My First Documentary

Can a father really tell his son the truth about his past? I bet a lot of you ask that question, but this is something that had bothered me for years. When I was seventeen I started looking into my father's history. Something I didn't know, but desired to. I start documenting things about his life. He was resistant as well as most of my family to talk about it. This only made me more persistent however.

For five years up until I was twenty one I finally finished the documentary. However what was so interesting about this project was that the direction of it completely changed. Not because of the shoot or editing, but in me. I never thought I would be a part of this film, but I was sucked in during the making of it. I couldn't believe the effect my father's story was having on me. By the end of it all, I was a changed person or should I say a healed person.

The project went on to have a small run with two showings for the Filmmaker's Symposium in two AMC theaters in New Jersey. It later went on to raise thirteen thousand dollars for Food Bank and raved about by filmmaker's such as Raymond De Felitta, director of "City Island" & David Gordon Green, director of "All the Real Girls" & "Pineapple Express."

The funny thing is I never intended on the film getting to where it is. It was a student project for my junior year at School of Visual Arts and just took on a journey of it's own, healing many along its way.

For a limited time, the film is on Culture Unplugged, an online film festival through out the world.
Click HERE to view.