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Riley Hooper

@rileshoops

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☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️ 🎀@vestibulefilm🎀

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🎀Stills from our very first Vestibule dance shoot🎀

Vestibule has always been a dance film — since I started making it, almost nine years ago‼️ But the only dance footage we’ve ever had to show were little temp things I cobbled together with iPhone footage and set renderings.

For nine years I have been dreaming of how these dance scenes would look and feel, an a month ago, a bunch of people helped make my dreams a reality!!! Thanks to donations and grants from The Vagina Collective and the Sundance Documentary Fund, we were able to film a handful of proof-of-concept dance scenes for the film! I am so thrilled with how the footage turned out.

The road to get here hasn’t been easy. Eight years of grant rejections and setbacks often made (and still make!) the path ahead feel impossible. But a new friend recently told me something that has stuck with me: our ideas are watching us. They notice when we choose to act on them, inspiring bigger, bolder ideas to reveal themselves. At the very least, I’m glad I said yes to this idea — a dream nine years in the making. I’m endlessly grateful to everyone who helped bring this moment to life. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t take another nine years to finish. by @rileshoops

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2 years ago

Grandma would have been 96 yesterday. She taught me to always pack a swimsuit and never turn down an adventure. She was so curious and adventurous, always wanting to go new places and try new things. She snorkeled at 93. Dove into her pool at 94. Sang karaoke at the local dive bar at 95. She had a hard childhood until her aunt and uncle adopted her at the age of 7, and that experience taught her to live life to the fullest. The lesson was not lost on me either. I am thankful I got to call this strong, smart, funny, kind, and curious woman my grandma. by @rileshoops

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6 years ago

I am honored and over the moon overjoyed to share that @vestibulefilm, the feature documentary I have been working on for the past 8.5 years, is a @sundanceorg documentary fund grantee.

Vestibule is a documentary about my journey with a vulvovaginal condition called vestibulodynia. It took me eight years, six doctors, three physical therapists, and two surgeries to be able to have pain-free intercourse. For nearly a decade of my life, I desperately sought answers and a cure, hiding what I was going through from everyone except a few people.

I decided to tell my story as a way to explore the questions and themes that arose from this experience — of living in a body that betrayed me, navigating a healthcare system that dismissed me, and a culture that undermined my agency over my body and sexuality. The film uses stylized dance sequences to tell my story and explore the stories of my grandmother and great-grandmother, their own relationships with their bodies, and a maternal lineage of shame and resilience. What begins as a singular mission to have pain-free sex becomes a multi-generational story about sexual health, pleasure, and agency.

Our entire team is so grateful to Sundance for their support of this very personal film. With this funding, we are able to start filming the stylized dance sequences which we’ve been dreaming of for years. Stay tuned for exciting updates! by @rileshoops

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2 years ago

Stand Up to Cancer and American Airlines Summer 2026 PSA and Campaign. Featuring @su2c Ambassador, Lily Collins and incredible individuals from the SU2C network of survivors, Doctors, scientists and caretakers.

Visit su2c.org to learn more and give. 💪🏼✈️❤️ by @rileshoops

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a month ago

We have wrapped production on VESTIBULE!!!!!!!!!!!!

These images are from our final dance shoot, and I couldn’t be more thrilled and proud to share them. The first image has been burned into my brain since the early days, when our team was only me and producer @seemaybe.

Ten years later, under the expert leadership of producer @brynsilverman, we were able to bring that image, and so many others I had imagined for so long, to life. It was a powerful experience to make what existed in my mind manifest as reality—to create a beautiful space to tell my story, process, and heal.

It was all possible only because of the hard work and dedication of our incredible team. You’re all such wonderful humans and exceptionally good at what you do.

The last image is me beaming at choreographer @jdisc.mov, grateful for her collaboration in helping bring it all to life. I’d like to extend that same beaming joy and gratitude to our entire team:

Producer: @brynsilverman
On Set AP: @lplotkin
DP: @fletcher_wolfe
Verite DPs: @oradekorn @gracie_pendleton @bridget_joan
1st ACs: @willapisarski @orphan_dannie
Gaffer: @mel.nesteruk
Grip: @anniedg1326 @jlbeezy
Swing: @samwarga @yam.pind
Sound: Julia McGill @sound_speeds
Production Designer: @katvancleave
Art Assistants: @en.ga.la @bryan.herrera
HMU: @adriana_andaluz
Stills: @sashafoto @fletcher_wolfe

DANCERS:
@alex.llorca
Lindsay Harwell
@maddy_elliott
@sndancegroup
@amanda_bacallao
@guallygual
@_michaelaesteban
@oradekorn
@sashafoto
@lilyfranceshenderson
@annamyriad
@jdisc.mov
Susan Cohen DeStafano
@caitbrzezin
@seemaybe
@katiekopajtic
@sebi_spaghetti
@sarahrachaelwainio
@kristinmcparker
@nonialley
Mom 💗

Shot at @studio121bk - thank you Alain!!! by @rileshoops

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3 months ago

Honored to be a recipient of the Rainin Filmmakers with Disabilities grant from @sffilm!

