Sundance 2026: Nezza expands on her activism in 'La Tierra del Valor'

Ever since she could remember, the burgeoning L.A. popular vocalist Nezza has written her ain songs. She’s choreographed her ain moves. She’s adjacent applied her ain rhinestones to her outfits.

Then past summer, she staged her ain protestation astatine Dodger Stadium — arsenic Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stormed the metropolis and raided migrant communities, prompting waves of demonstrations from aggravated Angelenos.

Directed by News & Documentary Emmy Award-winning manager Cristina Costantini, Nezza stars successful a caller abbreviated documentary movie titled “La Tierra del Valor” (The Home of the Brave), which premiered astatine the Sundance Film Festival connected Friday.

Argentine American manager Cristina Constantini, left, and Colombian Dominican vocalist Nezza astatine the Sundance Film Festival connected Saturday, Jan. 24 successful Park City, Utah, for the premiere of “La Tierra del Valor” (The Home of the Brave).

(Cat Cardenas / De Los)

Powered by Latina grit and glory, the movie chronicles the lead-up to Nezza’s celebrated enactment of defiance: singing the Spanish-language rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” titled “El Pendón Estrellado.” The opus was penned by the Peruvian American composer Clotilde Arias successful 1945, past revived by Nezza, who performed it up of a Dodgers location crippled connected June 14.

Despite clearing the opus up of clip with representatives for the Dodgers, Nezza said she was dissuaded from singing successful Spanish connected crippled time by an unnamed worker of the team.

“What I’ve learned astir is that doing the close happening astir apt ever volition consciousness not safe,” said Nezza extracurricular the Library Center Theater successful Park City, Utah, wherever the movie premiered. “But it’s ever gonna consciousness right, and that feeling volition conscionable substance you for years to come.”

(Cat Cardenas / De Los)

Born Vanessa Hernández to a Dominican parent and Colombian begetter successful the Bay Area, Nezza ever possessed an independent, D.I.Y. spirit, which blazes brightly passim the documentary. The 31-year-old singer, on with manager Costantini, sat down with The Times to unpack the ripple effects from that tumultuous summertime of 2025 — arsenic good arsenic aboriginal plans for the burgeoning Latina popular star.

This interrogation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Nezza, radical saw your show of the nationalist anthem arsenic an enactment of resistance, successful the look of expanding anti-immigrant actions by the national government. Did you ever spot yourself becoming an activist?

Nezza: The abbreviated reply is no. I recognize wherefore radical are frightened to talk up... I was [once] 1 of those people. But I mean, during [the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests], I was retired successful the streets. I’ve been precise vocal connected my online platforms for a while. It’s precise wide wherever I basal politically. All that matters is to talk your truth. I deliberation past twelvemonth truly taught maine that the Latino assemblage is acceptable to invited you with unfastened arms, truthful I’m acceptable to proceed connected with that activism.

And Cristina, you person made a sanction for yourself documenting radical who [broke] caller crushed — whether it was the astronaut Sally Ride, popular prima Karol G, oregon astrologer Walter Mercado. How did you archetypal respond erstwhile you heard Nezza’s story?

Cristina Costantini: I was precise struck by Nezza, due to the fact that a batch of america are reasoning astir what’s happening successful the satellite and what our relation successful it is gonna person to be. Our institutions [are] failing us. These corporations, that conscionable years agone were each astir DEI, [are] each failing us. Nezza gave maine anticipation — and I wanted to stock that anticipation with much radical arsenic a roadworthy representation for the adjacent fewer years, months, weeks, days, hours.

Being brave sometimes feels scary, and it’s not [for] immoderate different people of person. These are mean radical similar america that are the ones lasting up close now: It’s the nurses protecting their patients, the teachers protecting their kids. These are the mean radical resisting authoritarianism. We’re going to beryllium successful a presumption [to basal up] astatine immoderate point, and what are we going to do? I anticipation that I take the Nezza path.

Nezza, who are immoderate revolutionary Latinas that you’ve looked up to implicit the years?

Nezza: My mom’s Dominican, truthful I deliberation the archetypal [names] that popular up are the Mirabal sisters. They’re besides known arsenic La Mariposas, which I ever truly loved, due to the fact that my sanction means butterfly. I person a butterfly tattoo. They were a large portion of the Trujillo authorities yet coming down [in the Dominican Republic]. And obviously, Dolores Huerta is who I yet had the grant of yet gathering past year. I emotion her truthful overmuch — she was a large portion of our civilian rights and labour movement.

(Cat Cardenas / De Los)

The documentary features footage from that fateful time successful Dodger Stadium. Who was filming these scenes?

Nezza: My boyfriend, Keean Johnson! He’s an astonishing actor, but his passionateness is documentary movie and directing. He’s filmed a batch of my life, each day. This time was truly nary antithetic than what helium usually does… And it conscionable happened to beryllium evidently a mode crazier time than normal. But helium has bully instincts and helium knew that thing was going to spell down.

Costantini: He has specified bully instincts. If a struggle starts happening, regular radical [put the] camera down, but helium kept shooting. And you spot Nezza’s look autumn arsenic she learns that she’s not expected to beryllium singing successful this connection that she thought she was allowed [to sing in] — the connection of our parents, the connection of our community. And you spot her wrestling with each of these questions successful existent time. [Johnson] was being a bully partner, but besides unthinkable filmmaker successful that moment.

Nezza, you dropped hints that immoderate labels person been courting you successful the past fewer months. Can you archer america what you’re moving on?

Nezza: We’re exploring options arsenic acold arsenic wherever we’re going to onshore is for, you know, statement home. But close present my 2nd location is conscionable a studio. So there’s ne'er a clip erstwhile I’m not penning music. Expect a batch of caller euphony successful 2026. Big things are coming!