Edited work

Assembly

Ash Verwiel edited ASSEMBLY (SXSW, BFI Flare, Frameline49), a feature documentary that follows internationally acclaimed artist Rashaad Newsome as he transforms a former military facility into a visionary exhibition that explores Black and queer identity, systemic injustice and resilience. Newsome, who directed the project with Johnny Symons, used performances, immersive visuals and decolonization workshops to demonstrate how art can foster solidarity, strength and liberation for marginalized communities.

Rashaad uses the spirit of collage to meld performance, sculpture, video, and technology into a multi-dimensional experience and a sanctuary for Black queer healing and celebration – culminating in a monumental performance and exhibition at Park Avenue Armory in NYC, called “Assembly”.

Check out the artist, Rashaad: https://rashaadnewsome.com/

Film’s IG: www.instagram.com/assemblythefilm/

For screenings, award info & tickets, visit http://assemblythefilm.com/

Read this Adobe blog about Ash Verwiel’s journey editing ASSEMBLY

Before the After

How do you remain undefeated when your own body gives up on you? Choreographer, dancer, activist, artist, professor, and Buddhist, Mark Allan Davis discovers what it means to be ill in a world that’s tired of illness. Through an extensive collection of archival footage and personal videos to Mark’s best friend Stacey, in this short doc we learn about his ‘before’ journey, with faith that there will be an ‘after’.

This trailer anticipates the documentary “Before the After” — about the life and career of Mark Allan Davis. Ash Verwiel captured + cut an intimate portrait of his recovery; of Mark taking back his career, body and spirit, all while daily chanting “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo”. 

Juju [Bodies of Belief]

This film is part of a larger project sponsored by a German art foundation called “Death Where is Thy Sting?”, which focuses on body endurance in death. My good friend and collaborator James Martel traveled to Pakistan to find the spiritual power source of his passed friend Nasser Hussain, while dealing with the reality of what it means to believe.

Take Five

The art of being a body is one that is endlessly productive and creative even as we encounter in our bodies a kind of alien power, one that we mercifully are not fully in control of. Three subjects are asked to talk about and perform what it means to be a body who works with other bodies.

This film is part of a larger project sponsored by a German art foundation called “Death Where is Thy Sting?”, which focuses on body endurance in death. This film, however, is intended to focus on life, rather than on loss, to see how we occupy and endure our bodies while we are alive. A tattoo artist, a dancer and a healer describe how they can push beyond the perceived limits of the body and describe how the body holds its own agency and power.