Although I never identified as someone with a disability for the entire decade I dealt with symptoms and sought treatment for Vestibulodynia, I recognize now that vulvovaginal and pelvic pain conditions are silent disabilities.

These conditions are debilitating on their own, but patriarchy in medicine means there are few resources or effective treatments. Stigma and shame around vulvas and sex add yet another barrier.

For years, I dismissed the pain I was experiencing, and confided only in my mom. If someone had given me permission to name what I was experiencing as a disability—one that limited my life in profound ways—perhaps I could have avoided isolation and shame. I might have even accessed proper care sooner.

On the other side of symptoms and treatment, I am honored to use this film and this support to advocate for people still living with these conditions. by @rileshoops

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10 months ago

A documentary filmmaker and a choreographer spend three weeks at an artist residency making dances about vulvas 💗 Thank you to @soaringgardens for the time and space to create #dancefilm #choreography #vulva #vulvaart #artistresidency #vagina taken in Soaring Gardens Artists Retreat by @rileshoops

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a year ago

What happens when you pitch the most personal story of your life to a room full of strangers?

BFC filmmaker Riley Hooper @rileshoops did just that — and won.

In this interview with fellow BFC filmmaker Danya Abt @abtitude, Riley reflects on her pitch at Camden International Film Festival for Vestibule @vestibulefilm — a film born from chronic pain, shaped by courage, and shared with the world.

✨ Watch the video or read the full conversation at the link in bio.

#BFCinterview #DocumentaryFilmmaker #VulnerabilityIsStrength #CamdenIFF #WomenInFilm #FilmmakingJourney #BrooklynFilmmakersCollective by @rileshoops

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a year ago

Spent a week at Mass MoCA surrounded by inspiring art and artists—including editor @itsaclaireaffair and Vestibule’s Chief Creative Consultant, Baby Ana 💓

Endless thanks to the Sundance team for inviting us to the first-ever Documentary Edit Residency. Your support of this film is meaningful beyond words. And to @kfeels32 , thank you for sheparding us with such thoughtfulness and care.

To Toby, Kat, the amazing mentors, and Sundance Ignite Fellows—thank you for welcoming us into your week and into the safe space you created. I haven’t had the chance to see all your films yet, but I have seen how kind and curious and thoughtful you all are—and that’s what matters most!!!

And last but certainly not least, thank you Claire. I feel so supported and seen in this collaboration, and so lucky to be editing this film with you. 💗 by @rileshoops

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a year ago

@vestibulefilm is on the
nonfiction hotlist!

Director: @rileshoops
Producer: @brynsilverman
Producer: @seemaybe
Consulting Editor: @itsaclaireaffair
DP: @oradekorn

Swipe to learn more & reach out to @rileshoops to offer connections or help in some capacity. We know that support can show up in many forms, and we’re inspired to learn how communities can come together to bring projects to fruition... Not just the film community, but the people outside of the industry that will connect to this story. Share it with your wife, your besties, and anyone you know on a wellness journey. DM this post to the sex positive influencers and women in your life, share it with your teen daughter, and @ilana if you happen to know her. most importantly, check out her sizzle and pitch deck on the hotlist. If you have a little pocket change, and feel inspired by her work, donate to her 501c3 linked to her project page on @nonfictionhotlist

Let’s find new ways forward - together
contact details on the last slide

#nonfiction #nonfictionhotlist #documentary by @rileshoops

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a year ago

Behind the scenes from Vestibule dance shoot day 2! Shot at @babestudiosbk

💗Shout out to the team that made it happen 💗

Producers: @brynsilverman & @seemaybe
Field Producer: @yaybennett
Choreographer/movement consultant: @jdisc.mov
Acting/movement consultant: @calimme
Toothbrush partner: @martellruffin
Firemen: @btmartz & @christiano_jay
DP: @oradekorn
BTS DP: @bella___graves
AC: Emmett Ferrer
Production Designer: @cassandraholden
Art Assistants: @rowanhannah & Patrick Mitchell
Sound: @sound_speeds
Lighting Designer: Alexa Harris
Grip: @f.k.sas
Swing: @thatgripguyoverthere
HMU: @ericaetcetera & @rayxcintron
PA: Chrisy Griesmer by @rileshoops

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2 years ago

🎀 Behind the scenes from Vestibule dance shoot day 1! Shot at @babestudiosbk 🎀

Eternal gratitude to the team that made it happen:

Producers: @seemaybe @brynsilverman
Field Producer: @yaybennett
Choreographer/movement consultant: @jdisc.mov
Acting/movement consultant: @calimme
Line dance partner: @haymancody
DP: @oradekorn
BTS DP: @bella___graves
AC: Emmett Ferrer
Production Designer: @cassandraholden
Art Assistants: Patrick Mitchell & @rowanhannah
Sound: @sound_speeds
Lighting Designer: Alexa Harris
Grip: @f.k.sas
Swing: @thatgripguyoverthere
HMU: @rayxcintron & @ericaetcetera
PA: Chrisy Griesmer by @rileshoops

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6

2 years ago