Nuestro Apoyo, a film created based on research conducted by Fordham GSS Assistant Professor Jenn Lilly, Ph.D., was recently covered in a blog article by ReelWorks, an Emmy-winning production company that hires talented emerging filmmakers to collaborate with industry professionals to create content for clients.
This continues a string of great press for the film, which has recently been celebrated at prestigious festivals, including the MiraLA Film Festival (where it won Best Mental Health Short) and the LA Latinx Film Festival.
Additionally, Nuestro Apoyo will be screened at the Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival on Saturday, May 31, at 3 PM.
Fordham GSS News covered Nuestro Apoyo when it was in its infancy, back in September.
“We really want to create a film that [the audience is]going to strongly identify with to help them start critically reflecting on what mental health communication looks like in their families, what mistakes they might have made in the past that they could learn from, and how to do things differently in the future,” Lilly said in the September interview.
At the end of the day, Lilly — a scholar who has specialized in digital media and narrative storytelling throughout her academic career — knows that film has a special way of resonating with an audience. While the research and the articles are pivotal for innovation, media like film can impact a broader audience.
“We want people to be moved,” she said. “I think that’s something film does better than an academic article.”
Judging by the film’s success, Lilly and her team are doing just that.
Get tickets for the Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival here!
