Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The New New Yorkers, Frances E. Perozo

Capstones

As Texas turns its back on asylum seekers, one New York City community seeks to make them feel welcomed with dignity and care. The New New Yorkers follows the journey of Adama Bah, an asylum-seeking refugee turned citizen as she dedicates her life to welcoming asylum seekers despite Mayor Adams slashing funds, shutting down her triage operations, and attempting to gut the right to shelter, a legal precedent that ensures all migrants and New Yorkers have the right to shelter. Bah is determined to show up for migrants, joyfully.

American Lotto, Kris Parker

Capstones

The Preka family won the diversity visa lottery and has immigrated to the seaside town of New London, Connecticut. They are a family of four that have dreamed of immigrating to the United States for much of their lives. Originally from Albania, a country with limited opportunities and riddled with corruption, the film will follow them in Connecticut as they adjust to life in the US and the challenges of learning a new language, finding decent work, and adjusting to a new culture. The film explores their emotional journey; their hopes, expectations, and disappointments, as they build a life without …

Dear Maliha,, Na-Eela Djemil

Capstones

Dear Maliha is a short documentary film exploring the complexities of spiritual abuse through Maliha Fairooz. Spiritual abuse is a form of abuse that uses spiritual or religious beliefs to control or manipulate others. In some cases, spiritual abuse can be used to describe a religious leader who abuses their platform. But in Maliha’s story, we explore the concept of parental spiritual abuse. However, we learn more about this through Maliha Fairooz and the creative use of her journal.

For Maliha journaling is a form of therapy she uses to process her feelings and days. She also uses it as …

"Revolution", Noelle Lilley

Capstones

When faced with gun violence in 1990s Canarsie, one 17-year-old carried his community on his back. “Revolution” chronicles the rise and fall of the Canarsie arts youth-led movement, Team Revolution, and the man at the center of it all: Divine Bradley.

Woodhouse, Bianca M. Rosembert, Mankaprr Conteh, Netsanet Negussie

Capstones

The film WOODHOUSE, in production, profiles Julian Woodhouse, a gay, black, burgeoning fashion designer in New York, before, during and after the chance of a lifetime. In addition to designing, Woodhouse serves in the Army Reserve. His military career is the only aspect of his life that his religious, conservative black parents support. Julian has survived without the approval of his parents, who he says sent him to conversion therapy when he came out. After revealing a dark family secret in the context of this new opportunity in fashion, we’ll see Julian attempt to meaningfully reconnect with his parents for …

New Roots: A Transracial Adoption Story, Scarlett Kuang

Capstones

This is a documentary on transracial adoption. Transracial adoption is becoming more and more common in America. In 2011, 4 out of 10 adopted children were raised by families of a different race or ethnicity. Daniel and Lisa Conklins have 11 children. After giving birth to 6, the couple adopted another 5 children from 5 different countries. They live in Castile, a farm town in upstate New York. The then 6-year-old Ezra needs to adapt to a totally new environment and embrace his new family. For Elaina who was adopted as a baby, the challenge is to survive in a …

Guardians Of Virtue, Tamsen Maloy, Tasia Jensen

Capstones

Guardians of Virtue is a short documentary following Tamsen Maloy as she explores how the church of her upbringing--the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon church)--handles sexual assault. It is quickly revealed that the church does not have adequate resources for sexual assault survivors. On the contrary, the culture and system of the church enables assault and encourages survivors to feel they are to blame.

Link to capstone: https://tantproductions.wordpress.com/

Revival, Anya Van Wagtendonk

Capstones

My hometown, Great Barrington, MA, has one famous former resident: NAACP co-founder W.E.B. Du Bois. For generations, his legacy in the predominantly white town was hardly acknowledged. People actively protested the landmarking of his birth site in the 1960s. When I was a kid, plans to name a new middle school after him were scrapped after the uproar grew too loud. Even in this supposedly liberal enclave in western Massachusetts, people continued to object to his membership in the Communist Party. As former NAACP president Cornell Brooks said recently, this would be like Princeton, N.J., ignoring that Einstein had ever …

Silk Wings: The Making Of Noma, Sandra C. Lopez-Monsalve

Capstones

Silk Wings: The Making of Noma is a documentary that follows a group of aerialists, dancers and acrobats as they create an original new show. Conceived and directed by aerialist and choreographer Sara Zepezauer, Noma is a show that explores sight, sound, and movement.

Through beautifully shot performances and intimate interviews, the film follows Sara and her troupe through the path of creation and personal motivations. In this vibrant journey, Sara finds inspiration to cope with her father’s diagnosed carcinoma.

Silk Wings is a story about creativity, perseverance, hope and friendship.

Outrage Is The New Black, Derek R. Scancarelli

Capstones

In 1964, legendary comedian Lenny Bruce was brought to court on an obscenity charge after years and repeated arrests for using what was then deemed to be sexually vulgar language. Despite the testimony of fellow artists and intellectuals (Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, James Baldwin), Bruce was convicted. The symbolism of what Bruce stood for is way more important than the four months he consequently spent in a workhouse. It proved that comedy has the power to shake the system- make people challenge authority and question the value of parallel thinking. Now – in 2015 – America is obsessed with outrage. …