I’m excited to tell you all about the festival, the filmmakers and their incredible work but I want to explain how this all came together for me so you can truly understand how special this whole event was. I have no idea why I hadn’t heard of this particular festival but when I discovered it I was definitely interested in covering it because after speaking with Katha Cato, who is the Executive Director of the event, I was completely sold. I called Katha months prior to get more information about the festival and her involvement with the filmmakers and she was so passionate about every aspect of film and wanting the filmmakers to put everything they have into their work and be the best they can.
I was invited to the Presser Festival Line Up Reveal event. This event was so awesome, all of the filmmakers were present with their posters and business cards ready to talk about their work and it was really exciting! I walked in not knowing what to expect and right away I met Katha, who was energetic and friendly so she instantly introduced me around. I walked up to each filmmaker one by one and asked, “when did you start writing the script?” “How long did it take from writing to shooting to finishing the film?” “What was your casting process?” They were genuinely a bit nervous and I am finding most filmmakers are nervous around critics.
This event was cool because after I and the other press had a moment to speak with the filmmakers, we all went into the screening room where Katha spoke about the extraordinary people who made this possible and of course about how amazing Queens was and at that moment, I felt proud too to be a Queens resident and then we watched trailers of all the films. When the trailers were over all of the filmmakers lined up in front with their posters held high and the professional photographer told me to please move! I was in his way, and he took a picture and as he scooted over, so did I. I felt like I was at a High School graduation. It was emotional, funny, exciting and I felt so proud of everyone for spending so much of their life, money, and passion creating these amazing stories for us all to see on the big screen. Katha gave them a really touching speech like a principal would, sending his students off into the big world. I could tell she had worked with them through their whole process and was so proud of them for their efforts and she advised them to be brave and keep creating.
So let’s talk about the films I saw. The first one I saw is a short film by Walker Hare called “Sun Shine”
A happy African American girl named Zora (Mirirai Sithole) approaches a white man named John (Brad Fleischer) asking for 75 cents. Not in a good mood, John dismisses her and keeps walking. As Zora follows him trying to convince him to give her the money, she notices that he is more troubled than annoyed with her. When she asks him what the trouble is, he stops and starts to cry explaining that his girlfriend broke up with him for another man. He drops his bag and Zora notices a gun sticking out. She quickly grabs it asking why he has it and he reveals his plan to kill his ex and the man she is now with. The scene takes a turn when Zora suddenly points the gun at John and what would ordinarily seem like a stick up appears to be more of a nervous reaction to John’s overall disposition. Zora tells John that she doesn’t want to rob him, she just wanted to talk. She finally puts down the gun and the scene ends with her being shot by a police officer (Matt McCurdy) who witnesses the two walking moments prior to the incident. The officer asks John if he is okay as Zora lies dead on the ground.
I thought this was a beautiful, powerful film that shines a light on the very issues we are currently dealing with concerning unacceptable law enforcement and racism. But not only does it deal with these issues, but it also shows that we all have problems in our lives no matter what our backgrounds are, no matter how we seem on the outside. Zora, a young girl struggling to take care of her sisters just wanted some company and 75 cents to buy candy. John, a man having a complete breakdown was on his way to actually murder two people. I thought this opens the door for many conversations including human relations.
The second is a short film by Justin Andrew Davis called “You Look Great”
Peter (played by director Justin Andrew Davis) struggles with his weight while managing to hide an eating disorder that is taking over his life. This film presents an issue that is usually unveiled when it comes to women and young girls but this conversation needs to be addressed when dealing with men as well. We see Peter trying to maintain each day but can’t seem to get past the self-criticism. He wants to be slimmer, fitter, better looking but obsesses about food and exercising. I love how the eating disorder is an actual character in this film. This makes it easier for the audience to see the inner conflict that goes on in Peter’s mind. Peter can’t stop thinking about food and wants to eat, while his disorder (played by Ryan Wesen) feeds his insecurities, yells at him for giving into temptations and forces him to exercise and starve. Over time it becomes stronger until his relationships suffer keeping him withdrawn from any social activities that may sway him from his secret illness. There is a scene where he finally breaks down and binges on everything in the house. His disorder forces him to purge which makes him feel bad so keeps the cycle continues. His girlfriend (Peyton Michelle Edwards) knows that he is always miserable but doesn’t see the signs of his sickness. It also doesn’t help when someone tells him that he looks great, this encourages him to continue.
