Abstract
Backside paints an intimate portrait of the unseen "groom" BIPOC workers that sustain the elite horse-racing industry, showing how wealth, class, and race come together in the United States. The film emerges out of 5 years of ethnographic research with the majority Black and Latinx migrant grooms and hotnalkers that work in the backside of Churchill Downs. While most films and media reports on horse racing focus on the jockeys, gamblers, trainers, and the horses themselves, the migrant labor force at the backside of the barns is largely ignored. Even the few films and magazine articles that highlight the migrant workers tend to romanticize their stories or focus on their immigration status. They portray a “desire” of the workers to become jockeys, going so far as to suggest that they throw themselves into such exhausting, low-wage work solely because they love the horses. This mainstream approach to telling underrecognized backside workers’ stories not only lets those in power continue to oppress a crucial labor force with low pay and poor living conditions, but also ignores the complexities of the worker's goals. By exploring the barns of the Kentucky Derby, an event so representative of affluent southern culture and U.S. wealth, Backside patiently reveals our dependence on labor, immigration, and domestic animals. Focusing on the backside workers through a full racing season, the film highlights their expertise while subtly drawing parallels between the labor and confinement of the humans and horses. The contrasts between the wages and physical exertion of the grooms and that of the wealthy pageantry of the Derby paint an image of race and class still prevalent in the United States. As a core member of the film's production team, I've worked as a producer for the film, additional camera and sound. The film is currently in post-production, set to premiere in 2025. We have received support from the following grants: ITVS Diversity Development Fund, Catapult Film Fund, LEF Foundation Moving Image Fund, ITVS Open Call, Latino Public Broadcasting, the Princess Grace Foundation, Creative Capital, and PBS/Firelight William Greaves Fund.