{"id":271815,"date":"2026-06-19T10:49:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/271815\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T10:49:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:49:49","slug":"bronx-documentary-center-showcases-new-films-from-emerging-bronx-storytellers-new-york-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/271815\/","title":{"rendered":"Bronx Documentary Center showcases new films from emerging Bronx storytellers \u2013 New York Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) premiered four documentary shorts on June 12 from emerging artists in their free BDC Films Fellowship<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Before the screenings, BDC Education Director Ricardo Partida 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing about the stories here in the Bronx is something that\u2019s very important in the education that we do here because we want these stories to be told,\u201d Partida said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For her film, Bronx Community College alum Setoute looked inward. \u201cThe Way She Cooks\u201d highlights the importance of cooking to Setoute\u2019s relationship with her grandmother.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way we communicate is probably to a lot of people unusual. We don\u2019t talk that much. How have I known her my entire life and we don\u2019t speak the same language, but we still understand [each-other]? I realized, growing up, that was just observing her mostly through the kitchen,\u201d Setoute said.<\/p>\n

Shahzad\u2019s film, \u201cEl Amor Nunca Muere\u201d (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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to Antonio [owner of Mexicocina Mezcaleria] and what really inspired my interest was his openness to having a conversation with me\u2026 I think it\u2019s really beautiful that he allowed himself to share his story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having been born in Buenos Aires, Herrera is drawn to stories about migration and familial history. \u201cJoseth\u201d provides a brief insight to the 14-year-old Colombian asylum seeker adapting to New York City life.<\/p>\n

\"\"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. Photo by Maurice Burbridge<\/p>\n

On the hardest or most tedious process of making \u201cJoseth\u201d\u00a0Herrera said, was the editing process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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\u2019s good to have a group to collaborate with people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Portillo\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s Our Pleasure to Serve You\u201d centers a married couple who each runs their own coffee carts, one in Manhattan, the other in the Bronx.<\/p>\n

She said she hopes the film highlights the effort that people put into their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s super important to give them a voice,\u201d Portillo added.<\/p>\n

The films screened to a packed room of community members, film subjects, fellows, their loved ones and members of the BDC team.<\/p>\n

Daniela L\u00f3pez Am\u00e9zquita was part of the 2020-2021 cohort. Now the BDC\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why that\u2019s my favorite part, to see all these paths they have followed and how they became the filmmakers you\u2019re going to see today,\u201d Am\u00e9zquita said.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Maurice Burbridge is an intern at the Bronx Times. He can be reached at mburbridge@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n