I thought this film was really good, it was a heavy topic done more on the lighter funny side. I do, however, think if the main character was a woman no one would have thought any of it was funny. That’s another conversation to be had. What does that say about how men are viewed when it comes to disordered eating and poor body image?
The third film is actually a music video written and co-directed lead singer of band LKYM Yonatan Elkaman called “In Cold Blood”
I thought this video was so powerful, emotional and thought-provoking in so many ways. There is no dialogue only visuals which I was very excited about, this manner was very effective in creating a more dramatic effect. The first lyrics to the song is “I shot my best friend” and I thought whoa! We see a young girl playing with her dolls and other toys but she is not just playing, she is cutting off the hair, hitting them and yelling. It cuts to her parents arguing while ignoring her and when we see her behavior with her toys, she is actually mimicking her parents. A toy soldier she has comes to life and we see them laugh and have a great time playing but then the little girl begins to torment him pushing him down. She tries to show her toys to her parents only to be ignored while they continue fighting. The young girl gathers all of her toys, throws them into the pool and jumps in hoping to drown away the pain. This story is the story of everyone’s life in some ways. Not feeling valued, learning how to handle relationships, never learning how to be a good friend, continuing unhealthy relationships we witness as children. I thought this piece was really beautiful and strong!
The fourth film is a short by Daniel Burity called “Hola Kitty”
This is the story of an undocumented illegal immigrant who works as a “Hello Kitty” character in Times Square. She tells what it’s like to be in that costume all day long, have no identity, her face never seen, her voice never heard but to be one of the most adored characters by children and adults all over the world where everyone wants a photo and a hug. She says it is challenging, the suit is hot, there is very little room to see but at the same time she feels like a celebrity and for that she is grateful. She feels like a somebody when people ask for a photo or hug and it even makes her want to work with children someday.
A lot of time we in society do not think much of those who come to this country and work low paying labor jobs. We turn a blind eye to the people who do the work a lot and who refuse or feel too good for jobs like that of a nanny, house cleaning, and working in restaurants sweeping the floors. Most of the employment immigrants take are low paying with no benefits and they have no rights. This film opens up a conversation about the labor of immigrants and how they are disregarded completely and looked down upon. As a New Yorker, I admit I avoid Times Square completely because of the tourists, however, whenever I am passing through for work from now on, I will think differently about the costume workers. I thought this film was great and it definitely changed the way I see the many people dressed as characters not only in New York City but all over the world.
The fifth film is a short film by Stacey Maltin called “Baggage”
Living in a world where everyone wears paper bags over their heads with smiling faces on them, no one publicly expresses who they truly are. A woman meets a man and decides to go home with him. Before they sleep together, they decide to take the bags off. After seeing what each other looks like the woman start to get emotional and cries and doesn’t know why. The man comforts her but she gets nervous and awkward so she puts the bag back over her face and that ends the night. The man is turned off and doesn’t recover from the situation.
In just a 6-minute film, it shows us so many things about our society, especially in regards to social media. We have these fake identities of always being happy and beautiful and living our best life and we never show the sadness, ugly, imperfect moments with fear of being judged or not liked. What happens when the paper bags come off? This is the question for everyone to ask themselves. Beautiful film with a powerful message.
