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MYgration Films – 2024

MYgration Films – 2024

Capturing the stories of Central Floridians from around the world in short three- to five-minute documentary films.

Capturing the stories of Central Floridians from around the World
in Short three- to five-minute Documentary fi

 MYgration Films:

Watch the 2024 films as they are premiered in September. More than a dozen filmmakers compete to each make a five minute film about a Central Floridian and their heritage. There was a random pairing of filmmakers with their subjects late in August. Once they meet, they film and edit within a time limit of 5 days to finish and turn in in their film.
 

The rest of us have two opportunities to see these films on a large screen and vote for our favorite film. Stories will range from illegal border crossings in the dessert to growing up in the USA with little knowledge of their heritage, but eventually finding a connection to their heritage and a place to call home in Central Florida.

Premiere Showing will be Sunday, September 22 at 5pm. Those particular tickets also allow entrance to all the activities that day at the Global Peace Film Festival. and allow ticket holders to vote for the Audience Choice Award.

The second screening and awards will be held on Sunday, September 29 at the Premiere Cinema in the Fashion Square Mall. There the filmmakers will be awarded over $1,000 in prizes and you can meet the filmmakers and their stars.

 
Join the watch party!

Tickets for Sept. 22, 5 pm at Afro TV, 7220 International Drive, Orlando HERE

Tickets for Sept. 29, 5 pm at Premiere Cinema, 3201 E Colonial Drive, Orlando, HERE

Lori Turchin

Film Curator & Producer

Here are some of the stories you’ll see:

The Path To Healing, Stella Abelaez film by Michael Elliott

Peace by Piece, Pamela Bussey film by Miguel Guniard

Culture to Canvas, Nelson Cardenas film by Ariana Castillo

I Can Make My Island Here, Ariam Cruz film by Ross Widener

Forever Welcome, Sunayana Dumala film by Jonathan Silva

Beneath the Fabric, Bernard Foong film by Matthew Gutierrez

Homesick, Albert Heisler film by Darnell Felix

Angela Hong, South Korean Phenom, film by Kevin James Bond

Idrees Khan: Ties to Trinidad, film by David Yanovich

The Journey, Peter Kuria film by Matt Wohl

Karma, Sean Roberts film by Victor Palermo Brasil Salgado

End Plein Air, Orit Rueben filmT by Taylor Andrew Rahn

Dancing the Steps to Freedom, Norma-Maria Texeira film by Rachel Lindsey

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A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart.

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2023 MYgration Films Winner

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STELLA ARBELAEZ

Heritage: Colombia

 

Coming from a well-educated family and a good elementary education in Bogotá, Colombia, where she was considered “too energetic,” Stella’s family sent her, and her mother to the US to better afford higher education for all her siblings. She came to Queens, NY, where an aunt owned a gas station. During her high School years, although she was not fluent in English, she was accepted into an arts high school.  After completing a BFA in Fine Arts Illustration, she continued with art classes and worked in the design field. That eventually led to a position with Walt Disney Animation in Orlando.

 

Her family suffered a number of tragedies – her father was killed in Colombia, her mother was killed in the US, her sister was dying of cancer.

 

Through the Disney connection she met a Californian and moved there to get married. After the birth of her daughter, she pursued a degree in early childhood education and devoted her life to her family. Her husband and his friends did not speak Spanish. She was not allowed to speak Spanish at the dinner table, and gradually lost touch with her Colombian heritage. She became a surprisingly “well- adapted” exotic person, rather than a true representation of her culture. An annual trip to a Colombian restaurant for her birthday and trips to visit her relatives in South Florida were the sole ties to Colombian culture.

 

While visiting her extended family in Florida, her marriage ended traumatically. This sent her into a couple of years of dark depression and self-condemnation. For her 48th birthday, she joined a Meet-Up group for a 4-day hike to the Appalachian Trail. “With every step I took”, she recalls, “I felt more alive. I felt the blood rush to my legs and my heart pumping to get me through the next mile.” Hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail in 2020, while reflecting on the person she had been, the person she now was, and the person she still wanted to be, led her back to art. Her mantra became, “Nature heals.”

Also, visiting her extended family in South Florida, she felt enveloped by the love and warmth of her childhood in Colombia with dance parties where they would dance salsa, merengue, and cumbia until the wee hours of the night, reveling in their festive traditions. Her little dog, Bobo, is a faithful companion.

MICHEAL ELLIOTT

Hi there, I am a writer, director & cinematographer local to the St.Pete area. I have worked on short films, commercials, and a couple of feature films, mainly in the camera or lighting department. I have also worked on several passion projects like “The Beat Within,” which was a short documentary following a women-led drum circle in Dunedin. I was an editor for a few years prior to trying my hand at shooting, so I shoot with the edit in mind. I am a South African-born immigrant who moved to the United States to study business management but fell in love with filmmaking and telling stories after being here for a few years. My direction changed from economics to making movies and telling stories. I believe documentary work is vital and important in current media and entertainment, especially to tell the stories of those who do not have a voice and are under represented. I would love to participate in your event and look forward to the challenge and excitement!