Congratulations to all the recipients of the 2022-23 Inwood Art Works Filmmaker Fund. These are their stories that we’re helping bring to the screen.
The Fund was created to financially support and encourage the creation of locally-made cinema in the Inwood NYC community, which includes Inwood, Washington Heights, Harlem, Marble Hill, Kingsbridge, and Riverdale. Now in its fourth year, and despite the global pandemic, it has persisted to “green light” the visions of local filmmakers and provide a spark to our artistic economy, providing over $75,000 in grants to 24 local filmmakers. More than 70% of the grant money this year will be awarded to women and minority filmmakers as part of our goal to reflect the diversity of New York City and the Uptown (Manhattan/Bronx) community in our programming.
More information about the Fund submission criteria can be found on our Filmmaker Fund information page.
Project Title: The Puerto Rican Jew
A man in his late twenties finds out he is half Jewish.
Louis Carrasco is a filmmaker and photographer from the Bronx, NY. He has worked in the media industry for close to 10 years. Having graduated from CUNY-Lehman College with a BA in media studies. He recently moved back from LA, working on many settings. His last directed short was a two episode series titled Famished Artists.
Project Title: Nana
A grandmother invites herself over to her granddaughter Natalie’s for a series of Sunday lunches. Growing sick of small talk, Natalie opens up in an attempt to connect with a woman she has nothing in common with.
Hillary Carrigan is an award-winning Producer/Editor known for her contributions in post-production for feature-length film (You Hurt My Feelings, Jerry and Marge Go Large, Marriage Story, among others). She values projects that are uniquely human and foster creativity, a love of storytelling, equality and change. Her digital work for politics and nonprofits has been viewed online over fifty million times across platforms, notably for International Planned Parenthood Federation, Hillary For America, and Biden/Harris. Hillary’s creative work has been officially selected for film festivals including: The Master of Art Film Festival, Mediawave, Slate Open 5.0 Chicago. She was a member of the jury for Split Videoart Festival 2021. You can learn more about Hillary and her work at www.hillarycarrigan.com.
Project Title: Condos
After being hit by equipment at a construction site, Gary wins a large sum from a settlement. He decides to invest the money by buying and renovating apartments in his building. But he hits an obstacle – the ever tenacious Melinda, who will not budge like the other tenants.
Dileepan Ganesan is a director, screenwriter and composer, whose films touch upon themes of love, modern life, and injustice, but always with a sense of humor. Although never taught in a film school, he has learned from classic art house and indie films from video stores and streaming platforms, and has practiced his craft in one short film and feature to date. He is working on his latest short Condos with the aid of the Inwood Filmmaker Fund.
Project Title: This is Jane, See Jane…
In a world where women are designated second class citizens and gender identity and sex education are no longer taught in school, Jane finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and forced to make the biggest decision of her life.
Keena Gonzalez moved from Hollywood to NYC in 2000 to pursue her work as a photographer. In 2008 she earned her BFA from the School of Visual Arts where she was mentored by singer-songwriter Anohni and interned for world renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz. Since graduating Keena has worked closely with the artist collective Openings, has had her photographs exhibited, and in 2023 she’ll be directing her film entitled This Is Jane. See Jane…
Project Title: Alternate Side Parking
On Isham Street, at Broadway, in the Inwood Neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, alternate side parking rules are in effect on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:30am to 1:00pm. This is a story about those parked cars, how they move, and the people who move them.
Timothy Koch (www.timothykoch-director.com) is an Inwood NYC based director and educator, working across documentary film, theater, and opera. Alternate Side Parking is his second documentary. He previously directed Community Sourced Shakespeare: Inwood Hamlet in 2021, which was filmed in Isham Park and supported by a New York Foundation for the Art’s City Artist Corps Grant. He is a member of Tectonic Theater Project for which he’s directed numerous readings and workshops, and their 2022 Gala, A Tectonic Cabaret, headlined by Billy Porter. In the summer of 2021, he was the Associate Director of Seven Deadly Sins which featured seven new plays performed in empty storefronts of the Meatpacking District as part of the post shutdown reopening of live theater in NYC. From 2016 to 2020 he was the Resident Director of Disney’s Frozen on Broadway. Timothy’s directed plays, musicals, and workshops at The Tank, The Kraine Theater, Theater Lab, among others. He teaches acting as part of AMDA’s faculty, through workshops, and with private coaching clients.
Project Title: Sweet Boys
This is a love letter. To youth, to East Harlem, and to all the sweet boys that society helped turn into hard men.
Natasha Rivera is a Director, Writer, Producer from NYC. For the past decade, she’s been an Assistant Director for shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Patti Cake$, and The Godfather of Harlem to name a few. She’s been nominated for three DGA Directing Awards and has received grants and mentorship from NALIP, BRIO & Inwood Film Works. She co-created the production company, Boiling River Productions with her husband Seamus which has several projects in development.
Project Title: Robotomy
A troubled man is convinced he is a robot and demands his doctor help him find the evidence.
Michael Pizzano is an independent filmmaker and a proud New Yorker. He recently created a nine-episode web series, Lockdown Living, that takes a dark, comedic look into lessons learned from the 2020 quarantine. His short films The Replacement and Say No to Drift Walking, were festival favorites – including the Inwood Film Festival!
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