The sixth film is a short by Yamin Mistry called “For a Better Life” which won Best Director Documentary Short
This short animated film tells the story of a young boy from Tunisia named Fekri who was sold by his parents for a better life. As he explains, many families in Tunisia can’t afford to care for their children and often they are sold assuming they will be better taken care of. Fekri comes from an abusive family where his father beats him on a regular basis. He stole bread one day out of hunger and got caught so the owner attempted to cut his hand off as punishment which he explains is common there, but a family friend witnessed the incident and paid for the bread to save his hand. When he gets home, the parents are informed of his wrongdoing and he is immediately sold for $100 to a French family. He is rushed off leaving his parents right then and there never to hear from them for years.
The French woman turns out to be a terrible person, she sexually abuses him for years and then she finally gets married to a decent man who is nice to Fekri. While her husband is traveling for work, she starves Fekri for weeks and beats him so bad he is hospitalized and physically hurt for over a year. The woman goes to prison and Fekri is sent to foster homes where he acts out physically towards everyone there. Finally sent to a treatment center, he finds support from others, learns to write and use spoken word as a form of therapy to tell his story. He calls his mother one day and speaks with her for the first time since he was a child. She never knew where he was or how he was doing but admitted to thinking about him and tells him she loves him. Fekri finds it in his heart to forgive her for the tough life he had and begins to heal himself.
This was one of the most powerful films at the festival. So emotional but uplifting and powerful. I am not particularly a fan of animation but this was beautifully done.
The seventh film is a documentary by Leslie Shatz and Eleanor Miller called “The New Klan, Heritage of Hate”
This is a fully restored documentary that follows Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke in rare, never-before-seen interviews, Klan meetings and functions that were organized during the ’70s. David Duke and his followers promote segregation and the preservation of the white race while claiming that the KKK does not advocate violence. Meanwhile, they participate in cross burnings, border watches to make sure Mexicans don’t get into the US, they carry guns and say that minorities are taking their jobs, mixing the races and will eventually take over if they don’t put a stop to it. I thought this was a very informative piece because right now in 2019, unfortunately, there are many people who quietly support this ideology. David Duke wanted to create an updated version of the Klan without the lynchings but he admitted to wanting to gain total political power. When Duke ran for senator he didn’t win but had over 10,000 votes which show how many people agree with his mission. When interviewed and asked about his beliefs on racism and how he was actually perpetuating the problem further by starting rallies and altercations with blacks and other non-whites, he denied being violent. This documentary takes you behind the white hoods and shows you the actual fear and inferiority this organization has towards others. There are some amazing interviews, I loved the one with Jesse Jackson and David Duke, also a reporter with the New York Times asks David some very thought-provoking questions about his ethics that he clearly couldn’t answer that leave him speechless and even confused. I heard a lot of laughing during the film and it was mainly because most people do agree that this outdated ignorant way of thinking certainly does not help our society advance as people.
The eighth film is a feature by Jules Rosskam called “Paternal Rites”
Along with a friend, Jules Rosskam re-creates a road trip his parents took back in 1974 in the attempt to resolve details about his abusive childhood he has yet to overcome. Unspoken issues involving sexual abuse from his grandfather and physical and emotional abuse from his brother are never spoken about which brews resentment, emotional pain, and anger. The majority of his emotional trauma stems from his father’s being distant towards him as a child. When his grandfather sexually abuses him while his brother witnesses the incident, there is never confrontation and resolution from his parents or sibling.
The father is described as a hard-working man who provided for his family but also drank excessively and was emotionally absent. Throughout the journey, we get to see interviews with his therapist as he tries to identify his pain and what he seeks as a resolution. He also interviews his parents and asks them all of the questions concerning their lack of emotional support, the sexual and physical abuse and finally gets to write and send his brother a letter about everything he’s always want to say to him.
