Written by Paige Storti
With a great start this past Sunday, WIFVNE in partnership with the Walnut Street Synagogue and the Boston Latino International Film festival is excited to continue the Tikkun Olam-Sanar el Mundo film series and roundtable virtual event this Sunday, February 28th with the second installment of the series!
This film series focuses on and celebrates how an act of healing, no matter how small, contributes to Tikkun Olam-Sanar el Mundo - healing and repairing the world.
On Sunday, February 28th at 3:30pm will be the screening of Decade of Fire. This film follows the plight of Black and Puerto Rican residents of the South Bronx who were blamed for the devastation of their neighborhood caused by fires in the 1970s, despite their daily battles to save their neighborhoods. The film uncovers the truth along with policies of racism and neglect that still shape our cities.
Following the screening, there will be a conversation with moderator Sabrina Aviles, Festival Director of the Boston Latino International Film Festival and a producing partner for the series; filmmakers Vivian Vazquez and Neyda Martinez as well as special guests Roseann Bongiovanni and Maria Belen from GreenRoots Chelsea.
An educator and facilitator,Vivian Irizarry ran educational and youth leadership development programs at the Coro Foundation, Bronxworks, and is currently the director of community-school partnerships at the New Settlement Community Campus. Vázquez Irizarry managed educational youth development models in GED completion and college access programs across New York City. A former member of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights, she is a member of 52 People for Progress, a community organization that saved her childhood playground and revitalized the South Bronx for the last 35 years.
Gretchen Hildebran is a documentary filmmaker and editor whose work lives at the intersection of politics, policy and human experience. Credits include: WORTH SAVING (2004), which was presented in HBO’s Frame by Frame showcase; OUT IN THE HEARTLAND (2005) which explored anti-gay legislation in Kentucky. A 2005 graduate of Stanford’s documentary program, Gretchen shot Ramona Diaz’s THE LEARNING (2011) and has edited for the History Channel, PBS and the United Nations Development Programme, as well as on independent documentaries. Gretchen has also made a series of short documentaries used to educate communities across the country about life-saving interventions such as needle exchange and overdose prevention.
Nick Rocco Scalia from Film Threat said “The well-paced, tightly constructed, often crushingly emotional documentary is stirring and compelling throughout, illuminating both a dark chapter of New York City history and an all-too-common example of the extent to which inner-city people can be unjustly victimized by those in power.”
Don’t miss out on seeing Decade of Fire and the panel conversation on Sunday, February 28, 2021. The films and discussions will also be offered in English and Spanish. Visit walnutstreetsynagogue.com/film-series for complete details and ticket information.
The Tikkun Olum-Sanar el Mundo film series is conducted in partnership with The Walnut Street Synagogue, WIFVNE, and the Boston Latino International Film Festival. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Chelsea Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
