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MYgration Films Cinema Premiere

MYgration Films Cinema Premiere

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

  • MYgration Films Cinema Premiere

    •   
    • Enzian Theatre1300 Orlando AvenueMaitland, FL, 32751United States (map)

On October 1, 2023 – 12:30pm at- Enzian Theatre (1300 Orlando Avenue in Maitland, Florida) the MYgration Film Screening and Award Presentation will take place. Upon completion the panel will reveal the 2023 MYgration Film Competition winners. Presenting five awards including the popular “Audience Choice” winner and awarding a $1000 Grand Prize and  a $200 Student Prize as well as cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd place. A private Filmmaker’s Reception on will take place prior to the screening.

Tickets are available here.

Filmakers: Matt Wohl (Vermont-USA), Emilee Namphengsone (Asian culture. Specifically Lao culture, or Vietnamese/Thai culture), Jorge Gutierrez (Hispanic/Carib), Bhavana Banala (India), Betty Su (Vietnam), Benjamin Mack-Jackson (Ukraine), Joshua Thomas (USA-LGBTQIA), Tristan Antony Ortiz (Puerto Rico), Mauricio Mejia Chang (Peru), Juan David Tena (Colombia), Corey Marr (USA)

Subjects: Amy Akamine (Japan), Hans Peter Nkansah (Guana/Germany), Anna Byrnes (Ukraine), Era Ghali (Egypt), Gaby West (England/Italy), Gabriella Rodriguez (Mexico/Q/PR), Jasmin & Trib Persaud (Guyana/India), Justine Francisco (Philippines & Japan), Patrick (Etu) Ah-Wang (Samoa), Samir Fkiyi (Morrocco), Zachary Moldof (USA/Skate Culture),

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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!