I loved the artsy style of this film, it felt more like an essay than a documentary. As the story is told, there are beautiful images of family as well as audio from the original trip which gave it such a feeling of closeness to that era. I felt very sad but moved by this piece because in a sense we all have unresolved pain from childhood and most of us never want to explore or confront it with fear that it will change our lives forever, which it will. I also thought it was very brave that he opened his life up to us and was willing to expose things about himself and his upbringing that most people hide. Most people will resonate with many aspects of this film and I believe it will catapult others including myself to face some of our past.
The ninth and final is a documentary by Johnny Sweet called “Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story” which won best Director Documentary Feature
This documentary accounts Ron Artest’s journey from childhood to becoming one of the greatest players in the NBA, and being diagnosed and coming to terms with bipolar disorder. The 2004 Pistons/Pacers brawl is one of the highlights of this film along with other incidents where Ron has been described as impulsively aggressive towards his teammates and his fans.
The story starts off with a long introduction to the whole crack epidemic that hit the poor black communities in the ’80s, creating a situation where one had to either sell drugs to maintain or sell drugs to get out. The documentary features many Rap Artists who talk about drug dealing and gun violence in the neighborhoods, particularly Queensbridge.
In Queensbridge, where Ron was raised, his external environment of gun violence and drugs as well as witnessing his parents fights, had an immense effect on his behavioral problems early on. Because he was constantly getting into trouble, it was suggested that he take up a sport to direct his built up anger, so he started playing basketball. His father was very hard on him, he would run drills and play him one on one mercilessly every single day making him a very tough player. When Ron started playing on a team level, he was relentless with the other players. They described him crazy, unable to control his emotions, especially if he lost a game.
His coaches and teammates said he had moods swings, they never knew how he was going to react or what he was going to do, very unpredictable. After many years, Ron finally decides to seek professional help and is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. It isn’t clear if it is hereditary or environmental but it is mentioned that his father, aunt, and sister also was diagnosed with bipolar or similar mental illness.
I thought this was a good documentary about Ron’s upbringing and how he got to the NBA. I loved the footage of him over the years as a young man all the way to professional level. The interviews with former players were very insightful and some even funny. However, there are a few things I didn’t like about this film, and to be honest, I left the theater with mixed emotions of anger, annoyance and feeling a bit protective or Ron even though we have never met. I felt this way because the documentary was supposed to be about Ron coming back from mental illness. Even though it discusses mental illness, it is definitely not the main purpose of the story nor do you leave feeling anymore educated about the signs of Bipolar Disorder and what to do if you or a loved one is presented with it. The beginning with the whole crack in the black communities and gun violence tends to give the impression that this is what caused Ron’s onset of Bipolar Disorder, as it was a strong driving point into the film. If we are to assume that being black, living in poverty with gun violence and having to sell drugs to survive causes mental disorders, then we would have to assume that a large percentage of blacks have mental disorders, particularly bipolar.
What I also found disturbing is that every emotional reaction Ron had was considered “crazy” or aggressive even if it was valid or in self-defense. I find the media tends to highlight negativity when it comes to black men being upset or showing any type of emotional reaction to disrespect because they are expected to be non-responsive and submissive. The 2004 Piston Pacers game incident was a perfect example. A man purposely hit Ron with a cup of ice water and Ron was triggered and went into the stands to confront him and ended up fighting, he was called out-of-control, crazy, off his rocker and anything else they could come up with. By the end of the film, even with all the footage of his outbursts, I was not convinced that Ron, in fact, has Bipolar Disorder. Think about all of the outbursts other team members have that are not recorded or even discussed in the media, I wonder if they were diagnosed with any mental issues or even suggested that they may have one? So many things rubbed me the wrong way but I will say that overall this is an entertaining sports film, but didn’t deliver when it came to really diving into mental illness.
I absolutely loved the festival, it was so well put together and I had an amazing time seeing some really creative films. Everyone who coordinated this event was super professional, passionate and kind. I will definitely be attending next year and look forward to meeting new filmmakers and seeing some awesome movies.
This is amaz