The Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) premiered four documentary shorts on June 12 from emerging artists in their free BDC Films Fellowship.
The annual BDC Films Fellowship provides emerging filmmakers with hands-on training in documentary production, from story development to editing, while connecting them with stories rooted in the Bronx. The screening offered fellows an opportunity to debut their completed films and demonstrate what they have learned throughout the year.
Before the screenings, BDC Labs Manager Carlos de la Sancha explained that, in a change of pace for the fellowship, the program was split into two parts. In the fall semester fellows Carolina Herrera, Natalie Setoute, Aman Shahzad and Ariel Portillo studied the fundamental skills of storytelling and filmmaking. In the spring, they prioritized directing their own films.
“Knowing about the stories here in the Bronx is something that’s very important in the education that we do here because we want these stories to be told,” de la Sancha said.
For her film, Bronx Community College alum Setoute looked inward. “The Way She Cooks” highlights the importance of cooking to Setoute’s relationship with her grandmother.
“The way we communicate is probably to a lot of people unusual. We don’t talk that much. How have I known her my entire life and we don’t speak the same language, but we still understand [each-other]? I realized, growing up, that was just observing her mostly through the kitchen,” Setoute said.
Shahzad’s film, “El Amor Nunca Muere” (Love Never Dies), features a restaurateur who recounts how he met another man that became his business partner, lover and eventually, the deceased soul that lives on through their restaurant.
For a long time, Shahzad, a Bronx native, struggled to secure a story, until de la Sancha recommended Shahzad look into a local restaurant: Mexicocina Mezcaleria.
“I talked to Antonio [owner of Mexicocina Mezcaleria] and what really inspired my interest was his openness to having a conversation with me… I think it’s really beautiful that he allowed himself to share his story.”
Having been born in Buenos Aires, Herrera is drawn to stories about migration and familial history. “Joseth” provides a brief insight to the 14-year-old Colombian asylum seeker adapting to New York City life.
On the hardest or most tedious process of making “Joseth” Herrera said, was the editing process.
“I think it was really hard because I was challenged, I wanted to do it my way. They were challenging me, which I appreciate. Editing your own work sucks; in film, photography, writing, everything. So it’s good to have a group to collaborate with people.”
Portillo’s “It’s Our Pleasure to Serve You” centers a married couple who each runs their own coffee carts, one in Manhattan, the other in the Bronx.
She said she hopes the film highlights the effort that people put into their work.
“I think it’s super important to give them a voice,” Portillo added.
The films screened to a packed room of community members, film subjects, fellows, their loved ones and members of the BDC team.
Daniela López Amézquita was part of the 2020-2021 cohort. Now the BDC’s Film Teaching Assistant, her favorite part of the program is the final screening; when the fellows, who come in with different specialties, get to show how they have grown.
“That’s why that’s my favorite part, to see all these paths they have followed and how they became the filmmakers you’re going to see today,” Amézquita said.
Applications for the next cohort are expected to be available from July to August. For eligibility criteria and more details, you can visit their website.
Maurice Burbridge is an intern at the Bronx Times. He can be reached at mburbridge@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
