Co-Director/Producer
Colombian filmmaker whose documentaries center on art, culture, social transformation and human connection. Cohen founded The Boom House, a Boston-based video production company, specializing in content rooted in cinematic and documentary style storytelling.
She was a 2023 Brother Thomas Fellow, and has been a part of award- winning film projects that have been shown around the world and in festivals such as Sundance, CPH:DOX, and FICCI, among many others.
Cohen believes in the power of stories to build bridges and spark important conversations that could be the catalyst to a more equitable world.
LAURA SANCHEZ
Co-Director/Subject
Laura is a multidisciplinary artist, flamenco dancer, choreographer, author, and creator of the Tulip Skin universe — a trilogy of works that integrates the award-winning short film and immersive performance After Dark, the multidisciplinary performance Welcome to Holland!?, and the illustrated memoir Tulip Skin (2025).
Supported by institutions such as The Boston Foundation and published in the American Journal of Dance Therapy, Laura has developed Expressive Flamenco®, her signature artistic-therapeutic methodology that integrates movement, voice, and emotion into healing-centered storytelling.
JEN KAPLAN
Producer
Jen Kaplan’s first love was always the magic of stories – listening to them, learning from them and telling them in a visual way through film, since 2000. Her first film “Mixed Blessings: The Challenges of Raising Children in a Jewish-Christian Family” was shown in film festivals across the globe and aired on several PBS stations. She worked as a Fundraising Producer at Connecticut Public Television and served as the Associate Director of Filmmakers Collaborative in Boston. She served a 3 year term as a member of the Newton Cultural Council.
Since 2011, she has focused her efforts on producing 5-7 minute films for a variety of clients. A Father’s Kaddish is her most recent film from her company Spencer Films.
KAREN KROLAK
Accessibility Consultant
Karen is the co-founder of Monkeyhouse, an award-winning nonprofit that connects communities through choreography. As a dancer living with a rare chronic illness, Karen is a passionate advocate for disability inclusion in the arts. She brings extensive experience in developing multi-sensory, accessible performance experiences.
RENATO MILONE
Music Composer
Renato Milone is a music producer, composer, engineer, drummer, and educator.
He started his career in Europe, performing with many renowned artists as a drummer. In 2000 he won a full scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music and got a B.M. in Composition for Film, Tv, and Video Games , an MA in Film Scoring and a Professional Achievement as Best producer 2009.
He has worked for artists such as Whitney Houston and wrote jingles for national and international television. He is currently a co-founder of THE BOOM HOUSE and an Associate Professor at the Contemporary Writing and Production Department of Berklee College of Music.
DONATE
You can help by making a tax-deductible donation today. All donations go through our non-profit fiscal sponsor, Center for Independent Documentary, and are 100% tax deductible.
If you prefer, you can make a check out to Center for Independent Documentary and write “Laura's Holland” in the memo section and mail to:
Center for Independent Documentary
PO Box 95216
Newton, MA 02495
THANK YOU!
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