Mariel Sosa’s Say You Will, a short documentary about the impact of gang injunctions on youth, won the award for best documentary short at the 13th annual Bushwick Film Festival in New York.
In Say You Will, a family shares how the criminal system can follow a loved one throughout their entire lives.
The film centers on Jeovany “Jeo” Salgado, who after being released from juvenile hall at age 14 finds out he is subject to a gang injunction that will follow him for the rest of his life, according to 24-year-old Sosa, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker who immigrated from Peru. A decade and a half later, his mother and youngest brother share Jeo’s tragic story and how their three lives were shaped by what they perceive as the enduring abuse by America’s criminal justice system and its secretive tools.
ON WINNING
“It’s rewarding because when you set your mind to make a movie you don’t expect to win awards,” said Sosa in a video conference with LatinHeat.com from Lima, Peru, where she is spending time with her family during the pandemic. “When you set out to make a film, you take on the journey because you feel the story needs you,” she added. “For me as a female director, the message always comes first, and there is always a hope to draw viewers into reflection. The recognition given to the film by the Bushwick Film Festival is a chance to continue to spotlight those voices that are often not heard of in cinema and cultivate a bigger space for them in today’s industry.”
The Bushwick Film Festival took place virtually Oct. 21 through 25 in Brooklyn, New York, featuring approximately 100 independent films, panels, special events, and a weekend movie industry conference. The festival culminated with a virtual awards ceremony where 21 films and filmmakers received awards.
BFF boasts of being an independent film, media, and event production company that is certified as a minority- and women- owned business enterprise (MWBE) program in New York.
MORE AWARDS
Sosa’s award comes on the heels of another win for “Say You Will” also for best documentary short at the Seattle Latino International Film Festival two weeks ago. The film also won best doc short at the Indie Short Fest in Los Angeles last June.
The Peruvian filmmaker’s previous documentary shorts are also award-winning films, including Kaxa Marca, Phantasiaman and Máxima: This land of Mine.
Other Latino filmmakers also won at this year’s BFF. Brazil’s Gabriel Amaral took the special jury prize for narrative short with Lugar Algum, while Anthony Colon received honorable mention in the same category for His-Story, a film about justice in housing.
“The award winners told bold stories, embodied the independent spirit and featured extraordinary characters who reminded us of our own inherent courage and perseverance in the face of change and adversity,” said the festival in a press release.
BFF’s winning films are available to watch until Friday, Oct. 30 at watch.bushwickfilmfestival.com.
Check out the trailer for Say You Will.