New Children/New York
Director Gisela Sanders Alcántara
Countries United States, Mexico, Ecuador
Duration 63 min
Synopsis
“New Children/New York” is an intimate portrait of the struggles and resolve of young immigrants coming of age in a rarely seen New York City. Set in a community workshop in a Latino immigrant neighborhood of Brooklyn, the documentary follows 3 young people studying filmmaking. Their gripping, self-exploratory films—excerpted throughout the documentary—reveal the private perceptions of the youth who straddle the opposing cultures of the U.S. and their homelands. As filmmaking urges them to reflect on their identities, family situations and the elusiveness of the “American Dream,” the documentary portrays how these young adults are triumphing over illegality, discrimination, poverty, family separation, cultural loss and social alienation. “New Children/New York” concludes as the students premiere their films at a film festival in New York, but moveover, it ends with 3 young immigrants having completed a process of healing, self-understanding and empowerment via personal storytelling.
“New Children/New York” is an intimate portrait of the struggles and resolve of young immigrants coming of age in a rarely seen New York City. Set in a community workshop in a Latino immigrant neighborhood of Brooklyn, the documentary follows 3 young people studying filmmaking. Their gripping, self-exploratory films—excerpted throughout the documentary—reveal the private perceptions of the youth who straddle the opposing cultures of the U.S. and their homelands. As filmmaking urges them to reflect on their identities, family situations and the elusiveness of the “American Dream,” the documentary portrays how these young adults are triumphing over illegality, discrimination, poverty, family separation, cultural loss and social alienation. “New Children/New York” concludes as the students premiere their films at a film festival in New York, but moveover, it ends with 3 young immigrants having completed a process of healing, self-understanding and empowerment via personal storytelling.