Voices of DreamTown

Film Synopsis

Voices of DreamTown is a story capturing the lives of three Afro-Ecuadorian soccer players in their ardent pursuit of playing professionally, amidst the stark reality of the country’s inequitable distribution of resources and economic opportunities.

The compelling documentary is an open look at the conditions faced by Ecuador's disenfranchised Afro descendants, whose impressive athletes have taken Ecuador to the mecca of world soccer tournaments, the World Cup. On the surface the story is about soccer but essentially, the story is about soccer hopefuls Carlos, Marlon and Nixon, and the dreams, ambitions and choices they make to save their families and their community. Will they succeed in becoming soccer heroes or will they be forced to remain in the shadows of a country that is indifferent about their existence? Despite their muted voices, they represent the Voices of DreamTown.

WELCOME!

Welcome to the Voices of DreamTown blog, where you can find more information about the documentary in the making, and the latest updates on its progress.

NEWS
Filmmaker Betty Bastidas along with Production Assistant Angelica Hester will be returning to Ecuador to continue scheduled production for the month of July. Expected shoots range from doing a day in life with national soccer hero, Agustin Delgado, covering soccer games, and following the lives of Marlon, Carlos, and Nixon as they fight to stand out in a crowded field of athletes, the impoverished conditions of their communities, and the search for a way out via the sport they love. Will they succeed in becoming soccer heroes or will they be forced to remain in the shadows?

Events

Upcoming Screenings:
SATURDAY June 14 7 - 10 pm

“OUTDOOR FUNRAISER FOR VOICES OF DREAMTOWN”
Join us for the benefit screening of “Voices of DreamTown" by Filmmaker Betty Bastidas and Producer Joel Mejia.

SUPPPORT a great cause!! Hang out with AMAZING folks!!
SHARE yourselves APPETIZERS offered
FUNKY WORLD TUNES to keep you moving by DJ RAINY (salsa, hip hop, Brazilian, African,
+) LIVE JUGGLING from soccer fanaticos, slide show with AWESOME IMAGES to entertain, RAFFLE PRIZES donated by supportive friends, guaranteed to be a FUN OUTDOOR CELEBRATION!!!

Screening of the work-in progress will be @ 8:45pm.

LOCATION
Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute
408 West 58th St. (bwn 9th & 10th Ave) New York, NY 10019

Creative Team

Betty Bastidas, Ecuador
Director/Producer
www.babphotography.net

Betty has been working as a professional photographer/ educator since 2004. She is a passionate storyteller that has found her way toward filmmaking as a social tool for her work; she is attracted to inspiring stories that celebrate the strength of the human spirit among environments of struggle. Her work ranges from documenting Colombian Youth and their creative drive for a social identity and unity through hip-hop amidst a complex political climate, life post-Hurricane Katrina, to documenting the lives of undocumented youth living in the United States.

Betty’s projects have taken her across the world; to India, Thailand, Laos, Australia, Germany, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador as well as her travels within the United States. She has exhibited internationally and has been the recipient of numerous awards including the 2007 NALAC Fund for the Arts, the 2006 Fellowship from the New York Foundation of the Arts, NYSCA/Brooklyn Arts Council Community Grant, Puffin Foundation grant, and has participated in the National Association of Latino Arts & Culture Leadership Institute.

Joél Mejia, Dominican-American
Producer
www.thingsarechanging.com

Joél Mejia is a multidisciplinary producer, educator, and CEO of Things Are Changing Media, a New York-based media services company. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Economics from Lehman College.

His main objective is to use media as a tool for conversation and social change. Recent producing credits include Dare To Dream Film Festival, Reel Exposure Film Festival, Voices of DreamTown and feature length documentary Middle School: Middle Passage. Mr. Mejia has earned numerous awards including a NALAC Fund For Arts Grant (2007), and a NYSCA/Brooklyn Arts Council Community Regrant (2008).

Maia Monasterios, Venezuela
Story Consultant

Maia Monasterios produces and directs Documentary series shows for Bravo, MTV, VH1,We, TLC, Discovery and various independent production companies. She has 10 years of experience working in the Film and Television industry, freelancing on documentaries, PSA’s, commercials, music videos and feature films in Florida, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. She has instructed filmmaking at various film schools and was a part of the Programming staff at the Florida Film Festival. She co-founded Group 101 films: Orlando, a chapter of an international filmmaker collective during which she produced/ directed many short films that have successfully played the festival circuit, including the short film, “BLiNK” which has been distributed on DVD by Spiritual Cinema Circle and online by Cinequest’s “Jaman” pay to download site. Her passion is in harnessing the power of the motion picture to transform social perceptions and make a positive difference in the world.

George Priestley, Panama
Advisor

George Priestley is Professor of Political Science and Director of Latin American and Latino Studies at Queens College, CUNY, and the principal investigator of the Ford Foundation funded Afro-Latin@ Project at that institution. Professor Priestley is a research associate at the Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos, Justo Arosemena (CELA) in Panama; a member of the editorial board of Tareas (Social Science Journal in Panama), and a founding member of CLACSO Working Group on the United States, 2005--. In 2003 he was a Schomburg Fellow at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and has served as the President of the Third Congress of Black Panamanians (1988) and Vice-President of the Congress of Black Culture of the Americas (1982). A former Program Chair of the Caribbean Studies Association (1999), Prof. Priestley now serves as Co-Editor of the Caribbean Studies Association Newsletter.

George Priestley has authored, co-authored and edited several books and articles, including: Etnicidad, Clase y Raza en Estados Unidos: Perspectivas para las Alianzas entre Afroamericanos y Latinos in, and Crisis de Hegemona de Estados Unidos.

Martin Brecht, America
Story Consultant

Martin Brecht is an artist, educator, and amateur soccer player based in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Pennsylvania, Martin earned a BA in Studio Art while on athletic scholarship at Lafayette College and a Masters of Urban Education from Mercy College in the Bronx. He is co-founder of the Live Mural Workshop, an artist and graphic designer, and a NYC public school art teacher. He has extensive knowledge of world soccer, attending games in European and South American leagues through his travels.

Zita Szatmary, Hungary
Web Garphics / Outreach Coordinator

Zita Szatmary is a senior Electronic Design and Multimedia student at CCNY. Zita’s goal is to find ways to combine her artistic talents with her social sensitivity in the form of works that could make a difference in the world. This desire led her to the idea to create a motivating, informational event, the first annual Reel Exposure Documentary Film Festival, at her campus this spring.