NEW CHILDREN/NEW YORK SHOWCASES FILMS IN APRIL 2008
AS PART OF NYC’S IMMIGRANT
HERITAGE WEEK:
AT THE 9th ANNUAL HAVANA FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK AND IN AN
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP AT MAKE THE
ROAD NEW YORK, BROOKLYN
The New Children/New York Film
Project is proud to announce that it will showcase new
films by its youth and professional filmmakers at two upcoming and prestigious Immigrant Heritage Week events. Immigrant Heritage Week (www.nyc.gov/html/imm) is a citywide celebration that
honors the experiences and contributions of immigrants in NYC. Established by
Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2004 and coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of
Immigrant Affairs, Immigrant Heritage
Week is a rich collection of free or low-cost programs that build
cross-cultural understanding between diverse New Yorkers.
New
Children/New York
(www.newchildren-newyork.com) uses filmmaking to explore the experience of growing up as
a Latino immigrant in NYC. Since September 20006, the project has been training
youth ages 10-22 in Bushwick, Brooklyn to make
their own films about their lives and points of view. These films have shown on
television and the web, in many public screenings and at youth and major film
festivals across New York City.
The culmination of New Children/New York is the
creation of a feature documentary film collaboratively made by the student
filmmakers and their teachers. The documentary will reveal how this group of
young people is using filmmaking to make sense of, cope with and rise above the
challenges of being a Second Generation Latino Immigrant.
On SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2008, from 1:00-3:00PM at QUAD CINEMAS (34 W. 13th St., Manhattan), the 9th Annual
Havana Film Festival New York (HFFNY) will include a program devoted to films
by New Children/New York filmmakers. Eight of these
films have been made by young Latino filmmakers and represent their individual
experiences, interests, points of view and concerns. The youth-made films are:
- "Desconocido" ("Unknown"), by Fausto Chadán, Ecuador, 22 years old (in
Spanish w/ subtitles) - "My Movie," by Kelvin Lara, Dominican
Republic, 15 - "Through My Eyes," by Bryan López,
Puerto Rico, 16 - "Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the
Game," by Jeremy López, Puerto Rico, 13 - "Fitting In," by Joshua Carrero,
Aruba/Puerto Rico, 13 - "Aerosol," by Desiree Camacho, Dominican Republic,
16 - "Wrong Way," Michael Vásquez, Colombia,
17 - "The Life of Dasha," by Robert
Moore, Puerto Rico, 16, and Sam Rosario, Puerto Rico,
15
The HFFNY’s New Children/New York program will
conclude with the premiere screening of a special advanced 20-min. cut of the
feature documentary, directed by Gisela Sanders Alcántara (Mexico) and
produced by Lauren Mucciolo (Italy/Argentina) with Cristina Garza, Ariana
Martohardjono and Patricia Torres. A Q&A with the youth and professional
filmmakers will follow the screenings. Tickets to the program are $10.50 or
$7.50 for seniors and children. See www.hffny.com for more information.
On SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 2008, from 2:00-5:00PM at MAKE THE ROAD NEW YORK (301
Grove St., Brooklyn), New Children/New York will host a free public
workshop called "New Children/New York Presents Being Different: Youth Films
For Community Organizing." This bilingual, two-part workshop will showcase
films examining how these young Latino filmmakers feel "different" in their
communities. Fausto Chadán and Patricia Torres will talk in Spanish about
feeling "different" as undocumented immigrants. Desiree Camacho, Kelvin Lara,
Bryan López, and Robert Moore will talk in English about differences of
sexuality, appearance, food choices and family structures. The goal of the
workshop is to help audience members develop strategies for integrating youth
media-making into organizing and advocacy around these issues. A reception will
follow.
New Children/New York is
supported by the Havana Film Festival New York, The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant
Affairs, Make the Road NY, Brooklyn Arts Council-NY Department of Cultural
Affairs, Independence Community Foundation, North Star Fund and individual
donors.